Ballets Russes Special Collections and Archive

The mission of the Ballets Russes Special Collections and Archive at the University of Oklahoma School of Dance is to collect, arrange, preserve, and make accessible to researchers materials that document the history of the Ballets Russes companies, artists, and dancers.

As some former Ballets Russes dancers left their respective companies, they settled in many communities throughout the United States. Two of these dancers, husband and wife Miguel Terekhov and Yvonne Chouteau founded the University of Oklahoma School of Dance in 1961. In 2005, discussions began with School of Dance to donate some of their memorabilia. This launched the collection of material that eventually led to the founding of the Ballets Russes Archive in 2007.

What began as a small amount of material has expanded to approximately 70 linear feet of information, with contributions from sixty-one individuals to date. The collections include contracts, correspondence, programs, clippings, diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs as well as video resources and ephemera. Collection of oral histories and transcripts of live interviews is ongoing.

For more information please contact:

Jeri Smalley, Archivist
Email: brarchive@ou.edu

Ballets Russes Special Collections and Archive
The University of Oklahoma School of Dance
560 Parrington Oval, Room 1000
Norman, OK 73019-4051