Kara Zimmerman

Guest Faculty, Summer Intensive

Kara Zimmerman was born in Hershey, PA, and started dancing at the age of 8 years old. She received her year round training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, PA, and also spent multiple summers attending the Summer Program at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, WA on full scholarship. After graduating High School, Kara was invited to stay in Seattle and attend the Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division Program year round. She trained in this program for two years, and then was one of the dancers from her class chosen to receive a contract to join the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet. During her 8 seasons with PNB, she had the privilege of traveling to England, Scotland, Hong Kong, and Turkey to perform internationally with the company. She also had the opportunity to dance with PNB in the BBC’s filming of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Sadler’s Wells Theater in London. 

In 2008, Kara joined the Cincinnati Ballet as a Senior Soloist for one season, and then went on to join the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, where she danced there in the company for the next 6 seasons. While dancing with the Joffrey Ballet, Kara has had the privilege of performing lead roles in ballets by Choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine, Yuri Possokhov, Fredrick Ashton, Alexander Ekman, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Jerome Robbins, and in Ballets such as Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Aria II), In the Night (2nd pas), The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, Arabian), In the Middle Somewhat Elevated (Main Pas Couple), Don Quixote (Dryad Queen), Age of Innocence (2nd pas), Tulle (Lead Woman), Lilac Garden (The Other Woman), Prodigal Son (Siren), After the Rain, Continuum, and Infra to name a few. 

In August 2015, Kara was invited to join the Victor Ullate Ballet Company in Madrid, Spain, where she spent a year performing and touring Victor Ullate’s works throughout Spain, France, and also traveled to Colombia and Uruguay in South America to perform. 

Along with dancing for professional ballet companies over the years, Kara has also been invited to perform as a Principal Guest Artist all across the United States and abroad. As well as dancing professionally, Kara also guest teaches and coaches students from all over the United States. Currently she is on the faculty at the Joffrey Ballet Academy working with the Studio Company and Trainee students. She is also a 200hr Certified Yoga Instructor and enjoys sharing the physical and mental.