Jackie Kopcsak
Associate Professor of Practice, Assistant Dean of Faculty
Ballet, Dance History, Repertory
Jackie Kopcsak is a founding faculty member of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. An artist and a scholar, Jackie currently teaches ballet technique, pointe, variations and repertory as well as dance appreciation, history and colloquium courses in the academic classroom. She also co-developed USC Kaufman’s first study abroad Maymester and taught the course in Paris for three years (2017-2019). She holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine and a B.A. in History from the University of Washington, Seattle. Prior to joining USC Kaufman, Jackie was a Lecturer in Ballet and Dance History at UC Irvine.
Jackie is an active choreographer and co-director of the interdisciplinary dance company ArtistsPlus Productions. Seeking to fuse dance, live music and the visual arts, ArtistsPlus frequently collaborates with orchestras and art museums. Past commissions have included works for the American Youth Symphony, Angeles Chorale, Bel Canto Chorale, LA Art Show, LACMA, MUSE/IQUE Symphony Orchestra and the Norton Simon Museum. ArtistsPlus embarked on its first international tour to Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of Music & More SummerFest in 2019. Jackie has also choreographed for Ballet Bellevue, Beverly Hills’ Theatre 40, Colburn School of Performing Arts, Evergreen City Ballet, Inland Pacific Ballet, Laguna Dance Festival, Pasadena Civic Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Pacific Symphony, San Marino Unified School District, UC Irvine and the University of Washington, Seattle.
Jackie received her dance training in Seattle at Pacific Northwest Ballet. She has also been a principal dancer for Ballet Bellevue and Wade Walthall’s Evergreen City Ballet. Jackie also has significant theatrical experience, performing in several musicals as well as working behind-the-scenes as the Special Event Coordinator, Company Manager and Assistant to the Producing Director at Pasadena Playhouse, State Theatre of California.
