I'm Kris, a dance scholar, performer, and dramaturg. I was born and raised outside of Washington, D.C. I am Black and Iranian American.

I teach courses in dance history and theory. I am an Assistant Professor of Dance at Kennesaw State University (starting Fall 2025).

I completed my PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies at University of Maryland, College Park and earned a Graduate Certificate from the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. My dissertation was a historical recovery project about Clark Center, a dance studio and school founded in 1959 for Alvin Ailey's modern dance company. Using archives and oral history interviews (conducted with over 20 Clark Center alumni), the project foregrounded the Center as part of a "midtown dance" milieu, one where a cadre of brilliant Black choreographers and teachers forged paths in concert dance and trained younger generations, and where a great mix of dancers and forms converged--from uptown, downtown, Broadway, and elsewhere.

I lived in New York City from 2014-2022, working as a dancer and choreographer. I made a series of solo performance projects, which dealt with conditions of (racial) ambiguity, (social) estrangement, and (sexual) otherness. My work was supported by a number of institutions, including Movement Research, GIBNEY, and The Kitchen. I also hold an MFA in Dance from Arizona State University.

I have performed and worked for a slew of other choreographers, as a performer, assistant, and/or dramaturg. Currently, I am working with Abigail Levine and will perform in six quiet dogs at Target Margin Theater (Brooklyn, NY) in October 2025.

Happy to chat about potential collaborations or guest lectures. Write me: hello@kristopherpourzal.com.