Christa Oliver

Bio

Christa Oliver is an Associate Teaching Professor in the department and the Director of the Panoramic Dance Project. Before joining NC State, she spent eleven years teaching in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State University. Christa holds a Master of Arts in Dance Performance and a Professional Diploma in Dance Studies from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in England. She is also a Mellon Fellow in the School of Theater and Performance Research at Harvard University.

Throughout her career, Christa has collaborated with esteemed choreographers and dance pioneers such as Donald McKayle, Valerie Preston-Dunlop, Rafael Bonachela, Donald Byrd, Rennie Harris, Lula Washington, Victor Quijada, Christopher Huggins, Willi Dorner, Miguel Periera, Robin Lewis, and Dominique Kelly.

Demonstrating her leadership and expertise in the performing arts, Christa served as the dance captain on the national tour of the acclaimed musical The Color Purple. Her performance experience spans several countries, having graced stages in the Netherlands, England, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, and Mexico.

In addition to her extensive stage accomplishments, Christa has published work in the open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal Dancer-Citizen, collaborated with Wilson College of Textiles on a design and dance research project presented at the International Textile and Apparel Association 2024 Annual Conference, and showcased her talents in Hollywood films, such as James Cameron’s Avatar and Tim Allen’s Crazy on the Outside.