Miguel Terekhov and Yvonne Chouteau Collection
Collection
Identifier: BRSCA-MTYC-008
The Miguel Terekhov/Yvonne Chouteau Collection contains programs, photographs, interviews, scrapbook, newspaper clippings and reviews, books, magazines, and other materials from their careers in DeBasil's Ballet Russe and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, as well as their subsequent careers as founders, teachers, and choreographer's at the University of Oklahoma School of Dance.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1935 - 1997
Conditions Governing Access
The Collections are available by appointment. Please email brarchive@ou.edu or call 405/325-5181.
Conditions Governing Use
The Ballets Russes Special Collections and Archive holds the physical rights only to most materials. Researchers must secure written permission from the Archive to publish archival material. Researchers assume all responsibility for conforming to copyright laws and for correctly citing the source of the archival material.
Extent
12 Boxes (Document Types: Advertisements Book Magazines Newspaper Articles Performance Programs Photographic Print Souvenir Programs Videos) : 9 document boxes 1 scrapbook box 1 book tote 1 cd/dvd folder
Biographical / Historical
Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, to a Ukrainian immigrant father and a Charraúa Indian mother, Miguel Terekhov fell in love with dance at age seven after watching a ballet performance. He went on to have a professional career in ballet, dancing with two of the most influential touring companies of the 20th century. From 1942-47, Terekhov performed with Colonel Wassily de Basil's Original Ballets Russe and then with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo from 1954-58 as a principal dancer. He was best known as performer of character roles, such as the Shah in Scheherazade, Hilarion in Giselle, Dr. Coppelius in Coppelia, and as the General and Headmistress in Graduation Ball.
Born in Fort Worth on March 7, 1929 but growing up in Vinita, OK, part French and part Shawnee-Cherokee, dancer Yvonne Chouteau began dancing at age 2 1/2 and was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1943 at age 14. Her first solo role was the Prayer in Coppelia and she was soon dancing major roles in Raymonda, Paquite, The Nutcracker and Pas de Quatre. While on tour with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Terekhov and Chouteau met and married in 1956. She left the company in 1957 when she was expecting her first child.
In 1961, Terekhov and Chouteau began teaching in what is now the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma. In 1963, they became the first artistic directors of the Oklahoma City Civic Ballet, now the Oklahoma City Ballet, bringing in numerous internationally acclaimed dancers to perform with the company in its early years As Chair of the (then) Department of Dance at OU, Terekhov designed a rigorous curriculum that is still largely followed today. He choreographed over thirty ballets, including 7 full-length ballets, operas and musicals, and taught courses in ballet technique, teaching methods, choreography, and dance history. Miguel Terekhov died in 2012 and Yvonne Chouteau died in 2016.
Born in Fort Worth on March 7, 1929 but growing up in Vinita, OK, part French and part Shawnee-Cherokee, dancer Yvonne Chouteau began dancing at age 2 1/2 and was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1943 at age 14. Her first solo role was the Prayer in Coppelia and she was soon dancing major roles in Raymonda, Paquite, The Nutcracker and Pas de Quatre. While on tour with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Terekhov and Chouteau met and married in 1956. She left the company in 1957 when she was expecting her first child.
In 1961, Terekhov and Chouteau began teaching in what is now the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma. In 1963, they became the first artistic directors of the Oklahoma City Civic Ballet, now the Oklahoma City Ballet, bringing in numerous internationally acclaimed dancers to perform with the company in its early years As Chair of the (then) Department of Dance at OU, Terekhov designed a rigorous curriculum that is still largely followed today. He choreographed over thirty ballets, including 7 full-length ballets, operas and musicals, and taught courses in ballet technique, teaching methods, choreography, and dance history. Miguel Terekhov died in 2012 and Yvonne Chouteau died in 2016.
- Title
- Miguel Terekhov and Yvonne Chouteau Collection
- Status
- completed
- Author
- The collection was arranged and processed by Tara Davis and Jessie Hopper and described by Jessie Hopper and Michelle Merriman.
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- English
Revision Statements
- 2015: Edited by Jakob Hertzel
- 2017: New acquisitions arranged and described by Jeri Smalley
Repository Details
Part of the Ballets Russes Special Collections and Archive Repository