(Left to right) Principal dancers Alfonso Martin and Daniella Buson; Mike Bennett of Saied Music Company; Ramona Pansegrau, Music Director, Tulsa Ballet; principal dancer Ma Cong and soloist Ashley Blade-Martin

Yamaha is proud to be the official piano of the Tulsa Ballet, which attracts nearly 50,000 people annually to programs at its world class facility and other area locations. Tulsa Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau selected three Yamaha pianos, a C3 and C2 conservatory grand and a GC1, which are used for teaching, rehearsals, events and concerts.

“I’ve performed probably 300 concerti,” says Pansegrau, “and 95 percent have been on Yamaha pianos. I trust them because I know they’ll deliver the sound I’m looking for. Their action is consistent and they’re a pleasure to play. Yamaha pianos are near and dear to my heart. They’ve never failed me.”

“Live music is so important in ballet classes,” she adds, noting the company’s 38,000 square-foot building in midtown Tulsa houses three huge state-of-the-art dance studios. “Students learn faster and instructors teach more effectively. These days, we’re not exposed to enough live music. A dancer who has great technique without musicality will not go as far as one with a highly developed sensitivity to music. I teach pianists from Tulsa University, and playing for ballet classes can be a huge asset for a pianist considering a career as a ballet accompanist.”

This summer, Tulsa Ballet hosts the eighth year of “Pointe to the Future,” offering serious U.S. ballet students, ages 9 and up, the opportunity to train with one of the world’s best ballet companies. Youngsters audition to attend the three-week intensive workshop at Tulsa Ballet Studios and, once accepted, will learn from professionals of international status in the fields of classical ballet, pointe, character and jazz. In August, the new Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education will open, offering comprehensive, multi-disciplinary programs in all facets of the art form, including classes in ballet technique and special seminars on jazz, contemporary and character dance; dance history; stage makeup; and costuming.

Tulsa Ballet performed at the 2002 Sintra Ballet Festival in Portugal, one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe. For details about their upcoming season, which runs August 3, 2003 through April 2004, visit www.tulsaballet.org.

 

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