Oklahoma City Ballet Names Ryan Joliqoeur-Nye as its New Artistic Director
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- *OKLAHOMA CITY BALLET NAMES RYAN JOLICOEUR-NYE AS ITS NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR*
*Oklahoma City, OK:* The Board of Trustees of Oklahoma City Ballet announced that Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye has been selected as the new artistic director for Oklahoma City Ballet. Jolicoeur-Nye has served as acting artistic director since January 2022 after longtime artistic director Robert Mills resigned.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye as our new artistic director,” said Dr. Susan E. Brackett, president of the Board of Trustees. “We look forward to him leading us into a new era of success for the Ballet. We also deeply appreciate the support of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund whose support allowed an extensive international search for our new artistic director. We are confident we have found the best possible person.”
“The Oklahoma City Ballet is an organization the Kirkpatrick family and its entities have deeply cared for since its founding in 1972,” says Christian Keesee, president of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. “We are thrilled with the ballet’s decision to name Ryan Nye artistic director. His award-winning choreography and experience in this arena will undoubtedly renew the company’s trajectory as a regional powerhouse and impact our city’s overall cultural landscape.”
As artistic director, Jolicoeur-Nye will be responsible for conceiving, developing, and implementing the artistic direction and focus of Oklahoma City Ballet. He will recruit and develop the professional dancers, produce performances, choreograph ballets, and serve as a voice for Oklahoma City Ballet in the community.
“I am so humbled by this wonderful opportunity. It will be an honor to lead this company into the future. I look forward to serving our community and this incredible organization with fervent dedication, integrity, and passion. I am thankful for the trust of the board, the staff, and the artists, and cannot wait to see what we accomplish in our journey together,” stated Jolicoeur-Nye.
“Our future at Oklahoma City Ballet looks bright with Ryan’s appointment as our next artistic director,” said Jo Lynne Jones, John Kirkpatrick Executive Director. “His enthusiasm, creativity, and vision for the company is infectious and just what we need to keep our 50 year old institution vital and thriving. I look forward to working side-by-side with him to continue growing our iconic performing arts organization.”
As acting artistic director, Jolicoeur-Nye led the company while choreographing his new version of The Sleeping Beauty which debuted in May 2022. He also staged a wildly popular outdoor performance, Ballet Under the Stars, last month. Nearly 5,000 attended the free performance at Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City.
Originally from central Maine, Jolicoeur-Nye began his ballet training with Andrei Bossov at the age of 16, and after graduating from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, he danced professionally for Eugene Ballet, Ballet Idaho, Kansas City Ballet, plus many guest roles throughout North America before retiring from the stage in 2016.
In 2018, Jolicoeur-Nye was named Artistic Director of Northwest Arkansas Ballet Theatre based in Bentonville. Under his tenure, the company experienced exponential growth, creating more than 80 performances and reaching over 28,000 area residents.
As a choreographer, he has created ballets for Northwest Arkansas Ballet Theatre, Ballet Idaho, Chicago Repertory Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Moving Arts Dance Festival, Ballet Des Moines, and Oklahoma City Ballet, among others. Jolicoeur-Nye was named “Outstanding Choreographer” at the 2017 Youth American Grand Prix as well as “Best Choreographer” at the World Ballet Art Competition (WBAC) Grand Prix 2019.
Jolicoeur-Nye joined Oklahoma City Ballet in August 2020 as a rehearsal director, working closely with company dancers. Since 2020, he has choreographed crowd favorite short pieces such as Chan Chan, Abbey Road, Playlist, and feature-length ballets The Sleeping Beauty and a fresh version of The Nutcracker to debut in December 2022.
Jolicoeur-Nye is married to Racheal Nye, school director for the Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School and together they have two children. In his free time, Ryan enjoys playing music, painting, cooking, and family time.
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About Oklahoma City Ballet: Founded by Ballet Russe dancers Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov, Oklahoma City Ballet has been the city’s professional ballet company for 51 years. It is the resident dance Company of the Civic Center Music Hall and currently boasts dancers from around the world. Led by Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye, the Company produces five main stage productions per season in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Ballet restages classical and neo classical ballets and regularly commissions new works from the industry’s leading choreographers.
Oklahoma City Ballet also includes the Yvonne Chouteau School, offering dance training to students of all ages, in addition to numerous free community engagement programs serving all of Oklahoma.
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· Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye
CONTACT: Rachel Leanne Shortt
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Lestari Kusumawardani
Oklahoma City Ballet
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lestari@okcballet.org