FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tulsa Ballet to Close 2025/2026 Season at the Royal Opera House in London
Tulsa, OK (August 5,2025) — For the second time in two years, Tulsa Ballet has opened its season on home soil—in the heart of Tulsa at Studio K—and brought it to a triumphant international close. The 2024/2025 Season culminated in resounding success across Europe, as Italian and German audiences honored the company with standing ovations that stretched up to five minutes.
Now, Tulsa Ballet announces the most prestigious touring engagement in its history! In May 2026, the company will close its current season with a debut performance at The Royal Opera House in London, home to one of the oldest and most revered ballet institutions in the world—The Royal Ballet.
Each year, The Royal Ballet invites a select number of international companies to perform at The Linbury Theatre, an architectural gem nestled within the Royal Opera House. For the 2025/2026 Season, only three companies from around the world have been chosen: Joburg Ballet from South Africa, Paul Taylor Dance Company from New York City and Tulsa Ballet, representing Tulsa.
“This is the greatest honor and achievement for a company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” said Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director Marcello Angelini. “It is a recognition of our company’s international status, our contributions to the field of dance, and the reputation for excellence we’ve carefully cultivated over decades. It is also one of the highest honors our community and state can receive on the cultural world stage.”
The journey to this moment began in 2022, when Angelini and his wife Daniela attended a performance at the newly refurbished Linbury Theatre. “We remembered a dreary old space from our years in the UK,” Angelini recalls. “But what we walked into was the most magnificent, classy, traditional, and yet technologically advanced jewel for dance.”
Following a serendipitous meeting with Emma Southworth, a key figure in The Royal Ballet’s programming, conversations about a possible engagement began. That dialogue found new momentum in 2023, when Tulsa Ballet closed the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, a spot typically reserved for the most esteemed companies. In the audience was Kevin O’Hare, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet, who, after witnessing the company’s performance, offered a warm invitation to bring Tulsa Ballet to London.
The Linbury Theatre, widely celebrated for its state-of-the-art design following a $68 million refurbishment in 2018, is known as the crown jewel of London’s entertainment district and a hub for contemporary and international ballet.
Appointed as the Official Cultural Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma in 2007, Tulsa Ballet has brought the spirit and talent of its home state to audiences in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Bosnia, Croatia, South Korea, Portugal, and now, the United Kingdom.
“This historic engagement reflects not only the strength and artistry of Tulsa Ballet, but also the cultural significance of our community,” said Angelini. “In 2026, London, here we come!”
For Interview opportunities and media requests, please contact:
Jessie Kenney
Content Creator
Phone: (918) 396-5949
Email: Jessie.kenney@tulsaballet.org