Q: I already bought my season tickets. Can I get a refund?
A: We encourage our season ticket patrons who are unable to attend performances to consider donating their tickets back to Oklahoma City Ballet so we can resell them. We will send you a donation letter for your taxes if you donate your seats back to us. If this is not something you're able to do, we'll be happy to refund your tickets. Please remember that you will lose your seats if you are refunded.
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Q: I have already purchased a four show package, what happened to the fourth show?
A: Cinderella was set to be our first production of the 2020/21 Season. Due to COVID-19 concerns, we’re shortening our season. You can donate the amount back to Oklahoma City Ballet, you can exchange your tickets for Future Voices in March, or we can refund the value of the Cinderella tickets back to you.
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Q: I have already purchased a three show package, but now there are only two shows.
A: If you want to make it a three show package, we will offer tickets to The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet or Future Voices to make up for the loss of the October production. If you think you’re not a fan of The Nutcracker, now is a great time to give it another chance and see the one act version. You can also donate the value of the tickets back to Oklahoma City Ballet or request a refund.
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Q: What happened to Cinderella?
A: In the interest of keeping our dancers, staff, and patrons safe, we decided that October was too early to open with such a large production. And because of the popularity and scale of Cinderella, we didn’t want to cut it down to one act, but rather save it for another season when we can do all three acts and do them right.
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Q: I am a season subscriber, will I still be able to sit in my usual season ticket seats?
A: We do not know at this point in time. We hope that by December, social distancing mandates will be lifted so you can have your usual seats. If there is a social distancing mandate from either the government or the venue, we will have to rearrange seating but try to keep you in the same section for which you paid. You can stay updated on these guidelines by subscribing to our email updates here.
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Q: Will you be requiring social distancing and masks at these performances?
A: At this time, the Civic Center Music Hall does require masks, social distancing, and temperature checks. Whether or not that will still be policy in December is to be determined. Please stay updated on these guidelines by subscribing to our email updates here. We plan to notify all ticket holders of what to expect prior to each production this season.
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Q: Why are all of the performances one hour?
A: After research conducted by many performing arts organizations across the country, it is deemed best practices to avoid intermissions, therefore, all performances will be one hour or less without an intermission.
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Q: When can I buy more tickets to The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet?
A: Because we are unsure of seating arrangements at this time, single tickets will not be available until October 7 or potentially later. We will make sure you are the first to know of this special benefit for subscribers.
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Q: Will I still be able to purchase a souvenir at The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet?
A: Yes. At this time, we plan to have a limited Nutcracker boutique that will offer some of the most popular souvenirs as well as Oklahoma City Ballet merchandise.
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Q: How can I see Robert’s A Little Peace that was going to be premiered in April (then September) as part of (e)motion(s), A Triple Bill?
A: You can still see A Little Peace in March at the Susan E. Brackett Dance Center as part of Future Voices. Please note that A Little Peace will be a shorter version of what was originally planned.
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Q: What do I get when I purchase a 3-show season subscription package?
A: You will get tickets to The Firebird and The Little Mermaid, plus your choice of either The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet or Future Voices.
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Q: What do I get when I purchase a 4-show season subscription package?
A: You will get tickets to The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet, The Firebird, Future Voices, and The Little Mermaid.
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Q: When can I buy single tickets to The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet, The Firebird, Future Voices, and/or The Little Mermaid if I don’t want to buy a subscription?
A: Single tickets for all performances will go on sale October 14, however subscribers will get to buy additional single tickets starting October 7.
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Q: Will all the shows be at the Civic Center?
A: Productions of The Nutcracker: Short & Sweet, The Firebird, and The Little Mermaid will be performed at the Civic Center Music Hall. We also have a performance of shorter works (including Robert Mills’ A Little Peace) at the Susan E. Brackett Dance Center, 6800 North Classen Blvd, OKC, in March.
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Q: I’m not interested in these shows, but would still like to support the Ballet. How can I do this?
A: You can make a donation of your season tickets back to the Ballet. Since your kind gift will help support us during this challenging time, we’ll hold your seat(s) for next season. Fully tax-deductible donations can be made anytime. For more information, please visit our support page.
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Q: Will we be able to see Cinderella next season?
A: Cinderella will not be a part of the 2021/22 season, because we will reprise the very popular production of Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland).
Our professional company performs at the Civic Center Music Hall, located at 201 N Walker Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 in downtown Oklahoma City.
We also hold performances at the Susan E. Brackett Dance Center at 6800 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73116.
Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance. Be sure to also allow yourself plenty of time to park and find your seat!
Due to the fact that most of our performances are in downtown Oklahoma City, parking can sometimes be a challenge. Be mindful of traffic, construction, or special events in the area. Street parking is limited, but there are many private lots in the area. We tend to defer to the Civic Center’s Directions and Parking page on where and how to park. Most lots downtown do charge for event parking, so we recommend bringing $20 in cash just in case.
Seasons for our professional company typically consist of four to five productions.
Dates for the 2020 production of Devon Energy’s The Nutcracker can be found here. Tickets will be available to subscribers October 27 and to the general public November 2.
Tickets can be purchased from the Oklahoma City Ballet Ticket Office at 6800 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK or from the Civic Center Box Office at 201 N Walker Ave, Oklahoma City, OK.
Student “Rush” Discounts are available at the Civic Center Box Office one hour prior to a performance. A valid student ID must be presented to use this discount. One ticket per valid ID.
We also offer a military ticket discount in gratitude to the men and women who serve in our military. Please be prepared to show a valid military ID.
We appreciate our season ticket holders! You can view rates for season tickets here. Please call our Box Office at (405) 848-8637 for any questions.
For help refunding or exchanging a ticket, please call our Box Office at (405) 848-8637.
Donations can be made online here. You can also donate via phone at (405) 843-9898 or mail a check to the following address (please make checks payable to Oklahoma City Ballet or OKC Ballet):
Oklahoma City Ballet
Attention: Development Dept.
6800 N. Classen Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73116
There are always plenty of opportunities to help support Oklahoma City Ballet. Beyond donating, you can lend a hand to our organization through our Sponsor a Dancer program and more. Check out our support page to explore ways to get involved!
Typically, young dancers start ballet training as young as three years of age. Once you’ve got the hang of walking, you can start dancing.
Becoming a professional dancer takes years of training. Once a dancer has advanced through the required classes, the dancer then auditions to join a professional company.
Although the amount of training and practice it can take to go en pointe can vary, dancers typically reach this benchmark by the age of twelve. In order to pull this off, dancers must heavily train to strengthen the feet and lower legs or else risk potential lasting injury.
With very rare exceptions, men do not dance en pointe or use pointe shoes. A man will only dance en pointe in a specialist character role that requires it.
While the lifespan of a pair of pointe shoes can vary, most dancers can go through at least one pair in a single performance.
Male ballet dancers are referred to as danseurs.
The ballet dance style began in the Italian Renaissance courts during the 15th and 16th centuries. Ballet spread from Italy to France and Russia where it would be developed into a concert dance form. The Académie Royale de Musique was founded in 1669 by King Louis XIV, from which the Paris Opera Ballet would develop as the first professional ballet company.
Much of modern ballet was developed in France, and the terms have been handed down over generations. No matter what a dancer’s first language may be, all ballet dancers are united by the universal terms for movements.
You should clap anytime you feel moved to do so! When the dancers are pulling off spectacular moves, it’s perfectly acceptable to cheer the dancers on with storms of applause or shouts of “bravo” and “brava”.
Superstition holds that wishing a performer “good luck” will bring quite the opposite. While actors tell each other to “break a leg”, ballet dancers say “merde” before a performance. The term translates in French to a not-so-polite word for horse manure, as 19th-century patrons of the Paris Opera Ballet would arrive in horse-drawn carriages. If the Palais Garnier was covered in manure at the front, you had a packed audience.
Most ballet performances are divided into two acts with one intermission in the middle. Triple bill performances have three acts with an intermission between each act.
There are no age or skill requirements for our community classes.
Our community classes are open to the public, so the number of students in attendance can vary.
We have classes in ballet, modern dance, and yoga that are open to the public as well as classes through our community outreach programs.
Class times range from beginning at 2:00 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. on weeknights, and from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Please see our complete schedule of classes here.
The Susan E. Brackett Dance Center is located at 6800 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73116.
Oklahoma City Ballet has been the city’s professional ballet company since 1972, when it was founded by Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov. As the resident dance company of the Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City Ballet currently boasts talented dancers from around the world.
Yvonne Chouteau was one of the “Five Moons”, the celebrated Native American prima ballerinas of Oklahoma. As a founder of our organization, our first artistic director, and a prominent member of the Oklahoma community, our dance school is named in her honor.
Live accompaniment is provided by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
Oklahoma City Ballet’s artistic vision has been guided for the past 11 years by Robert Mills. Mr. Mills began his career at Oklahoma City Ballet as a dancer during the 1994–1995 season and has since gone on to serve many different roles in our organization. In recognition of his years of community service to the art of ballet in central Oklahoma, Mr. Mills was honored to receive the Governor’s Arts Award in 2018.
Our organization welcomed Jo Lynne Jones as the John Kirkpatrick Executive Director of Oklahoma City Ballet in February 2018. Jones takes the lead on fundraising, financial accountability, administrative management, and board engagement.
Oklahoma City Ballet is committed to serving our community through various outreach projects including BalletReach, ArtsReach, BalletKids Club, the Golden Swans senior dance program, Dance for Parkinson’s classes, and more! Learn more about our programs here and find out how you can get involved.
If you don’t see the answer to your question in our FAQs, please contact us!