Jessica Curiel is a dancer, choreographer, and faculty member at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts.
She began her dance training at O’Farrell SCPA at age 10 and followed SDSCPA to the Dusk Drive campus during its inaugural year. She continued her dance education in college, graduating with university and department honors from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Dance and Ethnic Studies. Her collegiate awards include the Stuart Award for choreography and the Leandra Smith Award for excellence as a dancer, dance educator, and choreographer.
Ms. Curiel graduated Magna Cum Laude from National University with a teaching credential and Master’s of Education in Cross Cultural Curriculum. This is Ms. Curiel’s 15th year teaching for the San Diego Unified School District and her 7th year teaching at SDSCPA. Ms. Curiel has been influential in helping to develop a dance education curriculum that provides SDSCPA Dance Majors with conservatory-style training, performance opportunities, and professional skills that will support success in students’ postsecondary experiences and dance careers.
Ms. Curiel’s dance training includes a year of independent study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School (Graham and Horton modern dance techniques, ballet, yoga, Pilates, and jazz dance), over 25 years of study with Jean Isaacs (Graham/Limon based technique), Teacher Training Intensives at the Martha Graham School in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and the Teacher Training Intensive in 2022 with the José Limón Foundation.
Ms. Curiel’s performing career includes performing works on the professional stage by Monica Bill Barnes, Jean Isaacs, Lavina Rich, and others. In addition, Ms. Curiel has appeared in several dance festivals such as Trolley Dances, Live Arts Fest, and Art Power’s WOW (WithOut Walls) Festival. Ms. Curiel's choreographic work has appeared on the SDSCPA stage and the stages of many schools in San Diego County, at the Young Choreographer’s Contest and Prize, and at Liberty Station’s First Friday Artwalk.
For her efforts in bridging SDSCPA with the professional dance community, Ms. Curiel was awarded the Visual and Performing Arts Spotlight Award for Community Engagement in 2018. She has, also, earned two Visual and Performing Arts Foundation Enhancement Grants in 2019 and 2021, which were used to fund guest artist experiences for SDSCPA dance majors.
Ms. Curiel is enthusiastic about continuing to refine the SDSCPA Dance Program’s curriculum, producing the extra curricular performance season, and, of course, working with the amazing SDSCPA Dance Majors!
When Ms. Curiel is not dancing or teaching, she enjoys traveling, hiking, going to the beach, laughing with friends and family, and practicing yoga.
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[email protected]
Ext. 4702
Studio 2
Office hours by appointment
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