Tulsa Ballet
| Tulsa Ballet | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Name | Tulsa Ballet |
| Year founded | 1956 |
| Founders |
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| Website | www |
| Artistic staff | |
| Artistic Director | Marcello Angelini |
| Other | |
| Official school | Tulsa Ballet SemGroup Center for Dance Education (TBCDE) |
| Formation |
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Tulsa Ballet is a professional American ballet company located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The artistic mission of Tulsa Ballet is "To preserve the tradition of classical ballet, promote the appreciation of contemporary dance, create works of superior and enduring quality, and educate through exemplary performances, training and outreach programs." The Company has toured throughout the United States and the world and has received consistent critical acclaim.
The company was founded in 1956 by musician Rosalie Talbot and married couple Roman Jasinski and Moscelyne Larkin. Jasinski and Larkin were famous dancers who were internationally known for their style in the grand Ballets Russes tradition. Under their leadership, the troupe rose to the top echelon in the National Association for Regional Ballet in 1973 and became a fully professional company in 1978. After a successful engagement at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College in 1983, a 1986 West Coast tour, and a return to BCBC in 1988 to perform George Balanchine's reconstructed Mozart's Violin Concerto, the company was hailed as one of Oklahoma's valuable arts organizations.
In 1990 Roman Larkin Jasinski was appointed to succeed his parents as artistic director of the company. Unfortunately, the company did not thrive under his leadership and at the end of Jasinski's third season, the company began imploding as major conflicts among board members, dancers and the management came to a head. In November 1994, Jasinski tendered his resignation and left the company in chaos.
Renowned Italian dancer Marcello Angelini was appointed Artistic Director of the Tulsa Ballet in 1995. According to Dance Magazine, Angelini managed to solve the internal conflicts within the company and raise the artistic achievements of the company simultaneously. He unified the board members, working well with artistic director emerita Larkin, and establishing friendly relationships with his predecessors. "His gracious yet fierce tenacity, tough professional reputation, and superior negotiating skills soon earned him the nickname 'The Italian Tornado'."
Dance Magazine credits Angelini with building a strong and highly versatile company that is able to tackle both classical and contemporary works by well-known choreographers. The Italian-born, Kiev Institute-trained director is said to expect dancers to achieve a technical level and artistic range comparable to that of the major companies he danced with (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet West). He is also credited with stating that "to grow a company, you have to stretch the dancer one way, then the other".
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