The Yvonne Chouteau School is the official school of Oklahoma City Ballet offering classes for students ages three to adult from beginner to advanced levels. Our students share a facility with the professional company, enriching each student’s experience by allowing them to observe those dancers in classes, rehearsals, and performances. Students are also offered opportunities to perform with the Oklahoma City Ballet in productions such as Devon Energy’s The Nutcracker.
Our ballet instructors embrace sound movement principles and incorporate the best of the French, Italian, and Russian training methods. Our ballet classes are accompanied by professional pianists and conducted in a supportive environment that fosters the development of proper technique as well as confidence, poise, coordination, and personal well-being.
The School is named to honor the memory of Yvonne Chouteau, who along with her husband Miguel Terekhov, was the first artistic director of Oklahoma City Ballet in 1963. Chouteau is one of the “Five Moons,” Native American prima ballerinas who rose to international acclaim during the 20th century. The Five Moons are honored in the Oklahoma State Capitol and include Yvonne Chouteau (Shawnee/Cherokee), Rosella Hightower (Choctaw), Moscelyne Larkin (Peoria/Eastern Shawnee), and sisters Maria Tallchief and Marjorie Tallchief (Osage).