OKC Ballet

The OKC Ballet has really impressed me in the 2014 – 2015 season. I was lucky enough to go to The Nutcracker and Romeo & Juliet. Thanks to a large donation to the OKC Ballet, the costumes, sets, and props were all new. The choreography was all new too. What a nice refreshing look to some beloved ballets.
I didn’t care for a lot of the choreography in The Nutcracker. I’ve been to quite a few productions, and this one steered the furthest from traditional than any others. Not something I’d expect for such a classic ballet. Though, I’m sure some found it refreshing for the same reason. The dancers were phenomenal though, and did a suburb job. I wish I could say the same for the orchestra. A subset of the OKC Phil filled the pit, and I’m a huge supporter of the OKC Phil (I have season tickets), but they did not sound good at the performance I attended. Things were out of tune, timing was off, and the fast 16^th note runs were not clean and polished. The mics were also set up poorly where you could pick out one specific violin playing at times, where it wasn’t supposed to be a solo. It was a huge disservice to the dancers! And the audience who is so familiar with thees tunes.
Romeo & Juliet was a nice surprise. I’d never seen this ballet live, but am familiar with the music and the story. I was lucky enough to get free tickets and have my husband accompany me. He had been to a previous year’s production and didn’t like it, but I lured him in with «free» and «new sets, costumes, and choreography.» We were both pleasantly surprised. He said the dancers were far better than the production he had seen a few years back. They were amazing! At times I found myself forgetting the story and what was going on and was just in amazement at the talent. What I found most impressive was the dancer who played Juliet the evening I went, and how she portrayed dead Juliet. She really did look like a lifeless rag doll, no muscle movements, stiffness, or anything. Even when she had to propel herself up so Romeo could pick her up. It was beautifully danced! The sets for this production were some of the best I’ve seen. They really helped set the scene, and it was really cool that they were mufti-​purposed/​functional, transforming for the various scenes. I think it helped make scene transitions faster. I observed the same issue with the OKC Phil in the pit as I did with the nutcracker, though not quite as bad. But again, it was a huge disservice to such excellent dancers.
There isn’t much the OKC Ballet can do about this, but the audience in OKC is one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. As a performer myself, I was horrified how rude the audience was, not only to the performers, but to the other guests. In The Nutcracker, people were talking in normal voices throughout it. When asked to be quiet, they only did so for 10 minutes or so before the talking started up again. There was constant digging in purses, candy boxes, and fidgeting with wrappers. I attributed it to higher (cheaper) seats, and it being more of a family affair. But the same was true of Romeo & Juliet. We sat on the floor (more expensive seats), it was almost entirely adults, and people were just as loud and obnoxious. It’s very distracting and rude. So be warned!

I saw the nutcracker put on by the OKC baller and I must say «They did fabulous»
Great well trained graceful dancers
Absolutely great use of the stage and props. I truly loved the little details! Especially the snowflakes.
Normally I don’t get too into the ballet but this show was perfect. I couldn’t find anything negative and it kept me entertained through the entire show. Flawless performance.
I have also seen Carmen put on by okc ballet loved it but they outdid themselves with the nutcracker. Can’t wait to see more shows!

As an early Christmas gift my boyfriend took me here to see the last performance of The Nutcracker and it was absolutely amazing.
The performance was to die for. I cannot express how beautiful it was. I will just say this, they really outdid theirselves. The stage set was perfection. The performers all on point. Costumes were lovely. The show was perfect in every way and I plan on going to the next production in February.
Thank you for my first OKC Ballet experience and a lifetime of beautiful memories.
5 stars all the way!

I must shamefully admit I have never been to a ballet performance. It was such a treat to attend the Oklahoma City Ballet performance of The Nutcracker. Not only was it beautiful but wonderfully danced with an amazing cast.
Kudos to the set designers as they helped bring this story to life. Everyone who attended instantly transported to these fictitious destinations. They took full advantage of the space and even the air as the two main characters sailed from the sky.
The costume designers need a raise and award for their wonderful costumes. They were exceptionally vibrant and helped bring the characters to life.
My father and I both enjoyed the production!

Recently saw their Cinderella production at the Civic Center! Beautiful production.
Wonderful costumes, great art and set design. I was impressed by the choreography and storytelling. Their principal dancers are very talented. I loved that they incorporated some of their younger dancers into the acts and corps.
I’m looking forward to their next production! Nice to know such great talent and producers exist in OKC!

I have danced all my life, but had never been to a ballet show in Oklahoma City because none of the shows really sparked my interest. When I saw Cinderella coming, I was ecstatic! Unfortunately, the dates fell on a pretty busy weekend for me so I held off on buying tickets, before Julie, Unilocal’s OKC community manager, kindly offered tickets the week before the show. My sister and I went and we loved it! The dancing was beautiful of course, along with the costumes and everything else about it. I also really love how the Civic Center does themed drinks for different shows. We had the «glass slipper,» and the pretty blue drink just felt so perfect for the Cinderella show (forgive me, I like the cheesy drinks).
I love going to things like this in Oklahoma City because it just shows our art scene growing. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on the ballet’s schedule from now on for other shows I might be interested in. We had a great time!

Just saw the company’s production of Carmen, which was very engaging. However, what really blew me away was the production of a piece called Exurgency. Amazing choreography and a hauntingly beautiful score. Not at all what I would’ve expected in OKC. Simply stunning, and cool enough to actually make me consider getting a season ticket package. Well done, OKC Ballet; well done.