Oklahoma City University
Saturday, 11/15
11:30am-1:30pm
Vincent Sandoval, Precision Jazz
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment has been consistently rated by dance media as among the top dance programs in North America and has shared #1 and #2 ratings with Juilliard. OnStage, an internet media outlet, declared “In our opinion, no other college in the country is doing a better job of preparing versatile dancers for this industry than the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment at Oklahoma City University.”
The Oklahoma City University Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment, established in 1981 by recently retired Dance Chair Jo Rowan and Dean John Bedford, has a long history as the premier musical theatre dance program in the nation.
In addition to musical theatre, we are preparing dancers for the world of entertainment. You will find our dance alums working in all areas of the entertainment industry: movies, television, commercials, backup dancers for musical artists, cruise lines, theme parks, and more.
We are committed to educating our dance majors to be employable by offering courses in management and production, costumes, choreography, and teaching in addition to dance technique.The Ann Lacy School offers four-degrees: Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance (for those who cannot live without being on stage), Bachelor of Science in Dance Management (for those who want to maximize show business opportunities both onstage or off), Bachelor of Science in American Dance Pedagogy (for those who want to own and operate dance studios or manage dance academies), and Entertainment Business (for those who may or may not be dancers but want a wide range of career options in the entertainment industry).
The Ann Lacy School provides ten levels of instruction in Ballet (as used in musical theatre), Tap, and Jazz with students placed in levels appropriate to their accomplishment. Additional instruction is available in musical theatre dance and Broadway styles, commercial dance, rhythm tap, pointe, men’s technical studies, dance for film, choreography, partnering, acting, and voice.
Dance academic courses include Musicals for Dancers, Dance Health, Dance History (general), American Dance History (focused on theatrical dance), multiple courses in Production and Management, Contracts and Management for Performers, multiple courses in Choreography, and multiple courses in Dance Pedagogy (teaching dance).
In addition to dance technique and academic courses, there is an extensive hands-on co-curricular program emphasizing preparation for competitive employability in a wide range of performing arts career options and resume-building experiences.
Performing opportunities include Star Dance Company with Broadway-style shows, a subset to the Star Dance Company the Rep Company which performs throughout the community, The Spirit of Grace Liturgical Dancers for those who want to bring their dance artistry to worship services both on and off-campus, Pep Dancersoffering both choreographic and performance opportunities at home basketball games, Project 21 offering choreographic and performance opportunities in conjunction with the school of music, and The Student Choreography Showcase offering advanced choreography students to create a show from beginning to final performance. Over the years, students have experienced both domestic and international tours, as either performers or tour company staff members.
Alumni have appeared on Broadway and National Tours including Hamilton, Disney’s Newsies, Cinderella, Cats, Rent, 42nd Street, Frozen, Bandstand, Beetlejuice, My Fair Lady, Wicked, White Christmas, On The Twentieth Century, Hello Dolly, Oklahoma!, Motown: The Musical , Rocky, Memphis, West Side Story, Bubbling Brown Sugar, A Chorus Line, 9 to 5 the Musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Amazing Grace, American Dance Machine, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, Bullets Over Broadway, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Chicago, Civil War, Crazy for You, Dance of the Vampires, Dracula the Musical, Dreams, Epic Proportions, Face the Music, Fascinating Rhythm, Follies, Fossie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Good Vibrations, Grease, Great American Musical, Guys and Dolls, Gypsy, Hairspray, Holiday Inn, If/Then, In the Heights, Jekyll & Hyde, Jerome Robbins Broadway, Kinky Boots, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, La Cage aux Folles, Mama Mia!, Matilda, Nice Work If You Can Get It, On the Town, Peter Pan, Phantom of the Opera, Promises Promises, Ring of Fire, Rock of Ages, Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Show Boat, Shuffle Along, Smokey Joe’s Café, South Pacific, Spamalot, Steel Pier, Sunset Boulevard, Sweet Smell of Success, Taboo, The Addams Family, The Apple Tree, The Boy from Oz, The Bridges of Madison County, The Light in the Piazza, The Little Mermaid, The Music Man, The Pajama Game, The Producers, Tommy, Will Rogers Follies, Young Frankenstein, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Disney’s Aladdin.
Many Ann Lacy School students have aspired to become Radio City Rockettes, with fifty succeeding in achieving their goal. Joining them have been eighteen men performing in Radio City shows, and two women performing in Radio City Spectacularsin the song and dance ensemble. Four graduates have held top positions in the artistic administration of the Rockettes, and two have served in tour management and education.
Many alumni can be found performing and managing all over the world at sea with Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Holland America Cruise Line, and Princess Cruises. Others can be found managing and performing at every Disney park including Walt Disney World in Orlando, Disneyland in California, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Hong Kong, Disneyland Shanghai, Disneyland Tokyo, and in featured films like Disney’s Newsies: The Broadway Musical.
For more information about OKCU Dance and Entertainment please visit our website at www.okcu.edu/dance or email <a ” href=”mailto:Dance@okcu.edu” >Dance@okcu.edu.
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Vincent Sandoval
Vincent Sandoval is originally from Houston, Texas, where he graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and was awarded Most Outstanding Graduating Senior. He earned his Bachelor of Performing Arts from Oklahoma City University and was also awarded Most Outstanding Graduating Senior. Sandoval then went on to pursue his professional career in New York City.
His performing credits include Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Radio City Easter Show, and featured dancer in the Radio City Spring Spectacular. His tour credits include the European Tour of Crazy for You and the First Broadway National Tours of Victor Victoria and Fosse, for which he was Dance Captain. He is honored to have worked with Ann Reinking and Gwen Verdon in the Fosse dance style. He was Guest Artist for Ballet Austin’s Productions of Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew. Regionally, he has worked in many musicals with Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Theatre Under the Stars, Music Theatre of Wichita, Casa Mañana, 5th Avenue, and Paper Mill Playhouse.
His choreography experience includes being assistant director/choreographer to Linda Haberman for Radio City Christmas Spectacular, director, and choreographer for Royal Caribbean International, choreographer for Summer Stock Austin, choreographer for Georgetown Palace Theatre, and choreographer for the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma productions of Grease, Carousel, and Mary Poppins.
Sandoval recently won the Broadway World Regional Award for Best Choreography for Carousel at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. Sandoval also was nominated for the B. Iden Payne Award and the Austin Critics Table Award. He has also been a faculty member at Texas State University’s Musical Theatre Department. He is currently Artist-In-Residence for the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment at Oklahoma City University. He is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and American Guild of Variety Artists.