Oklahoma City Ballet believes community, education, excellence, innovation, and inspiration all through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility should be at the heart of what we do.

It is our goal to provide all individuals, from our students, dancers, and staff to our leadership and board, an opportunity to achieve their full potential as ambassadors of art in our community. We are committed to actively promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and access to all persons working with or for Oklahoma City Ballet. We believe that the importance of varying perspectives is paramount to successfully representing our community with fervent integrity and cause. We will continuously pursue inclusivity both internally and externally, assuring all in our community that they have a voice which is heard, respected, and welcome.

We believe dance has the power to change lives and inspire people from all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is our pledge to amplify the voices that reflect our diverse and supportive community. We will continue to move in a forward direction creating positive, uplifting, and sustainable change not just in our organization, or local community, but on a broader global stage at large.

We recognize the social and racial disparities that have been a historic part of ballet for over 100 years. We pledge to develop nurture, and supports efforts of anti-racism, social injustice, and equality. We commit to training and evolving our organization and its people so that we are effectively representing our mission of inclusivity in a cohesive, vibrant manner. From our repertoire, marketing, and vision, to our hiring practices, and outsourced contracting. We will ensure all feel welcome, represented, and celebrated. We will continuously review and develop our artistic programming, company collaborations, hiring practices and recruitment, and educational outreach, within our company and school, to ensure alignment with anti-racism and equity initiatives.

A Snapshot of our current and past initiatives:

Town Hall discussions with a third-party moderator
The formation of an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Committee
IDEA surveys and required training for all staff and dancers
IDEA moment in Staff Meetings to keep our values at the forefront of discussions
Updated the choreography in The Nutcracker to remove outdated cultural depictions
Signed the Final bow for Yellow-Face pledge
Adjustments to dress code for in-studio and stage work to be inclusive of all genders and BIPOC dancers
Providing “sensory-friendly” performances for family-friendly shows
Intimacy training for all Artistic Staff and Dancers
Adoption of gender-inclusive language in the studio and in our policies
Implementation of Floating Holidays to allow Staff and Dancers to observe holidays and occasions important to them
Culture Policy Agreement is required by all contractors to ensure guests also abide by our values and culture
Land acknowledgment written with help of First Americans Museum and posted on website and at studios
In honor of Black History Month we’ve compiled the resources below for use in our Community Engagement and Yvonne Chouteau School classes. Feel free to use them with your own students.

Misty Copeland coloring page
Black History Month Resources

OUR MISSION
Oklahoma City Ballet inspires its audience through classical and contemporary dance performances, a strong educational program, and community engagement.