Tulsa Ballet News

Romeo and Juliet | LIVE STREAM | June 5th & 6th

FRIDAY, JUNE 5TH AT 7:00PM CDT & SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH AT 12PM CDT

We’ve all heard the beautifully tragic tale of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. We’ve read about the years of feuding between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s that lead to their forbidden love. And we’ve seen the movies with the heart-wrenching ending we all know is coming…

Yet, Romeo and Juliet is still a beloved classic love story, even after over 400 years. Maybe it’s forbidden love. Or maybe it’s the timeless story. But for the critics who watched Tulsa Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, it was, “…a masterful work of dance theater, one that tells the story of Shakespeare’s ‘star-crossed lovers’ with an economy and artistry that delivers all the thrilling beauty of ballet and all the emotional power of drama.”  -James Watts, Tulsa World

Read the Story

From choreographer Edwaard Liang, now Ballet Met Artistic Director, Romeo and Juliet is the classic Shakespeare story of love that should never be, with a sweeping musical score from Prokofiev, played live by Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, action-packed fight scenes, romantic duets, and colorful costumes and sets that instantly transport you to the Italian Renaissance.

Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director Marcello Angelini says, “No matter how many times I see this ballet, how many times I rehearse it and how well I know it, I always find myself in tears at the end of the show.”

You only get two chances to watch this full performance online: Friday, June 5th at 7:00 pm CDT and Saturday, June 6th at 12:00 pm CDT, so be sure to RSVP for a reminder email HERE.

You can also subscribe to Tulsa Ballet’s YouTube channel so you receive a notification the moment we go live.

This live stream is completely free, but please consider making a donation to our Critical Support Fund to help us weather this storm, to ensure our curtain opens on another incredible season, and to help us continue live streams like this.

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If you’d like to stream the performance through your SmartTV:

STEP 1: Download the YouTube App on the device you’ll use to tune in. You can find it by opening the App Store, Google Play, etc. If you have a smart TV, try pressing the “Home” or “Menu” button on your remote control. The YouTube app is likely already installed.

STEP 2: If you don’t want to download an app, simply open the internet browser on your device and enter YouTube.com/TBTulsaBallet

It should look something like this:

STEP 3: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the stream beginning, you will be able to bring it up to make sure your audio and video are working correctly.

You should see something like this:

Notice the “Live Now” in red? That’s how you’ll know which video to select. Click on it and you’re all set to enjoy the show!

The Merry Widow | LIVE STREAM | May 15th & 16th

FRIDAY, MAY 15TH AT 7:00PM CST & SATURDAY, MAY 16TH AT 12PM CST

Come for the dancing…stay for the costumes! And the romance. And the humor. And the drama.

Tulsa Ballet returns with a virtual theater experience like no other, this time with a full-length ballet performance of The Merry Widow, one of the most successful story ballets of the 20th century. With romance, humor, and stunning sets and colorful costumes, and live music by Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, there is nothing about The Merry Widow not to love.

From British choreographer Ronald Hynd, also known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Merry Widow is a tale larger than life with stunning sets and costumes from world-famous designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno and tells the tale of Pontevedro, a Balkan country on the brink of bankruptcy. Set in Paris 1905 at the Pontevedrian Embassy, the Ambassador (Baron Zeta) and his young French wife (Valencienne) receive news that a wealthy widowed Pontevedrian (Hanna Glawari) will be coming to Paris and is reportedly seeking a new husband.

Story

Baron Zeta schemes to ensure that she marries a Pontevedrian so all of her wealth – all 20 million francs – benefits the country, so he decides that the First Secretary (Count Danilo) would be a suitable match. At the Pontevedrian Embassy’s ball, Count Danilo is presented to Hanna. They are shocked to recognize each other – they had had an affair in Pontevedro ten years prior when she was a peasant girl, and he had left her at the insistence of his aristocratic parents. From embassy balls, garden soirees, lavish waltzes to can-can girls, the story unfolds with the reunited lovers, political feuds, and secret affairs while the future of Pontevedro lies in the hand of The Merry Widow.

Our long time audience members will enjoy seeing dancers like Alfonso Martin, Yi Wang, Ma Cong, Alexandra Bergman, Beatrice Sebelin, and many more leading dancers in the cast who are now retired, most of them still working with Tulsa Ballet in various capacities.

You do not want to miss this online event, only available for two live stream times, Friday, May 15th at 7:00 pm CST and Saturday, May 16th at 12:00pm CST. These performances will not be available to view after they go offline, so be sure to RSVP HERE.

You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that ‘bell’ icon so you get a notification the moment we go live.

Please consider donating to Tulsa Ballet’s Critical Support Fund to help us weather this storm during uncertain times. You can visit our Critical Support Fund web page to donate and find out other ways you can help support.

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If you’d like to stream the performance through your SmartTV:

STEP 1: Download the YouTube App on the device you’ll use to tune in. You can find it by opening the App Store, Google Play, etc. If you have a smart TV, try pressing the “Home” or “Menu” button on your remote control. The YouTube app is likely already installed.

STEP 2: If you don’t want to download an app, simply open the internet browser on your device and enter YouTube.com/TBTulsaBallet

It should look something like this:

STEP 3: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the stream beginning, you will be able to bring it up to make sure your audio and video are working correctly.

You should see something like this:

Notice the “Live Now” in red? That’s how you’ll know which video to select. Click on it and you’re all set to enjoy the show!

Peter and the Wolf | LIVE STREAM | May 7th – 13th

 

Everyone’s favorite young lad, Peter, and his charming forest friends are virtually making their way into your living rooms for your entire family to enjoy right from your couch!

And that’s not the most exciting news…you’ll get to watch them for a whole WEEK!

We’re streaming a performance of Peter and the Wolf on Tulsa Ballet’s YouTube channel from Thursday, May 7th from 10:00 am CST to Wednesday, May 13th at 11:59 pm CST, so your family can experience this adorable classic whenever, wherever, and however many times you want. Go into the woods and experience this fantastic family production, a fun way for children to learn about ballet, music, and theatre, and perfect for both the young and young at heart. Choreographed by Tulsa Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Ma Cong, Peter and the Wolf features a cast of characters children know and love, amazing sets, and costumes, plus narration to help guide them through the story.

WATCH THE FULL PERFORMANCE HERE:

You can read the story of Peter and the Wolf before the performance here:
Story

And you can view a study guide here:
Study Guide

COLORING PAGES

After the performance, print out some of our coloring pages, color them as bright and fun as you want, post a photo of them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and tag us @TulsaBallet with #TulsaBallet for a chance to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook Stories!

Step 1. Click one of the photos below
Step 2. Once at the page, click ‘File’ at the top of your browser
Step 3. Click ‘Print’


 

 

If you haven’t already, be sure to hit that ‘bell’ icon at our YouTube channel so you get a notification the moment the video is available: YouTube.com/TbTulsaBallet.

Please consider donating to Tulsa Ballet’s Critical Support Fun to help us weather this storm during uncertain times. You can visit our Critical Support Fund web page to donate and find out other ways you can help support: https://tulsaballet.org/criticalsupport/

A special thanks to the Hardesty Family Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Stinson Family, and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation in making this production possible.

 

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If you’d like to stream the performance through your SmartTV:

STEP 1: Download the YouTube App on the device you’ll use to tune in. You can find it by opening the App Store, Google Play, etc. If you have a smart TV, try pressing the “Home” or “Menu” button on your remote control. The YouTube app is likely already installed.

STEP 2: If you don’t want to download an app, simply open the internet browser on your device and enter YouTube.com/TBTulsaBallet

It should look something like this:

STEP 3: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the stream beginning, you will be able to bring it up to make sure your audio and video are working correctly.

You should see something like this:

Notice the “Live Now” in red? That’s how you’ll know which video to select. Click on it and you’re all set to enjoy the show!

Shibuya Blues & Extremely Close | LIVE STREAM | May 1st & 2nd

Tulsa Ballet is back with another double-bill ballet (the messages came in and you all LOVED being able to see two completely different styles of ballets in one evening, so we listened!). Join us over on Tulsa Ballet’s YouTube channel for yet another evening of performances from our archives.

The first piece you will see is Shibuya Blues by Belgium choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, an abstract piece about one of the busiest districts in Tokyo. In an interview about her first creation for Tulsa Ballet back in 2019, Annabelle described being inspired by entering an unknown city for the first time, feeling lost and overwhelmed by how the city works almost like a machine, taking the time to understand how the system works. Ochoa explains, “For this process, I knew that I wanted mechanical movements, and go from a mechanical phrase into phrases that would move into space.” (If her name sounds familiar, it’s because she is the choreographer of Vendetta, a Mafia Story, the piece that was set to make it’s US premiere in March 2020, but was rescheduled to October 2020)

Watch Annabelle’s full interview about Shibuya Blues below:

After a short intermission (we like to keep this experience as close to attending the theatre as possible during quarantine), you will get to watch Extremely Close by Alejandro Cerrudo, the newly appointed Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Resident Choreographer and one of the most-watched dance-makers of his generation. Originally created for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2007, the piece set to piano music by Philip Glass and Dustin O’Halloran begins with white feathers falling from the sky, filling the stage floor, and includes a solo performed without music, driving the notion of isolation. Tulsa World describes Extremely Close as a “…somber piece, dealing with the concept of loss, of death, of fragility, of memory.”

Get a taste of Extremely Close below:

These performances will only be available to watch while they are live, and will not be available to view online after (just like a real theatre performance), so be sure to follow us on all of our social media handles to keep up to date when we go live (this particular event will last about an hour, including intermission). Artistic Director Marcello Angelini will be available for questions during the May 1st performance via the stream live chat.

Subscribe to Tulsa Ballet’s YouTube channel to get notified, via YouTube, the moment we go live (30 minutes to showtime).

You can also RSVP here to receive an email reminder one hour prior to the live stream so that you’re sure not to miss out.

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If you’d like to stream the performance through your SmartTV:

STEP 1: Download the YouTube App on the device you’ll use to tune in. You can find it by opening the App Store, Google Play, etc. If you have a smart TV, try pressing the “Home” or “Menu” button on your remote control. The YouTube app is likely already installed.

STEP 2: If you don’t want to download an app, simply open the internet browser on your device and enter YouTube.com/TBTulsaBallet

It should look something like this:

STEP 3: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the stream beginning, you will be able to bring it up to make sure your audio and video are working correctly.

You should see something like this:

Notice the “Live Now” in red? That’s how you’ll know which video to select. Click on it and you’re all set to enjoy the show!

Classical Symphony & Remember Our Song | LIVE STREAM | April 17th & 18th

Join us for another weekend of live streams on Friday, April 17th at 7:00 pm (CST) and Saturday, April 18th at 12:00 pm (CST). Watch on Tulsa Ballet’s YouTube channel (wherever YouTube U.S. is available) from the comfort of your couch (or bed…we don’t judge).

For one weekend only, we will be streaming Classical Symphony by Ukraine-native Yuri Possokhov, a former dancer and choreographer at San Francisco Ballet. Classical Symphony is an exuberant celebration of ballet and movement, dedicated to Possokhov’s most beloved ballet teacher, Peter Pestov. Set to a thrilling score by Prokofiev, this piece uses neoclassical influences to illustrate the choreographer’s childhood memories and reverence for traditional ballet.

We couldn’t just leave you with one ballet now, could we? After a short intermission (just enough time for a bathroom break and drink refresher), we will be streaming Remember Our Song, a piece by Andy Blankenbuehler, which Tulsa World called, “…a compelling piece of dance theater, at once brutal and beautiful.” The three-time Tony Award-winning choreographer of Broadway’s Hamilton came to Tulsa just last year to create a brand new work inspired by Tulsa Ballet dancers – his first commission for a ballet company! Mr. Blankenbuehler is one of the most sought after choreographers on Broadway, and we are so excited to bring it back (virtually, of course).

These streams will only be available for viewing while they’re live during their time slots, so be sure to follow us on all of our social media handles to keep up to date when we go live. Artistic Director Marcello Angelini will be available for questions during the April 17th performance via the stream live chat.

Be sure to subscribe to the Tulsa Ballet YouTube account to be notified 30 minutes prior to the performance going live, or sign up to be notified one hour prior to the live stream by entering your email address HERE.

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If you’d like to stream the performance through your SmartTV:

STEP 1: Download the YouTube App on the device you’ll use to tune in. You can find it by opening the App Store, Google Play, etc. If you have a smart TV, try pressing the “Home” or “Menu” button on your remote control. The YouTube app is likely already installed.

STEP 2: If you don’t want to download an app, simply open the internet browser on your device and enter YouTube.com/TBTulsaBallet

It should look something like this:

STEP 3: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the stream beginning, you will be able to bring it up to make sure your audio and video are working correctly.

You should see something like this:

Notice the “Live Now” in red? That’s how you’ll know which video to select. Click on it and you’re all set to enjoy the show!

Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind The Music | LIVE STREAM

 

For the first time ever, Tulsa Ballet will be streaming a full-length ballet performance online, completely free of charge on Friday, April 3rd at 7:00 pm (CST) and Saturday, April 4th at 12:00 pm (CST)! Join us for an encore performance of Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind the Music, choreographed by Tulsa Ballet’s own Ma Cong. Be captivated by the story of a Russian composer known for some of the most iconic music in the world of ballet, as well as an opportunity to chat live with Resident Choreographer Ma Cong and Artistic Director Marcello Angelini.

While Tchaikovsky was celebrated for his professional success and popularity, the societal constraints of life in 19th century Russia created constant inner conflict between his private life and the public persona society required of him.

Tune in to watch the spectacular full-length pre-recorded ballet, accompanied by the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, free of charge, wherever YouTube U.S. is available. Be sure to subscribe to the Tulsa Ballet YouTube account to be notified 30 minutes prior to the performance going live, or sign up to be notified one hour prior to the live stream by entering your email address HERE.

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If you’d like to stream the performance through your SmartTV:

STEP 1: Download the YouTube App on the device you’ll use to tune in. You can find it by opening the App Store, Google Play, etc. If you have a smart TV, try pressing the “Home” or “Menu” button on your remote control. The YouTube app is likely already installed.

STEP 2: If you don’t want to download an app, simply open the internet browser on your device and enter YouTube.com/TBTulsaBallet

It should look something like this:

STEP 3: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the stream beginning, you will be able to bring it up to make sure your audio and video are working correctly.

You should see something like this:

Notice the “Live Now” in red? That’s how you’ll know which video to select. Click on it and you’re all set to enjoy the show!

 

An Update from Artistic Director Marcello Angelini

Dear Friends,

If you are like Daniela and me, you have been spending pretty much every waking hour of your day, and most likely every evening, pondering on the events of the last few weeks.  And now that COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across Oklahoma, the sense of urgency to protect our health, and understand the consequences of this pandemic on our businesses, has escalated dramatically.

Based on the upward trends in our area, as well as the recommendations from the CDC, our Mayor’s directives and the latest Executive Order issued by Governor Stitt, we came to the conclusion that resuming artistic operations at this time is not only unsafe for our dancers and administrators but also irresponsible.  Our first and foremost obligation is for the safety and well-being of every Tulsa Ballet family member, a family that includes our patrons, our dancers, our administrators and everybody who interacts with our employees.  We are therefore rescheduling our two upcoming programs, and some of the upcoming works, to a later time.

For those of you who were excited about the upcoming shows of Vendetta, A Mafia Story, you will be happy to know that you can still see this spectacular piece of dance and theater next season.  Vendetta will see its U.S. premiere on October 29th through November 1st, 2020, at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center!

I can already hear some of you wondering about Ma Cong’s World Premiere of Carmen. I can reassure you it will be part of the season, as well.  In fact, Carmen will close our upcoming season at the Lorton Performing Arts Center on May 6th through 9th, 2021.  As for the triple bill scheduled in that slot, it will be postponed to a later season.

I know some of you were very excited to revisit Andy Blankenbuehler’s Remember our Song.  You will be able to enjoy this unique work by the three-time Tony Award-winning choreographer of, among others, the sensational Broadway hit Hamilton, in our own Studio K September 17th through 27th, 2020.  The only thing better than seeing Remember our Song is seeing it up close and personal in Studio K.  I am confident that your 2020|21 Ballet season will be even more exciting, engaging, endearing and groundbreaking as ever.

As for our Center for Dance Education, we will be suspending live classes at both campuses till the beginning of the new school year.  Our students will, however, be able to continue training in the safety of their own homes, with their favorite teachers, through electronic mediums.

Work continues in anticipation of the world premiere of Jack and the Beanstalk, a children’s ballet that will open our TBII season in August.  With sets and costumes by Tracy Grant Lord, designer of Tchaikovsky, The Man Behind The Music, and brand-new choreography by Ma Cong, this new work will be the second in a series of four made possible by the generosity of the Hardesty Foundation.

All of us at Tulsa Ballet are as apprehensive as you are about the present situation.  By the same token, the true test of an organization is how it responds in times of crisis.  Observing the reaction of our Board and staff during this crisis clearly showed that, in spite of the distress we are all experiencing, every stakeholder is determined to come out of this tunnel stronger than ever.  This crisis will define who we are as people, organizations, local communities and as a global society.  We will be back stronger, more focused, more creative, more entertaining and more alive than ever!

Marcello Angelini
Artistic Director