Oklahoma City Ballet kicks off its 2026–2027 season Friday with a free outdoor performance at Scissortail Park, and this year's lineup builds toward something the company has never done before: its own full production of Don Quixote. The season-opening Ballet Under the Stars show lands at the Love's Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn with no tickets or reservations required, marking the seventh straight year the company has offered this kind of free access to downtown audiences.
According to The Oklahoman, the evening includes more than just the main performance. Dancer warmups begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a family dance class at 6:30 p.m., giving attendees a chance to see the company up close before the show, according to Oklahoma City Ballet. The showcase also features a performance by members of Golden Swans, the company's free ballet program built specifically for senior citizens.
A First-Ever Don Quixote With American Ballet Theatre Roots
The headline production of the new season won't hit the stage until February. Oklahoma City Ballet will stage its first-ever Don Quixote from Feb. 12 through 14, 2027, at the Civic Center Music Hall, with choreography from Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye set against sets and costumes originally designed by Tony Award-winner Santo Loquasto for American Ballet Theatre, per the company's own performance details.
That pairing gives the local premiere serious pedigree. Loquasto's design work was created for one of the country's most prominent ballet companies, and its arrival in Oklahoma City underscores how far the local company's ambitions have grown under Jolicoeur-Nye, who became the company's seventh artistic director in October 2022 after serving as rehearsal director since 2020 and acting artistic director beginning in January 2022.
The Rest of a Packed Mainstage Calendar
Don Quixote is only one piece of a full season. The mixed-repertory showcase SHORTS runs Oct. 23 through 25, 2026, featuring George Balanchine's Serenade and Agnes de Mille's Rodeo, according to The City Sentinel. The Nutcracker follows in December, then Don Quixote in February, Future Voices in March 2027, and the season closes with Kenneth Tindall's Alice in Wonderland from April 30 through May 9, 2027, at Civic Center Music Hall.
That season finale leans on technology as much as tradition. The production incorporates multimedia effects paired with an original score by composer Alexandra Harwood, according to Oklahoma City Ballet.
Tickets and Company Size
Single tickets for the 2026–2027 mainstage lineup went on sale to the public on Sept. 8, with individual admission ranging from $45 to $130, per TravelOK. The company fielding all of these productions is sizable: the current roster includes 27 professional dancers alongside 39 Studio Company dancers recruited from across the United States and internationally, according to Green Box Arts.
A Legacy Rooted in Oklahoma City
The company staging all of this traces back more than six decades. Oklahoma City Ballet was founded in 1972 as the Oklahoma City Civic Ballet. Its history includes former Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov, according to the company's own historical account. Chouteau was a ballerina from Oklahoma.
The free season opener's setting carries its own civic backstory. Scissortail Park, the 70-acre downtown green space hosting Friday's show, is a $132 million project that opened its first phase in 2019 under Oklahoma City's voter-approved MAPS capital improvement program, as Hoodline has reported. The park has also drawn attention for its public art in recent weeks, adding another layer to its role as a gathering place for downtown residents.
