J A C K I E K O P C S A K
DANCE EDUCATOR - CHOREOGRAPHER - PHOTOGRAPHER
J A C K I E K O P C S A K
Dance Educator / Curator / Director / Choreographer / Producer
B I O
Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth
Photo by Matt de la Peña.
Jackie Kopcsak is a founding faculty member and Associate Professor of Practice at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in Los Angeles. She has held several leadership roles at the school, representing the School's 'Artistic Affairs' first as Assistant Dean of Faculty from 2020 to 2023 before being appointed Assistant Dean of Programming and Special Projects in 2023. A versatile artist and scholar, Jackie teaches across both studio and classroom settings, offering courses in ballet technique, pointe, variations, composition, repertory, dance history, theory, and appreciation. She co-developed USC Kaufman’s first study-abroad Maymester program in Paris, which she has led multiple times. Some of her most meaningful Kaufman experiences include co-teaching ballet with William Forsythe, and directing Kaufman’s first international tour to Germany in 2022. Jackie has also played a key role in curating, directing, and producing many of the School’s performances, including debuts at New York City’s Joyce Theater in 2019 and at Jacob's Pillow in 2024.
Chairing USC Kaufman's Artistic Advisory Committee, Jackie has had the privilege of cultivating ongoing relationships with some of the dance industry’s most innovative creators, including Kyle Abraham, Hope Boykin, Tessandra Chavez, Tyce Diorio, William Forsythe, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Jillian Meyers, Matthew Neenan, Kenny Ortega, Justin Peck, Caili Quan, Dwight Rhoden, Dani Rowe, Garen Scribner, Jermaine Spivey, Janie Taylor, Micaela Taylor, Jeff Thacker, Spenser Theberge, Doug Varone, Christopher Wheeldon, and Yin Yue, among others.
Jackie's recent choreographic credits include a Mandy Moore-directed film for USC Kaufman's 10th Anniversary Gala, a world premiere for Kaufman's Jacob's Pillow debut, the USC Viterbi short film VOLARE, a devised theatre work for the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, Japanese rock star Yoshiki's debut at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and a solo for former La Scala prima ballerina Petra Conti broadcast on Italian television. Other choreographic credits include works for the Colburn School of Performing Arts, Evergreen City Ballet, Inland Pacific Ballet, NBC Sports, Pasadena Civic Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School Dance Chance, Pacific Symphony, Washington Academy of Performing Arts, University of California Irvine, and the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.
Jackie is also a co-founder 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 graduated with an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine and a B.A. in History from the University of Washington, Seattle. She received her dance training in Seattle at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, where she enjoyed performing with the company in works by choreographers George Balanchine and Kent Stowell. Jackie has also danced significant roles in the classical ballet repertoire as a guest principal dancer for Ballet Bellevue and Wade Walthall’s Evergreen City Ballet. Her theatrical experience includes choreographing and performing in musical theatre productions throughout Southern California as well as working behind-the-scenes at the Pasadena Playhouse, State Theatre of California.
Photos (l-r) by James Folsom, Jerome Tso, Rex Tranter and Pacific Symphony.