Christine Cox

Artistic and Executive Director, BalletX

Christine Cox began her training with the Pennsylvania Ballet School and continued at the Philadelphia High School for the Performing Arts, spending summer sessions at the Joffrey and San Francisco Ballet schools. During her career as a professional dancer, she performed with such prestigious companies as BalletMet, Ballet Hispanico, American Repertory Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet. Christine has premiered works by a number of gifted choreographers, including Ib Anderson, Rennie Harris, James Kudelka, John McFall, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Kevin O’Day, David Parsons, Kirk Peterson, and Christopher Wheeldon. Some of her featured roles include Rum and Coca Cola in Paul Taylor’s Company B, Vortex in Alvin Ailey’s The River; Choleric in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Eve in Margo Sappington’s Rodin, Mis En Vie the Cowgirl in Agnes DeMille’s Rodeo, and principal female roles in Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and The Concert.

Along with fellow Pennsylvania Ballet dancer Matthew Neenan, in 2005 Cox formed BalletX with a mission to expand the vocabulary of classical dance for all audiences through the creation of new work. Upon the company’s celebration of its 10th Anniversary in 2015, The New York Times wrote, “Ms. Cox has good grounds for pride: In ten years, BalletX has presented more than 50 world premieres, many other works by living choreographers, and collaborated with more than 200 artists…few companies can match such a record…”

For her work as a performer, choreographer, and educator, Christine has been recognized with two Rocky Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, as well as fellowships from the Independence Foundation (2002) and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (2006 and 2008). She has served on review panels for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Philadelphia Arts & Business Council.

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