Avery Zerr | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

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Born in Kent, Washington, Avery Zerr began dancing at two years old, training predominantly in vernacular jazz, theater, and ballet. At age eleven, she began studying at Allegro Performing Arts Academy, where she was introduced to commercial styles and discovered her passion for both choreography and comedic performance. In 2021, Avery was named a YoungArts winner in choreography, for her comedic solo La Vi En Rose, later becoming a runner-up for the U.S Presidential Scholar of the Arts.

Following high school, Avery pursued a BFA in commercial dance at Pace University. However, her burgeoning interest in contemporary dance and desire to deepen her understanding of the concert realm led her to transfer to the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. At USC, Avery has performed works by Shahar Binyamini, Hope Boykin, JA Collective, Bret Easterling, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Ebony Haswell Frazier, among others. In 2025, she was named a Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Fellow. This opportunity allows her to reconnect with the company through a creation process with Aszure Barton.

Avery is also a member of USC’s long-form comedy improv troupe, Spoiler Alert. Here she explores narrative structure alongside physical movement. Upon graduation, Avery intends to continue her pursuit of storytelling through physical narrative. Perhaps most interesting to her are the unique ways in which movement operates as a form of physical absurdity, lending itself to the politics of humor. Informed by her background in theater, Avery’s movement language is rooted in narrative and emboldened by comedy.

Avery Zerr | Photo by Lee Gumbs

Avery Zerr | Photo by Lee Gumbs

Avery Zerr | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

*This performance reel requires a password. Please contact Elliott Scher at elliotms@usc.edu for access.