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Tulsa Ballet speaks an international language in rodeo country.

Article Excerpt
Company class. Torsos plunge to the floor and arch back into the horizontal. With intense concentration and unwavering attention, about 30 dancers from 15 countries work at a level of expertise one would expect to see in a major coastal city or in Europe. Perfect placement, open port de bras, expansive sweeps of the legs, speedy footwork, and rapid direction changes fill the studio.

Corrections are clear and precise. Artistic director Marcello Angelini gives a general correction, makes direct eye contact with a dancer, then perhaps a little joke. While he respects the dancer's art, his authority is absolute.

Since Angelini began directing Tulsa Ballet in 1995, he has built a company strong enough to perform the classics and versatile enough to do contemporary work by well-known choreographers. The Italian-born, Kiev Institute-trained director expects 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, Ballet West). To grow a company, Angelini says, you have to stretch the dancer one way, then the other.

Angelini believes different styles--classical, modern, and contemporary--are parts of the same language. "It's all dance," he says, forming a large circle with his arms....

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