Artistic Director of Tulsa Ballet since 1995, Marcello Angelini is an internationally acclaimed former principal dancer whose career spans the world’s most prestigious companies. Under his leadership, Tulsa Ballet has grown into a globally recognized company, known for its expansive repertory, international touring and commitment to both tradition and innovation. In May 2026, that vision reaches a historic milestone as Angelini leads the company to its debut at London’s Royal Opera House. We caught up with Angelini and got his thoughts on …
… what this debut means for Tulsa Ballet.
Both for me and for Tulsa Ballet, this is the crowning of the 70 years of work; it embodies our strive for excellence and community support. The Royal Ballet is financially [one of the largest companies] in the world, with a budget of over $227 million. It is also the embodiment of artistry, quality, taste and excellence. Being invited by the leadership of the company to appear at The Royal Opera House, presented by The Royal Ballet, is the highest recognition for our company, and our city, I can think of.
… preparing the work for a new audience.
I think about Tulsa, and Tulsa Ballet in this order. We want to show audiences in London the creativity and versatility that are the “superpower” of our company and our community. In the case of the Ballet, the creativity is represented by the two works “made in Tulsa” that are part of the program: Andy Blankenbuehler’s Remember our Song and Divenire by Nicolo Fonte. The third piece in the program is Classical Symphony by Yuri Possokhov, a brutally challenging classical-virtuoso piece. When you put the three together, the result is a program that goes flawlessly from ballet to Broadway, thus showcasing the versatility of our company. This program also illustrates the sophistication of our community through the support for high quality cultural offerings.
…preserving ballet tradition while embracing innovation.
I didn’t know there was a difference between the two… Tradition is nothing else than the innovation of the past. In 1841, Giselle was a very innovative work, as it was only the second ballet to be danced on the tip of her toes (on pointe) for the ballerina. Today, it is the embodiment of tradition. Same for The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker! Today’s innovation is tomorrow’s tradition. It behooves upon us to create the tradition of tomorrow through today’s innovation.
… how his vision as Artistic Director has evolved over three decades.
I can write a book about this question. Let’s say that there were different phases to my vision, each using the previous achievements as the platform from which to spring for the next “adventure.” The first phase consisted of bringing to Tulsa all the best works of the second half of the 20th century. The next phase was symbolized by our wish to move the art form forward through the creation of new works, and by increasing our contributions to the community by opening our dance academy and creating new educational programs.
The next phase was characterized by our will to build a space meant for the creation of new art, and meant to host educational programs: our own Studio K. At the same time, we wanted to take the company internationally. And the fourth, which is ongoing, is to create a number of large full scale story-ballets like our new Cinderella, our new Alice in Wonderland, our new The Sleeping Beauty and Marilyn. We are also working on reimagining our facilities to be attractive and exciting for dancers and staff members.
… ensuring Tulsa is seen as a place where new work is born, not just presented.
It’s imperative! One of my goals, from the first time I came to Tulsa for the job interview, was to increase the visibility of the community through the reputation of its ballet company. Tulsa is a wonderful place, and thanks to the developments of the past 20 years, it’s now a tremendous community for both young and less young people. There is culture, there are thriving arts, great neighborhoods, fabulous entertainment venues and a strong sense of community. And innovation is all around us, wherever we look! As the “Official Cultural Ambassador” for the state of Oklahoma, we want the world to know what Tulsa is all about!
… timing and relationship-building in the ballet industry.
It’s certainly a big part of it, but not all of it. The artistic director of The Royal Ballet saw us perform at Jacob’s Pillow dance festival, as the Royal was supposed to take our slot the closing week of the festival the following year. Kevin O’Hare, the director of the company, liked Tulsa Ballet and when I asked him if he would invite us to The Linbury, he said “of course.” My jaw dropped and is still dislocated at this time… At the end of the day, what spoke the loudest was the quality of our company.
