28th Annual CORPS de Ballet International Inc. Conference
Once Upon a Ballet:
Storytelling in Ballet Culture Pedagogy, Production, and Scholarship
Irvine, California
July 23-25, 2026
*All times listed in Pacific time zone*
| THURSDAY JULY 23, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 9:45 AM PSTU 1100 |
Welcome Melonie B. Murray, CORPS President |
| 10:00-11:30 | Ballet Technique Class Observe a National Choreographers Initiative Class OR Take technique class with Tong Wang |
| 11:30-1:00 PM | Lunch Break |
| 1:00-1:45 W. Smith Hall |
IN CONVERSATION with Molly Lynch Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Facilitated by Elizabeth Gillaspy |
| 2:00-3:15 W. Smith Hall |
Membership Meeting I All conference participants are invited to attend! Learn more and get involved with the organization. |
| 3:30-4:15 DS 128 |
Aging Gracefully, Teaching Powerfully: Menopause and Strength in Ballet Pedagogy (Workshop) Kristin Marrs, Associate Professor, University of Iowa Jennifer Weber, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia |
| 6:30-8:00 Sonesta Irvine |
2026 CORPS de Ballet International Awards Reception All conference attendees are invited to convene for a reception to celebrate our scholarship recipients, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Molly Lynch, and Outstanding Service Award recipient Dr. Lisa Fusillo. Light appetizers will be served. Each conference attendee will receive one drink ticket for a beer, wine, or sparkling water beverage. There will also be a cash bar. Please join us! |
| FRIDAY JULY 24, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 9:30-10:15 AM W. Smith Hall |
IN CONVERSATION with Silas Farley Facilitated by Timothy Lynch |
| 10:30-10:50 W. Smith Hall |
Reworking the Swan through Possible Ballet Silvia Susana Wolff, Professor, Federal University of Santa Maria |
| 10:50-11:10 W. Smith Hall |
Updating the narrative of the traditional ballet technique class: how shifts in technique class structure can better meet the physical demands on dancers Olivia Waldrop, Senior Instructor, University of South Carolina |
| 11:10-11:30 W. Smith Hall |
Stories Ballet Teachers Tell: bell hooks’s “confessional narratives” as Liberatory Pedagogical Praxis in the Ballet Class Jessica Zeller, Professor, Texas Christian University |
| 11:30-11:45 W. Smith Hall |
Q&A for Wolff, Waldrop, Zeller |
| 11:45-1:00 PM | Lunch Break |
| 1:00-1:45 PSTU 1100 |
Laughter and the Mad Scene (Workshop) Beth Twigs, Assistant Professor, Florida State University |
| 2:00-2:55 W. Smith Hall |
Allegro Presentations
After the Final Bow- Unspoken Stories of Career Transitions in Ballet Breaking the Cookie Cutter Nutcracker Mold for the 21st Century From Curiosity to Revision: Locating the Self Through Contemporary Ballet Course Development Affect, Feeling, and Emotion: The Heart and Art of Storytelling in Ballet Q&A for Allegro Presentations |
| 3:10-3:55 W. Smith Hall |
Telling the Story of DTH: Arthur Mitchell’s Love Letter (Panel) Joselli Deans, Associate Professor, University of Utah Anjali Austin, Professor (Retired), Florida State University Christina Pierangeli, Adjunct Faculty, Coppin State University Keith Saunders, Associate Professor, Texas Christian University |
| 4:10-4:55 PSTU 1100 |
Ballet’s Storytelling Language: A Framework for Teaching Artistry (Workshop) Chelsea Weidmann, Instructor, Project Move |
| 5:30-6:30 Sonesta Irvine |
CORPS Social and Networking Hour Haven Point Provisions & Spirits, Sonesta Irvine |
| SATURDAY JULY 25, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 10:00-10:20 AM Catalina Bllrm |
Reimagining Scheherazade: From Fokine to King Caroline Rocher Barnes, Assistant Professor, Towson University |
| 10:20-10:40 Catalina Bllrm |
Power, Peasants, and Practice-as-Research: Rechoreographing Giselle to explore ethical balletmaking conditions through transferable dancer-centered practices Julianne Cerreta, Independent Scholar Steffi Carter, Independent Scholar |
| 10:40-11:00 Catalina Bllrm |
Finding Balance: Connecting Ballet and Music Through Collaborative Storytelling Justine Sheedy-Kramer, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Utah |
| 11:00-11:15 Catalina Bllrm |
Q&A for Barnes, Cerreta & Carter, Sheedy-Kramer |
| 11:20-11:50 Catalina Bllrm |
Petite Allegro (Poster) Presentations
Exploring Ballet-specific Identity through Dancers’ Adolescent Experiences Collaborative Storytelling Workshop: Weaving Together Voices of Loss and Hope |
| 11:50-1:20 PM Catalina Bllrm |
Lunch & Membership Meeting #2 Lunch will be provided. All conference attendees are invited to attend. |
| 1:35-2:40 Catalina Bllrm |
Creative Sharings
M THICK SKIN Unspoken The Wild Little Horse The Magic of Trees |
| 2:55-3:15 Catalina Bllrm |
Repertory as Memoir: The Life of Nicholas Magallanes as Seen Through His Roles Steven Ha, Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma |
| 3:15-3:25 Catalina Bllrm |
The Archive Isn’t Straight: Reclaiming the Queer Legacy of John Lind Chelsea Hilding, Assistant Professor, Wake Forest University |
| 3:30-3:40 Catalina Bllrm |
Q&A for Ha, Hilding |
| 3:55-4:45 Catalina Bllrm |
Allegro Presentations
Pas de Quatre: Embodied Stories in a Plotless Ballet A Lost Feminist Perspective: Re-examining the power of the Wilis Ballet exceptionalism: how ballet became elitist and resistant to change Transforming Ballet Education: Student Centered Pedagogy Q&A for Allegro Presentations |
| 4:45 Catalina Bllrm |
Closing Remarks & Leadership Transition Melonie B. Murray, CORPS President Diane Cahill Bedford, President-Elect |
| 8:00 Irvine Barclay Theatre |
National Choreographers Initiative Performance The Last Dance, Irvine Barclay Theatre |