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58-559: Founded in 1963, Oklahoma City Ballet has been the city's professional ballet company for over 40 years. It is the resident dance company of the Civic Center Music Hall and as of 2019 has 30 dancers from around the world. Led by Artistic Director Robert Mills, the company produces 5 main stage productions per season in Oklahoma City and tours across Oklahoma and the surrounding states. The Oklahoma City Ballet also participates in

116-518: A 40+ year career at the music hall). The band was called Mountain Smoke which featured an unknown artist by the name of Vince Gill. The Little Theatre was closed in 1985 because it was damaged from old age, abuse, and a fire. It was later renovated and reopened to the public. In September 2001, the Civic Center Music Hall reopened after a three-year renovation. A complete interior renovation of

174-578: A dancer with ABT. Baryshnikov has remained fascinated with the new. As he observed, "It doesn't matter how high you lift your leg. The technique is about transparency, simplicity and making an earnest attempt." Baryshnikov also toured with ballet and modern dance companies around the world for 15 months. Several roles were created for him, including in Robbins's Opus 19: The Dreamer (1979), Frederick Ashton 's Rhapsody (1980), and Robbins's Other Dances , with Natalia Makarova . From 1990 to 2002, Baryshnikov

232-620: A dramatic actor on stage, cinema, and television, has helped him become probably the most widely recognized contemporary ballet dancer. After his 1974 defection, Baryshnikov never returned to the USSR . Since 1986, he has been a naturalized citizen of the United States. After Latvia declared independence on 4 May 1990 , he often returned there; in 2017, the Republic of Latvia granted Baryshnikov citizenship for extraordinary merit. In 1977, he received

290-418: A long-term relationship with former ballerina Lisa Rinehart . They have three children together: Peter, Anna (born 1992), and Sofia. He told Larry King in 2002 that he did not "believe in marriage in the conventional way", but he and Rinehart married in 2006. Baryshnikov endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 . On July 3, 1986, Baryshnikov became a naturalized citizen of

348-449: A new country. Of course, if somebody would ask me to choose either Paris or New York, I would choose New York. But spiritually, somehow, I love Europe." On April 27, 2017, the Republic of Latvia granted Baryshnikov citizenship for extraordinary merits. The application to the Latvian parliament, along with a letter from Baryshnikov in which he expressed his wish to become a Latvian citizen,

406-418: A newly renovated facility. The building was donated by Robert Hefner, III and a campaign to raise funds for renovations was chaired by Ann Simmons Alspaugh. Rand Elliott provided the architectural design and the renovations were completed by Bill McNatt Construction. In 1983, New York City Ballet dancer Edward Villella joined the company as artistic director and directed the company for three seasons, bringing

464-555: A nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Yuri Kopeikine in the film The Turning Point . He starred in the movie White Nights with Gregory Hines , Helen Mirren , and Isabella Rossellini , and had a recurring role in the last season of the television series Sex and the City . Mikhail Baryshnikov was born in Riga , in

522-406: A number of community outreach projects designed to provide dance education and experience throughout central Oklahoma. The company began in 1963 under the name Oklahoma City Civic Ballet, brought together by the foundation's civic ballet committee and chief benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Kirkpatrick. The Oklahoma City Ballet Society was incorporated in 1967 to support the company. That same year

580-565: A period of ill health for Balanchine that followed an earlier heart attack and culminated in successful heart surgery in June 1979. Baryshnikov left the company to become ABT's artistic director in September 1980, and take time off for his injuries. Baryshnikov returned to the American Ballet Theatre in September 1980 as an artistic director, a position he held until 1989. He also performed as

638-759: A principal of the New York City Ballet , run by George Balanchine . "Mr. B", as Balanchine was known, rarely welcomed guest artists and had refused to work with both Rudolf Nureyev and Natalia Makarova . Baryshnikov's decision to devote his full attentions to the New York company stunned the dance world. Balanchine never created a new work for Baryshnikov, but he did coach him in his distinctive style, and Baryshnikov triumphed in such signature roles as Apollo , The Prodigal Son , and Rubies . Jerome Robbins created Opus 19/The Dreamer for Baryshnikov and NYCB favorite Patricia McBride. Baryshnikov performed with

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696-472: A profile of Baryshnikov and his Arts Center. He appears, uncredited, in the 2014 film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit as Interior Minister Sorokin. In a continuation of his interest in modern dance , Baryshnikov appeared in a 2015 commercial for the clothing designer Rag & Bone with street dance artist Lil Buck . Baryshnikov is a performer in avant-garde theater. His breakthrough performance in Broadway

754-491: A six-story building with both neoclassical and Art Deco features that seated 6,200 in the main hall and smaller theatre that seated 400.[citation needed] In August 1935, the Roosevelt Administration announced that all PWA projects had to break ground by December 1935 or risk losing federal support. W. S. Bellows Construction became the primary contractor and began on-site excavation on time. The Municipal Auditorium

812-559: Is a Latvian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male classical ballet dancer of the 1970s and 1980s. He subsequently became a noted dance director. Born in Riga , Latvian SSR , into a Russian family, Baryshnikov had a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad before defecting to Canada in 1974 for more opportunities in Western dance . After dancing with

870-587: Is a success or not", he told New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff in 1976. "The new experience gives me a lot." He cited his fascination with the ways Ailey mixed classical and modern technique and his initial discomfort when Tharp insisted he incorporate eccentric personal gestures in dance. From 1974 to 1978, Baryshnikov was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), where he partnered with Gelsey Kirkland . In 1978, Baryshnikov abandoned his freelance career to spend 18 months as

928-495: Is named to honor the memory of Yvonne Chouteau, who was the first artistic director along with her husband Miguel Terekhov. The Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School trains students who wish to become professional ballet dancers, and recreational students. Students trained in the school have been regularly accepted into summer sessions and advanced classes at the School of American Ballet , Houston Ballet , Pacific Northwest Ballet ,

986-445: Is one of only two to be nominated for an Emmy Award . Baryshnikov also performed in two Emmy-winning television specials, one on ABC and one on CBS, in which he danced to music from Broadway and Hollywood , respectively. During the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared many times with the ABT on Live from Lincoln Center and Great Performances . He has also appeared on several telecasts of

1044-481: The American Ballet Theatre , he joined the New York City Ballet as a principal dancer for one season to learn about George Balanchine 's neoclassical Russian style of movement. He then returned to the American Ballet Theatre, where he later became artistic director . Baryshnikov has spearheaded many of his own artistic projects and has been associated in particular with promoting modern dance , premiering dozens of new works, including many of his own. His success as

1102-478: The Kennedy Center Honors . Baryshnikov performed in his first film role soon after arriving in New York. He portrayed the character Yuri Kopeikine, a famous, womanizing Russian ballet dancer, in the 1977 film The Turning Point , for which he received an Oscar nomination. He co-starred with Gregory Hines and Isabella Rossellini in the 1985 film White Nights , choreographed by Twyla Tharp , and

1160-547: The Latvian SSR , Soviet Union, now known as Latvia. His parents were ethnic Russians : his mother was Alexandra (a dressmaker; née Kiselyova) and his father was Nikolay Baryshnikov (an engineer). According to Baryshnikov, his father was a strict, nationalist military man, and his mother introduced him to theatre, opera, and ballet. She died by suicide when he was 12 years old. Baryshnikov began his ballet studies in Riga in 1960, at

1218-767: The New York City Ballet as a principal dancer for 15 months from 1978 to 1979. On July 8, 1978, he made his debut with George Balanchine 's and Lincoln Kirstein's company at Saratoga Springs, appearing as Franz in Coppélia . On October 12, 1979, Baryshnikov danced the role of the Poet in Balanchine's ballet La Sonnambula with the City Ballet at the Kennedy Center . This was his last performance with New York City Ballet due to tendinitis and other injuries. His tenure there coincided with

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1276-579: The Sundance Channel 's original series Iconoclasts . The two have a long friendship. They discussed their lifestyles, sources of inspiration, and social projects. During the program, Waters visited Baryshnikov's Arts Center in New York City. The Hell's Kitchen Dance tour brought him to Berkeley to visit her restaurant Chez Panisse . On July 17, 2007, the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer featured

1334-859: The Vilcek Prize in Dance . Baryshnikov has performed in Israel three times: in 1996, with the White Oak Dance Project at the Roman theater in Caesarea ; in 2010, with Ana Laguna; and in 2011, starring in nine performances of In Paris , a show after a short story by Ivan Bunin , at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv . In a 2011 Haaretz interview, he expressed opposition to artistic boycotts of Israel and called

1392-755: The Ballet joined the newly formed Arts Council of Oklahoma City and performed in the first Festival of the Arts, celebrating Oklahoma's 60th year of statehood. In 1970, the Board of Trustees formed a new group, Oklahoma City Metropolitan Ballet Society and with the generous support of Vernon Pellow, Sr. The company began as the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Ballet with Yvonne Chouteau staying on as founding artistic director. Ballerina and Oklahoma native Maria Tallchief worked together with Ms. Chouteau to audition dancers for

1450-406: The Board of Trustees appointed dancer, choreographer and former Ballet Nouveau Colorado director Robert Mills the new artistic director. That same year the name of the company was changed to Oklahoma City Ballet. In 2017, the name of the affiliate school was changed to The Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School thanks to a generous endowment gift from Kirkpatrick Philanthropies. Also in 2017,

1508-534: The City of Oklahoma City. The Civic Center Foundation, established in 2001, is a private non-profit organization that supports the Civic Center Music Hall financially to help bring performing arts to Oklahoma City to improve the community. The Civic Center Foundation has helped make capital improvements including the Civic Center Music Hall's new message center and improvements to the Freede Little Theatre. The Foundation raises funds through two programs,

1566-640: The KGB officer who followed Baryshnikov as an interpreter and gave Baryshnikov the paper. Soon, Baryshnikov joined the National Ballet of Canada for a brief time in a guest role. He also announced that he would not return to the USSR. He later said that Christina Berlin, an American friend, helped engineer his defection during his 1970 tour of London. His first televised performance after coming out of temporary seclusion in Canada

1624-462: The OCU campus. In 1979, American Ballet Theatre dancers Bojan Spassoff and Stephanie Wolf-Spassoff assumed direction of the company. This was the beginning of the change from a civic company to a semi-professional company which was now performing three productions plus The Nutcracker in a season. In 1980, the company name was changed to Ballet Oklahoma and in the spring of 1981 the company moved into

1682-665: The Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the city jointly purchased the land that would become home to a municipal auditorium after voters approved a $ 4 million bond for the site. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs in the 1930s contributed 55 percent of the cost of building through the Public Works Administration . J. O. Parr began planning and designing the Municipal Auditorium, budgeted at $ 1.25 million. The original design features

1740-645: The Russian animation house Soyuzmultfilm , and redubbed by American actors, including Jim Belushi , Laura San Giacomo , Harvey Fierstein and Kirsten Dunst . Baryshnikov hosted the show, presenting his favorite folktales, including Beauty and the Beast: A Tale of the Crimson Flower , The Snow Queen , The Last Petal and The Golden Rooster . The episodes were also released on home video. On November 2, 2006, Baryshnikov and chef Alice Waters were featured on an episode of

1798-633: The San Francisco Ballet and others. Former students have gone on to professional careers with the American Ballet Theatre, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet, Sacramento Ballet , David Parsons Dance and the Oklahoma City Ballet itself. Civic Center Music Hall The Civic Center Music Hall is a performing arts center located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma . It was constructed in 1937 as Municipal Auditorium and renamed in 1966. The facility includes

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1856-824: The Seat Back Campaign and the Suite Holder Program. Patrons can help the Civic Center Music Hall by purchasing personalized seat back plates at the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre or by becoming a suite or box holder at the Civic Center Music Hall. The Civic Center Music Hall is also home to STARS, a volunteer group of more than 300 people who contribute thousands of hours each year. Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov (Russian: Михаил Николаевич Барышников , IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf] ; Latvian : Mihails Barišņikovs ; born January 27, 1948)

1914-581: The Soviet Union was to work with these innovators. On June 29, 1974, in Toronto while on tour with the Bolshoi , Baryshnikov defected , requesting political asylum in Canada. As recalled by John Fraser, a ballet critic from Toronto who helped Baryshnikov to escape, Fraser wrote down phone numbers of people on a small piece of paper and hid it under his wedding ring. At a banquet after one show he managed to distract

1972-800: The Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre, the Freede Little Theatre, CitySpace, the Meinders Hall of Mirrors and the Joel Levine Rehearsal Hall. The Civic Center Music Hall is managed and operated in conjunction with the Rose State Performing Arts Theatre. Together they serve more than 300,000 patrons at around 250 performances at four different stages each year. The center is home to seven professional arts organizations: Canterbury Voices, OKC Broadway, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Ballet , Oklahoma City Philharmonic , Oklahoma City Rep, and Painted Sky Opera. In 1927,

2030-523: The United States. Asked whether he felt like an American, he said, "I like to think like I'm a man of the world. I feel totally Parisian in Paris. Totally Parisian. I have my place here, a lot of close friends and collaborators here, whom I can really feel like I can talk serious business with them. Human business, not 'business' business. Paris was always the dream of my childhood. We grew up on French art, like all Russians. America, United States, North America—it's

2088-496: The United States. They remained friends until Brodsky's death in 1996.) Baryshnikov has a daughter, Aleksandra "Shura" Baryshnikova (born 1981), from his relationship with actress Jessica Lange . When Baryshnikov and Lange met, he spoke very little English; they communicated in French instead. He eventually learned English by watching television. From 1982 to 1983 he dated Tuesday Weld , Lange's best friend. Baryshnikov has had

2146-1121: The age of 12. In 1964, he entered the Vaganova School , in what was then Leningrad (now St. Petersburg ). Baryshnikov soon won the top prize in the junior division of the Varna International Ballet Competition . He joined the Mariinsky Ballet , then called the Kirov Ballet, in 1967, dancing the "Peasant" pas de deux in Giselle . Recognizing Baryshnikov's talent, particularly his stage presence and purity of technique, several Soviet choreographers, including Oleg Vinogradov, Konstantin Sergeyev, Igor Tchernichov, and Leonid Jakobson , choreographed ballets for him. Baryshnikov made signature roles of Jakobson's 1969 virtuosic Vestris along with an intensely emotional Albrecht in Giselle . While he

2204-475: The character in the first story, "Man in a Case," except that he teaches classical Greek and he's kind of eccentric and conservative. But then something happens to him that is unexpected. The second story, "About Love," provides an arresting contrast to the first work. At their core both stories are about love. And I think it's a romantic show in many respects that is perfect for Berkeley Rep's audience. On April 21, 2015, The New York Times reported that Baryshnikov

2262-598: The community. In the past, it has sponsored performances by Mikhail Baryshnikov , Rudolf Nureyev , the San Francisco Ballet , Hubbard Street Dance Chicago , and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater . The Oklahoma City Ballet tours regionally and is the resident dance company of the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. The Yvonne Chouteau School, the official school of Oklahoma City Ballet, offers classes from beginner to advanced levels. The School

2320-548: The company moved into a new state of the art, 29,000 square foot facility designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris Architects. Oklahoma City Ballet's repertory includes works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, Gerald Arpino, Antony Tudor, Robert Joffrey, Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Jessica Lang, Cayetano Soto, Stanton Welch, Perrot , Coralli , Fokine , Petipa , Bournonville and Artistic Director Robert Mills. Oklahoma City Ballet has also presented special dance attractions as part of its role in serving

2378-458: The company toured the United States and Brazil. He has received three honorary degrees: on May 11, 2006, from New York University; on September 28, 2007, from Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University; and on May 23, 2008, from Montclair State University. In late August 2007, Baryshnikov performed Mats Ek 's Place ( Ställe ) with Ana Laguna at Dansens Hus in Stockholm . In 2012, he received

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2436-522: The company. Yvonne Chouteau was succeeded by New York City Ballet principal dancers Conrad and Joy Ludlow , who directed the company from 1973 to 1979. The Ludlow's founded the company's affiliate school and joined Oklahoma City's Allied Arts organization. During this time the Company and School used studios on the campus of Oklahoma City University and performed at the Kirkpatrick Theater also on

2494-696: The enthusiasm for contemporary dance in Israel astounding. Baryshnikov made his American television dancing debut in 1976, on the PBS program In Performance Live from Wolf Trap . The program is distributed on DVD by Kultur Video . During the Christmas season of 1977, CBS brought Baryshnikov's ABT production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker to television, with Baryshnikov in the title role, accompanied by ABT performers including Gelsey Kirkland and Alexander Minz. The Nutcracker has been presented on TV many times in many different versions, but Baryshnikov's version

2552-516: The formation of the True Russia foundation to support victims of the war in Ukraine . Baryshnikov condemned the Russian invasion and wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin slamming his "world of fear". In his letter, Baryshnikov wrote that people of culture who promoted Russian art made more for Russia than Putin's "not-so-precise weapons". True Russia also aims to become a trilingual art platform. By

2610-567: The historic Civic Center Music Hall includes accommodations for major theatrical, dance and musical groups; a multi-story atrium; balconies, box seats and suites; excellent acoustics; and a hydraulic orchestra pit. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. In 2018, the Civic Center Foundation assumed full management of the Civic Center Music Hall and Rose State College Performing Arts Theatre from

2668-598: The work of George Balanchine into the repertory. In 1986, Dallas Ballet dancers Bryan Pitts and Laura Flagg-Pitts joined the company as artistic director and assistant to the director respectively. During the Pitts’ tenure, the company instituted its annual Artsreach program to bring students from across the state to the Civic Center for a live ballet performance. This program received the Governor's Arts Award in 1997. In 2008,

2726-567: Was artistic director of the White Oak Dance Project , a touring company he co-founded with Mark Morris . The White Oak Project was formed to create original work for older dancers. In a run ending just short of his 60th birthday in 2007, he appeared in a production of four short plays by Samuel Beckett directed by JoAnne Akalaitis . Baryshnikov was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1999. In 2000, he

2784-715: Was awarded the National Medal of Arts . In 2003, Baryshnikov won the Prix Benois de la Danse for lifetime achievement. In 2005, he launched the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York. For the duration of the 2006 summer, Baryshnikov went on tour with Hell's Kitchen Dance, which was sponsored by the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Featuring works by Baryshnikov Arts Center residents Azsure Barton and Benjamin Millepied ,

2842-406: Was completed in April 1937. The first performance, "Rhapsodic Rhythms" took place on October 4, 1937. The Oklahoma Art Center, a community art center administered by the Federal Art Project , was located in Municipal Auditorium. Fundraising campaigns began for the successful organization as the Federal Art Project came to an end, and in May 1945 the Oklahoma Art Center was incorporated. In 1989 it

2900-442: Was converted into office space and later converted back to the theatre space and dressing rooms. One of the biggest concerts to ever play the venue was KISS on their 1976 Alive! tour. The band's opening act did not make it to the building forcing the management to find a new opening act on the day of the show. The band that was called to fill in was referred by the then assistant technical director Richard Charnay (who would put in

2958-443: Was featured in the 1987 film Dancers . On television, in the last season of Sex and the City , he played a Russian artist, Aleksandr Petrovsky , who woos Carrie Bradshaw relentlessly and takes her to Paris. He co-starred in Company Business (1991) with Gene Hackman . An animated TV series, Mikhail Baryshnikov's Stories from My Childhood , appeared on American PBS networks from 1996 to 1998. The cartoons were produced by

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3016-413: Was in 1989, when he played Gregor Samsa in Metamorphosis , an adaption of Franz Kafka 's novel. It earned him a Tony nomination. In 2004, Baryshnikov appeared in Forbidden Christmas or The Doctor And The Patient at New York City's Lincoln Center, and in 2007 in Beckett Shorts at New York Theatre Workshop. On April 11 to 21, 2012, he starred in In Paris, a new play directed by Dmitry Krymov . It

3074-409: Was merged into the Oklahoma City Museum of Art . In 1966, the Municipal Auditorium was remodeled and renamed the Civic Center Music Hall. The main auditorium was renovated to cater more to the performing arts by decreasing the size of the hall, moving the side wall in and installing mahogany panels, lowering the ceiling and replacing the portable floor with a sloped fixed floor. In 1971, the basement

3132-501: Was presented on the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center's Broad Stage and co-starred Anna Sinyakina. Baryshnikov then appeared in the stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov 's Man in a Case . Of the production, he said: I grew up reading Chekhov's stories and plays. I have wanted to explore a Chekhov story for the stage for some time and I'm delighted to bring Man in a Case to Berkeley Rep. Both tales are about solitary men and their self-imposed restrictions. We know very little about

3190-430: Was scheduled to perform a reading of poet Joseph Brodsky 's work in Riga in 2015. The performance was called "Brodsky/Baryshnikov," was in the original Russian, and premiered on October 15, 2015. Its international tour began in Tel Aviv in January 2016 and it was staged in New York City in March 2016. (Baryshnikov met Brodsky in 1974, soon after Soviet authorities had forced Brodsky to leave his home country and he moved to

3248-604: Was still in the Soviet Union, New York Times critic Clive Barnes called him "the most perfect dancer I have ever seen." Baryshnikov's talent was obvious from his youth, but being 5' 5" (165 cm) or 5' 6" (168 cm) tall—shorter than most male ballet dancers—he could not tower over a ballerina en pointe and was therefore relegated to secondary parts. More frustrating to him, the Soviet dance world hewed closely to 19th-century traditions and deliberately shunned Western choreographers, whose work Baryshnikov glimpsed in occasional tours and films. His main reason for leaving

3306-505: Was submitted on December 21, 2016. He wrote that the decision was based on memories of his first 16 years living in Latvia, which provided the basis for the rest of his life. "It was there that my exposure to the arts led me to discover my future destiny as a performer. Riga still serves as a place where I find artistic inspiration", Baryshnikov wrote in the letter to the Latvian parliament . In March 2022, together with economist Sergey Guriyev and writer Boris Akunin , Baryshnikov announced

3364-450: Was with the National Ballet of Canada in La Sylphide . He then went to the United States. In December 1975, he and his dance partner Natalia Makarova featured prominently in an episode of the BBC television series Arena . In the first two years after his defection, he danced for no fewer than 13 different choreographers, including Jerome Robbins , Glen Tetley , Alvin Ailey , and Twyla Tharp . "It doesn't matter if every ballet

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