Charisse Ponder is a teacher, choreographer, and dancer with a 47 year history of dance and movement in the Twin Cities and Northfield Minnesota communities, and continues with her art of dance to bring the joy of dance and movement to all abilities and all bodies.  She is a classically trained ballet dancer who carries this instruction to enhance all of her works.  She has studied at the Joffrey Ballet and a variety of schools/companies in New York City.  She has performed with the St. Paul Classical Ballet, St. Paul, Minnesota Dance Theater, Minneapolis, Prairie Home Companion Live, St. Paul, Joe Chavala's Flying Foot Forum Residency, Carleton College Northfield Minnesota, Four Seasons Dance, Minneapolis, and the Young Dance All Abilities in the classroom, outreach programs, and the Luminary Arts in Minneapolis and St. Paul.  

She has been teaching with Young Dance All Abilities classes and other Young Dance classes for 12 years. She is currently teaching the Young Dance All Abilities online class since 2022 and has contributed to developing the Young Dance curriculum.  She has attended and currently attends many training programs with Young Dance for their teaching artists for working with All Abilities, and welcoming everyone to dance and move. Her training also includes Spark Inclusive Arts sessions in collaboration with Young Dance for their teaching artists. Charisse also participated in the Danceability Five-Day Intensive Training with Michaela Knox, where she received her Certificate of Completion in July 2025, St. Paul, Minnesota. Most recently, Charisse attended the Movement Fundamentals Coalescence Intensive Course facilitated by Judith Howard in collaboration with Jane Hawley Founder of The Movement Fundamentals Institute. 

In addition to teaching the Young Dance All Abilities online classes, she collaborates with Big Woods Movement Collective in Northfield Minnesota in partnership with the Northfield Arts Guild dance studio space. It is with this collaboration and partnership she teaches The Art of Gentle Ballet for 55+ that enhances longevity awareness with guided gentle ballet technique, and The Art of Contemporary Dance and Movement Concepts for Adults and Adults 55+.  Her classes are a kind, safe space invitation to embrace all abilities and demonstrate that all bodies can dance, move, have joy and express artistic fulfillment.  Charisse is passionate about her continued research on mind-body awareness for adults and adults 55+ to embody active awareness to our well-being. She feels research is an art in itself to be shared and applied. She also enjoys the study of language and culture, and speaks French and Spanish in an ongoing study of these languages.

Artist Statement: There is the Art of Stillness, allowing ourselves to dig deeper to feel and observe. To explore our body's archives of inner wisdom which in turn opens up creativity, lightness, sensory perception, and free flowing movement to artistic fulfilment. A mind-body communication to trust our body's resources that are relative to each individual as means for self care and respect. All are Art, Moves, and can Dance.  Then we are Happy.