Christine Welker

Prof. Christine Welker (Part-Time Instructor of Dance)

Areas of Emphasis: Ballet
Email: cwelker1@kennesaw.edu

Born in Sacramento California, Christine began her training with Barbara Crockettat the School for the Sacramento Ballet. She continued her training at the San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarship under the direction of Lola De Avila. There she studied exclusively with Larissa Skylanskya, Jocelyn Vollmar, and Jorge Esquivel.

Christine has danced with the Sacramento Ballet, Ballet West (where she met husband and fellow Atlanta Ballet dancer John Welker), and the Atlanta Ballet. She danced with the Atlanta Ballet for 19 years as a principle dancer, after joining in 1995. Over the course of her career Christine danced many principal roles in the classical and neoclassical repertoire. Some memorable highlights include Juliet in Michael Pink's Romeo and Juliet, Odette in John Mcfall' s Swan Lake, Kitri in DonQuixote, Cio Cio San in Stanton Welch's Mada me Butterfly, the Summer Duet in James Kudelka's The Four Seasons, Mina in Michael P ink's Dracula, Lady Capulet in Jean Christophe Malliot's Romeo et Juliette, the principal woman in ChristopherWheeldon's Rush, Cinderella in Ben Stevenson's Cinderella, and the Waltz Girl in George Balanchine's Serenade. Several of the many original roles created for Christine include Sinfonietta Giacosa, The Rite of Spring, and John and I, all by acclaimed choreographer and Artistic Director of Scottish National Ballet, Christopher Hampson.

Christine was highlighted in Atlanta Ballets widely praised collaborations with Big Boi of Outkast in Big, choreography by Lauri Stallings, and The Indigo Girls Project choreographed by Margo Sappington. In her first year with the Atlanta Ballet, Christine performed as part of the Cultural Olympiad during the 1996 Olympic Games. Along with touring internationally to South Korea, Mexico, and Scotland's Edinburgh Dance Festival, she has also had the honor of touring to London, England, performing the role of Wendy in John Mcfall's Peter Pan, as part of the year 2000 Millennium festivities.

During the course of her career Christine has had the pleasure of working with many world renowned choreographers, including Wayne McGregor, Twyla Tharp, Lila York, Helen Pickett, Val Caniparoli, Julia Adam, Diane Coburn Bruning, Gina Patterson, Darrell Moultrie, Steven Mills, James Kudelka, Victor Quijada, and Juel Lane.

Guest appearances include American Repertory Ensemble, Chamber Dance Project, New Orleans Ballet Theatre, Community Nutcracker, and the North Star Ballet.

For six years, Christine served as mentor and codirector of the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education's Professtional Division Summer Intensive Program. She served as Rehearsal Assistant for Ohad Naharin's Minus 16, alongside Bhatsheva's Rachel Osborne and Danielle Agami, and with the Atlanta Ballet Fellowship Ensemble's production of Donald Mahler's Cinderella. In March of 2016 Christine accepted the position of Principal at Atlanta Ballet’s Powers Ferry Centre where she teaches and manages the satellite school. Christine began her STOTT Pilates training in February of 2015 and now teaches for Inspire Health in Atlanta.

Currently, Christine enjoys living in Decatur with her husband John and their three year old son Lucas.