Kristi Capps

Faculty

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Kristi Capps began dancing at the age of nine. Her ballet training includes the School of American Ballet, Harid Conservatory and North Carolina School of the Arts. While at NCSA, she was chosen to study and perform with the Hungarian State Ballet School in Budapest, Hungary. Upon her graduation, Kristi was a member of the Atlanta Ballet for three seasons and then joined Cincinnati Ballet in 1996. Rising quickly through the ranks to Principal, Mrs. Capps delighted audiences in many lead roles including Swanhilda in Coppelia, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Giselle in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella in Cinderella and Diamond pas de deux in George Balanchine’s Jewels. Her repertoire also includes works by choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Val Caniparoli, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Trey McIntyre, Kirk Peterson, Stanton Welch and Jorma Elo. In 2002, Kristi danced the role of the Sleepwalker in the recreation of George Balanchine’s La Sonnambula under the direction of Frederic Franklin, CBE for the Balanchine Trust Archives. As a guest artist, she performed with many ballet companies and galas such as the International Ballet Festival of Miami, Florida, International Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado, and Stars of American Ballet in Spain. Mrs. Capps also danced as a principal with the Chautauqua Ballet Company in New York under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. In 2007, Kristi performed original works by Luca Veggetti at New York City’s Guggenheim Museum “Works in Process” series and in 2008 she performed the leading role in George Balanchine’s Chaconne with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. As well as being a Principal dancer with the Cincinnati Ballet, Mrs. Capps maintained a faculty position with the Otto M. Budig Academy of the Cincinnati Ballet. She has held guest faculty positions at Midwest Ballet Theater, The Eric Kunzel School of Creative and Performing Arts, and Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet. She has also been a guest teacher at numerous ballet schools, colleges, and conservatories in states such as North Carolina, Maryland, Ohio and Alabama.