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The University of Oklahoma

Schedule
University of Oklahoma School of Dance, text based logo

VIRTUAL

Friday, 10/23
1:00-3:00pm
Glenn J. Edgerton, Ballet

University of Oklahoma School of Dance modern dance students in a sunlite studio
University of Oklahoma School of Dance Students

The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK

The University of Oklahoma School of Dance is considered one of the leading programs in the nation for training in ballet and modern dance techniques. Offering Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Ballet Performance, Modern Dance Performance, and Ballet Pedagogy, the OU School of Dance offers a multitude of study abroad/performance opportunities on campus, nationally, and internationally to locations such as Colorado, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, France, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. Classes include beginning to advanced levels in ballet and modern dance technique, pointe, men’s class, composition, Pilates body conditioning, pantomime, ballet and modern dance repertoire, pas de deux, teaching methods, improvisation, choreography and a complete series of courses in dance history. We provide live accompaniment for all technique classes.

Our students come from across the United States and around the world. They enjoy a wide spectrum of performance experiences, including fall and spring productions in our home theatres. Additional performance opportunities come from regional and international tours, operas, musicals and interdisciplinary collaborations.

In 1961, Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo principals Miguel Terekhov and Yvonne Chouteau were invited to “teach a few classes” at the University of Oklahoma. Response to these classes was overwhelming, and Terekhov was subsequently invited to develop the Department of Dance. In 1976, Kozaburo Yukihiro joined the department and worked with Terekhov to develop the curricula for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance.

The program quickly rose to national prominence and cemented a reputation for the strong performance capabilities and professionalism of its graduates. In recognition of its growth in national stature and rankings, the Department of Dance was elevated to the School of Dance in 1998 under the direction of Mary Margaret Holt. From its inception, the school has been performance-oriented and now boasts two active performing companies. Oklahoma Festival Ballet has a repertoire of over 50 ballets, and Contemporary Dance Oklahoma performs a variety of original works. Both companies perform works from the national repertoire. 

Glenn J. Edgerton headshot
Glenn J. Edgerton

Glenn J. Edgerton

Glenn Edgerton has had an international career as a dancer, teacher, and director. His sixteen-year dancing career was with The Joffrey Ballet and The Netherlands Dance Theater. At The Joffrey Ballet, he performed leading roles, classical and contemporary for 11 years under the mentorship of Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino. He danced principal roles in the classics of John Cranko and Sir Fredrick Ashton along with innovative choreographers like Twyla Tharp, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Paul Taylor and Laura Dean. In 1989, Edgerton joined the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), where he was immersed in the diverse repertory of master choreographers and emerging choreographers for five years. After retiring from performing, he became the Executive Artistic Director of NDT 1, mentored by Jiří Kylián, leading the company for a decade and presenting the works of Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Mats Ek, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, Johan Inger, Paul Lightfoot and Sol León, among many others. From 2006 to 2008, he directed the Colburn Dance Institute at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, CA while teaching at UCLA, Loyola Marymount and CalArts. Edgerton joined Hubbard Street as Associate Artistic Director in 2008. From 2009-2020 served as Hubbard Street’s Artistic Director bringing the company to perform worldwide while fostering the next generation of dancers and choreographers. Many of those dancers turned choreographers are leading the dance field today, like Alejandro Cerrudo, Rena Butler, Robyn Mineko Williams, Penny Saunders, Emilie Leriche, Alice Klock and Florian Lochner (FLOCK) among others. In 2017, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts Degree from California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA (CalArts). As of the fall of 2020, Glenn joined the faculty as an Instructor at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma teaching ballet and choreographing with an emphasis on the prolific repertory of Jiří Kylián and Gerald Arpino. Other responsibilities at OU have been directing the OU Summer Intensive and Oklahoma Festival Ballet. Edgerton set the work, Sinfonietta by Jiří Kylián for American Ballet Theater in the fall of 2022 along with teaching for ABT. During the summer of 2025 Glenn was chosen to choreograph for the National Choreographic Initiative at the University of California, Irvine. Edgerton continues on faculty at OU as an Associate Professor.