dance, art & okc

CAMPAIGN FOR
OKLAHOMA CITY BALLET'S
NEW FACILITIES

ROBERT MILLS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Campaign Update!

The Turning Pointe Campaign for Oklahoma City Ballet is dedicated to completing the entire vision of a new home for Oklahoma City Ballet. While the building has been purchased, the campaign continues and still needs to raise $4M in additional donations for renovations and an endowment. Immediate renovations include the building of three additional studios and administrative offices, plus renovations to current spaces.

Architectural floor plans for the ground floor.

Studios C & D will be the next to be constructed in the renovation plans.

To the left of the entrance in the rendering, the studio space can be seen. This will become Studio D, which will be a 39' x 18' studio for the professional company and school. Walls still need to be constructed for this studio. Currently, temporary flooring has been laid and a temporary dividing curtain provides a "wall" to enable the space to be used for Summer Intensive Training. Funding is still needed for this phase of renovations.

Studio A

Robert Mills teaches a placement class for Summer Intensive in Studio A

Nearly 200 Students from 6 countries and 34 states are enjoying the progress in the new facility. The added space and amenities will enable the Summer Intensive program to continue to grow and draw dancers from all over the world.

This studio was originally a 5,800 square foot basketball court. This new rehearsal space is more than double the square footage of the Civic Center Stage. It will eventually have retractable seating for future in-house performances.

Sprung Floors: Four layers of basket-weave makes a 5-inch thick landing pad for the dancers.

There will still be a sunshield applied to the very large windows to help shield dancers from direct sunlight and to help with cooling costs. Various methods are being vetted, including window tinting, or a curtain.

Studio B is completed!

Studio B was originally two racquetball courts which became the perfect framework for Studio B.

A giant steel beam was installed in place of the load-bearing wall between the two courts. The beam weighs over 1,100 pounds and three scissor lifts were used to install it.

Studio B's big fan lowers the room temperature by 10 degrees. The large blades move a lot of air but do not create noise. High volume, low speed.

Also installed are sound-absorbing panels, to reduce the echo and noise during classes and rehearsals.


Photo above: Removing the wall: this is one of the scissorlifts that was used to install the 1,100 lb support beam that replaced the wall.


	The floors of the studio are "sprung" with 3 layers of basket-weave wooden planks, which protects the dancers to land from the jumps in the choreography.

Lower level renovations have not been started. Two pillars need to be removed to begin studio construction. Administrative staff will continue to office on the campus of Oklahoma City University until other arrangements can be made. Funding is still needed for this phase of the renovation.