About Us
O U R M I S S I O N
"We view the training of a dancer as the development of a person as a whole. OKDC is concerned with all aspects of the development of it's students and recognizes its obligation to prepare students to integrate the achievement of academic, intellectual and social skills along with the broad spectrum arts education required for success in the field of dance. One of the most basic principles behind our training is to give of yourself; to your training, your teachers, your classmates, your audience, and most of all your community."
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- Joshua Brooksher
At Oklahoma Dance Center, we are dedicated to providing exceptional dance education to students of all levels. Our professionals bring practical experience, technical knowledge, and ability to their classes in classical ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap. firmly believe that proper training cultivates self-esteem, creativity, and discipline that can be applied to any endeavor in life. Our objective is to promote enjoyment and appreciation of dance on a personal level, while taking great care in the instruction of each student so they may reach their greatest potential. Join us at Oklahoma Dance Center and experience the benefits of dance education.
Meet The Faculty
J O S H U A B R O O K S H E R
Mr. Brooksher grew up in Mesa, Arizona where he received his early training at Ballet Etudes and Jeanne’s School of Dance. At the age of 13 he left Mesa for Washington D.C. to attend the Kirov Academy of Ballet (KAB), one of the premier ballet training schools in the world, on full scholarship for their accelerated professional training program. His studies included ballet technique, repertoire, technical theory, pas de deux, historical court dance, character dance, contemporary movement, pedagogy, music theory, nutrition, kinesiology, painting, sculpture, injury prevention, Pilates and Gyrotonics.
Mr. Brooksher graduated from KAB with High Honors, and from Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School with a Certificate of Merit, in 1993. During his years at KAB, he learned the craft of classical dance from some of the world’s true masters, the most influential in the shaping of Joshua’s training and career was, and still is, Rudolf Kharatian, a graduate of the famed professor Alexander Pushkin at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute. Throughout his career Mr. Brooksher performed all the great classical ballets and worked with the most influential choreographers of the time. He is known as one of the greatest partners of his generation. Among all the leading male roles he performed he is most fond of the role of Albrecht in Giselle.
After dancing professionally in The Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Internationale, Boston Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theater, Mr. Brooksher returned home for a single season with Ballet Arizona before embarking on his teaching career. He has always been a teacher; even at a young age, his attention to detail distinguished him to his peers and teachers. Throughout his career Mr. Brooksher regularly took the time to return to his home in Mesa to serve as temporary faculty for Ballet Etudes and Phoenix School of Ballet. Under his tutelage his students have gone on to become professional performing artists in theaters all over the world. Mr. Brooksher founded and directed Brooksher Ballet and the National Academy of Classical Ballet in Mesa, Arizona to provide professional training opportunities in his hometown while simultaneously continuing to work as a director and faulty member with other dance organizations around the country. As such, he was involved in all aspects of running a successful professional level training program. His responsibilities have included teaching & coaching all levels of classes in the 6-year accelerated Vaganova-based program, creating choreographic works, curriculum, and syllabus structure development, as well as the administrative duties associated with such a position. His students have been recognized at national and international levels of competition, gone on to attend conservatories and universities, as well as securing work as professional dance artists.
Mr. Brooksher currently serves in several national and international organizations as well as being the Artistic Director for the Oklahoma Youth Ballet. He is a member of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – International Dance Council and serves as a Pedagogy Specialist for the Classical Dance Alliance, an organization created to promote the highest standards for classical ballet in the United States through teacher training programs and educational awareness of the importance of pedagogical training. Mr. Brooksher also served as Associate Artistic Director for his alma mater, The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. and was involved in all aspects of running an international boarding school and elite level dance education organization.
S A V A N N A H L E E
Savannah Lee is a recent immigrant to Oklahoma having grown up in Arizona. She received her formal education from the National Academy of Classical Ballet in Phoenix, Arizona. She spent the last few years of her training participating in national and international ballet competition. She is the recipient of multiple Gold Medals at both the American Ballet Competition and the Youth America Grand Prix, along with many other accolades from every competition she has attended. She has also been awarded scholarships to The Kirov Academy of Ballet, Ballet West, Colorado Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Houston Ballet, The Bolshoi Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Oklahoma City Ballet.
Throughout her young professional career, she has been offered several professional positions at prestigious companies including Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, and The Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. During the middle of the global pandemic, she moved to Oklahoma to take a Studio Company position in Oklahoma City Ballet and has absolutely fallen in love with the community here. She shares her excitement and joy for our next generation of dancers through her teaching and mentorship of the students under her tutelage.