Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education Secures Director of Education
Tulsa, OKLA. – Tulsa Ballet is excited to announce the appointment of Ms. Arlene Minkhorst to the post of Director of Education. Ms. Minkhorst comes to Tulsa from her role as Director of Canada’s renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Ms. Minkhorst has taught all levels of ballet and pointe technique, repertoire classes, conducted rehearsals for performances and taught in the RWB School Professional Division Teacher Training Program. A dedicated pedagogue in classical ballet training, Ms. Minkhorst regularly pursues opportunities to further her own knowledge of her chosen field and has traveled to observe classes, performances, and operations at other internationally recognized schools. Her experience and dedication to dance made her the perfect candidate to help guide Tulsa Ballet’s educational efforts. Minkhorst says, “I am really looking forward to working with the talented and highly motivated team I have met at Tulsa Ballet. I thrive in environments where there are groups of people who want to do things better!”
Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director Marcello Angelini is thrilled with the new chapter for Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education. He says, “I am overjoyed Ms. Minkhorst will be joining our team. She is one of the most influential personalities in the field, having built and directed one of the largest company-affiliated academies in the world, and one with a proven record of producing high quality professional dancers. In fact, graduates of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet are now dancing in companies such as the Stuttgart Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Birmingham Ballet, Singapore Ballet, American Ballet Theater and Merce Cunningham to name a few.”
Tulsa Ballet’s schools are relatively young when compared to many other company-affiliated schools. The organization is at a pivotal point in the development of its education department, with big plans for the future that include further expansion, dormitories, a trainee program and having at least 20% of the company dancers come from directly the school. Those plans necessitate a top-notch educator with experience in planning and executing such ambitious projects. Angelini continues, “Arlene is probably one of five people in the world who has done it all, and done it successfully. I am so happy she decided to make a difference for us in Tulsa, helping our school take the next big leap forward. I am fully confident that our plans, merged with her plans, will fulfill the potential of our Center for Dance Education.”
Arlene Minkhorst is ready for the challenge and looks forward to taking on new ones, coming up with innovative ways to solve problems and finding new ways to engage people through dance. She is also looking forward to exploring the community of Tulsa and says, “Although there is still much for me to learn, from what I have seen so far I believe the school has enormous potential to become an even more vibrant and dynamic place for learning. I have been very impressed with Marcello Angelini’s clear artistic vision and the commitment of the talented team at Tulsa Ballet. I have every confidence that when we work together for a common goal, to achieve positive growth through dance, we will all be successful.”
Enrollment for both of Tulsa Ballet’s Center for Dance Education locations (Brookside and Broken Arrow) is currently open. For more information about Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education, call (918) 712-LEAP or visit tulsaballet.org/classes.
Hi-Res images and interview opportunities available:
Ryan Allen, Community & Public Relations Manager
918.392.5949, ryan.allen@tulsaballet.org
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