OKC Ballet Exposes Every Community To Ballet

Dancing is a fun form of expression that gets the body moving and the juices flowing for adults and kids.

“Give them something that maybe they would have never gotten in their lives,” said Quincy Allen, an instructor with The Oklahoma City Ballet.

The Dance Discovery Program through the OKC Ballet is taught in schools as well as the Boys and Girls Club.

“We try to go into areas that are less serviced for the dance community,” said Allen.

And even though the class may not look like the typical ballet movement, it is an introduction to the possibilities.

“They can use their bodies and their faces to express what they are feeling and what they are doing. It also gives them a new set of skills that maybe they didn’t know they had before,” said McKalyn Spencer, music teacher with Santa Fe Early Childhood Center.

“I didn’t have a program like this, and I would have loved to have been in something like this when I was a kid,” said Allen.

Arlette is one of those standout students with aspirations to be on stage.

“I practice at my house every day,” said K-5 dance student Arlette.

The teachers love the change they see in the students throughout the school year.

“it gives them confidence and it lets them express themselves,” said Spencer. 

As much as the students enjoy the program, the instructors are having a pretty good time as well.

“Seeing them be so happy doing it, it just warms my heart,” said Allen.

For more information about the Dance Discovery program and other community engagement programs offered through the Oklahoma City Ballet visit www.okcballett.org