From a free outdoor event to 'pay what you can' shows: 7 highlights of the OKC Ballet season

Oklahoma City Ballet will start its 2022-2023 season this weekend with its annual free outdoor performance and finish it in June with a new showcase that invites patrons to pay what they can.

In between, the dance company's 51st season will feature a sexy story ballet based on one of the inspirations for the movie "Moulin Rouge!," fresh choreography for the holiday favorite "The Nutcracker," the timeless family-friendly fairy tale "Cinderella" and more.

"We're just trying to make ballet more inclusive, more accessible (and) open it up to new audiences," said Jo Lynne Jones, Oklahoma City Ballet's John Kirkpatrick Executive Director.

As the board of trustees continues its search for a successor to longtime Artistic Director Robert Mills, who left the organization in January, OKC Ballet's performers are dancing into an eclectic new season.

Here's what people can expect from OKC Ballet's 2022-2023 slate:

1. Free 'Ballet Under the Stars'

When and where: Sept. 17 at Scissortail Park's Love's Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn.

For the third year, OKC Ballet will launch its season with its free outdoor showcase, which has quickly become a favorite of both the company and the community.

"That was born during the pandemic as an opportunity to just give our dancers a chance to perform and audiences to be in what we thought would be a safe environment being outdoors. We had no idea that it would be so well-received," Jones said. "We would have been happy if we'd had 500 people show up to that first one, and when the Scissortail Park officials told us they estimated 3,500 people, we couldn't believe it. And we just had to do it again with that kind of success."

Attendees are encouraged to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs and arrive early, since pre-show activities start at 5:30 p.m. and include photo opportunities with the dancers, giveaways and an all-ages family dance class.

From 7 to 8:30 p.m., OKC Ballet's professional dancers and Yvonne Chouteau School students, along with students from the University of Oklahoma School of Dance, will perform 12 short works ranging from classical to modern.

"We are just so excited to give people an opportunity to come see something that's free, accessible, entertaining — and maybe show them that ballet isn't what they think it is," Jones said.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be rescheduled for Oct. 1.

2. 'Lady of the Camellias'

When and where: Oct. 21-23 at Civic Center Music Hall.

A sexy ballet with mature themes, "Lady of the Camellias" is a tragically romantic tale of forbidden love between a wealthy Parisian courtesan and a provincial bourgeois gentleman.

"The title of this is where it catches people off guard ... but I think what they'll find out is they actually do know this story," said Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye, OKC Ballet's acting artistic director.

The ballet was adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ 1848 French novel "La Dame aux Camélias." The book inspired Giuseppe Verdi's iconic opera "La Traviata," several films titled "Camille," including George Cukor's Oscar-nominated 1936 version starring Greta Garbo, and Baz Luhrmann's hit 2001 movie "Moulin Rouge!," featuring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.

"It's a dramatic ballet; it's a difficult ballet. It is good for our artists: They will grow a lot, and I think our audience will grow a lot," Jolicoeur-Nye said. "It's a ballet that has been done by a lot of major companies in the world, and to bring it to Oklahoma City, we're really lucky to be able to do that."

Choreographed by Val Caniparoli, "Lady of the Camellias" is set to music by renowned composer Frederic Chopin. OKC Ballet's production will feature live music performed by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices.

3. 'The Nutcracker'

When and where: Dec. 10-18 at the Civic Center.

Presented by Devon Energy, OKC Ballet will continue its cherished yuletide tradition with the family-friendly favorite based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's enduring fantasy story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." The OKC Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices will return to perform Pyotr Tchaikovsky's treasured score live.

The sets and costumes will be familiar, but this year's production will boast new choreography by Jolicoeur-Nye.

Also new for this year: OKC Ballet is offering its first sensory-friendly performance with its 6 p.m. Dec. 15 presentation of "The Nutcracker."

"It's going to be a little earlier in the evening, and we've worked with AutismOklahoma in making sure that we're changing it the way we need to so that it will be sensory-friendly. We're going leave all the loud bangs out ... and the house lights will be up slightly," Jones said.

"Families can roam: They can come in and out if they want or if they need to get up and take a break. ... They can have iPads and their phones out, wear headphones, whatever that accommodation is that they need."

4. 'Cinderella'

When and where: Feb. 10-12 at the Civic Center.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, OKC Ballet will bring back one of the most famous fairy tales of all time, with world-premiere choreography by Jolicoeur-Nye. The OKC Philharmonic will play Sergei Prokofiev’s enchanted score live at each performance.

The family-friendly production will feature more than 100 roles for OKC Ballet's pro and student dancers, although the comical stepsisters are expected to steal the show.

5. 'Future Voices: A Choreographic Showcase'

When and where: March 9-12 at OKC Ballet's Susan E. Brackett Dance Center.

In its fourth year, OKC Ballet's annual showcase will include eight to 10 new works, all 10 minutes or shorter.

"It will be all world premieres. The production is entirely curated by our dancers. This year in particular, rather than bringing in a guest choreographer to just create work to be on the program, we're bringing in a guest mentor to invest back into our company dancers and artists that are interested in choreographing to help them develop and hone their skills," Jolicoeur-Nye said.

The choreographers will chose their own music, dancers and costumes to accompany their original short works.

"The other great aspect is that it's really up close and personal: You can see the beads of sweat dripping off of the dancers right in front of you, which is an experience you don't get in the theater," he said. "We also do a brief chat following the performance with the choreographers for the audience to ask questions and get a little bit of insight into the choreographic process."

6. 'Shorts'

When and where: May 5-7 at the Civic Center.

As the title implies, "Shorts" will showcase three divergent short ballets: Gerald Arpino’s "Birthday Variations," a perky classical piece featuring Verdi’s infectious opera-ballet music; legendary choreographer George Balanchine’s "Western Symphony," which is set in the Old West and explores a frontier where traditional ballet meets American folk dancing; and Kennedy Center Honoree Twyla Tharp’s "The Golden Section," which is set to music by Grammy-winning Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. 

"This program is three ballets that represent the iconic realm of dance through history: We have three iconic choreographers' pieces that are well-recognized throughout the world ... and it's a mix of neoclassical, classical and contemporary," Jolicoeur-Nye said.

"These pieces are also part of an artist's bucket list of things that they want to perform at some point in their career."

7. 'Unboxed'

When and where: June 23-25 at Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center's Te Ata Theater.

The new program will spotlight world-premiere short works by choreographers Rena Butler, Larry Keigwin and Jolicoeur-Nye. Oklahoma visual artist Yatika Fields, who is Osage, Muscogee and Cherokee, will design set and costume pieces.

Along with three performances, "Unboxed" will include a June 24 family matinee and movement class.

"We're going to have it in their black-box theater, and we're calling it 'Unboxed' because it's going to be kind of a mixed-media performance," Jones said.

For the first time, OKC Ballet will offer a “pay what you can” option for audiences for the production.

"People don't have to continue to believe that ballet is all stuffy. It's more than just the classical ballet that I think people often consider it to be. And it can be fun," Jones said.

For tickets and information, go to https://www.okcballet.org.

Features Writer Brandy "BAM" McDonnell has covered Oklahoma's arts, entertainment and cultural sectors for The Oklahoman for 20 years. Reach her at bmcdonnell@oklahoman.com, www.facebook.com/brandybammcdonnell and twitter.com/BAMOK. Support her work by signing up for her See & Do Oklahoma newsletter and subscribing to The Oklahoman.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Ballet makes art accessible with free and 'pay what you can' shows