Christine Knoblauch-O'Neal is a dancer, choreographer, and professor of the practice in dance. She performed for twenty years with such companies as American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet, Dancers, and the Cincinnati Ballet.
Christine performed for twenty years with such companies as American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet, Dancers, and the Cincinnati Ballet. Dr. O’Neal danced in the film Turning Point, performed as Kristine in A Chorus Line, and toured with dancers to Italy’s Spoleto Festival. She was asked to perform Jennifer Medina’s Courtesan during the Spring to Dance Festival at the Touhill Center for the Performing Arts through Dance St. Louis in 2008. In addition, she was one of fourteen choreographers featured in Dance St. Louis’ Contemporary Moves concert in May 2004, premiering her work Black, Pearls, and Harry.
Dr. Knoblauch-O’Neal has choreographed over fifteen works for Washington University Dance Theatre. Also, she has choreographed and performed in eight of her own works and the works of five international and regional choreographers in the faculty concerts, Dance Close Up. In addition, she has choreographed for the department’s musicals and theater productions including: Three Penny Opera (2010); Fiddler on the Roof (2006); Violet (2006); Much Ado About Nothing (2006); Into the Woods (2006); Hair (2005); The Awakening (2004); The Good Man from Szechwan (2004); All’s Well That Ends Well (2000); Shooting Magda (2002); and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2001).
Dr. Knoblauch-O’Neal participated in the panel discussion "Musical Theater as Liberal Inquiry: The Pathway to Craft" with colleagues Anna Pileggi and Lisa Campbell along with presenting her own research, "Welcome to the World of Parallel: A Journey from Ballet to Ballroom" at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii, January ’07. She co-presented with Jennifer Medina "The Mature Artist: An Embodied Story" at the CORPS de Ballet, International Conference, July ’09 in which she also performed Medina’s solo Courtesan. For the 2011 CORPS de Ballet conference, Dr. Knoblauch-O’Neal presented her research on the work of the Répétiteurs of the Tudor Trust in restaging the ballets of Antony Tudor. Also, and as part of the Antony Tudor Dance Studies Curriculum Development Committee created by Sally Bliss, Executor of the Tudor will and Trustee of the Tudor Trust, Christine joined fellow committee members in presenting the newly designed curriculum during the 2011 CORPS de Ballet conference.
Dr. Knoblauch-O’Neal attended Smith College as an Ada Comstock Scholar graduating with an AB in theater. Her M.A.L.S. thesis from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, culminating with performances of As Is, a classical ballet, structured improvisation with the Webster Dance Theater at Webster University, St. Louis, MO, was featured in the Summer/Fall 2001 edition of Contact Quarterly.
Her awards include a bronze medal from the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, a State Department medal in recognition of her accomplishment in Varna, the Washington University in St. Louis’ ArtSci Faculty award, and, most recently, the 2009 CORPS de Ballet International Service Award.
Dr. Knoblauch-O’Neal successfully defended her dissertation: "Preserving a Legacy, Preserving Ballet History: Restaging the Ballets of Antony Tudor" on March 18th, 2013.