Miguel Terekhov
Miguel Terekhov (August 22, 1928 – January 3, 2012) was a Uruguayan-born American ballet dancer and ballet instructor. Terekhov and his wife, Yvonne Chouteau, one of the Five Moons, a group of Native American ballet dancers, founded the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma in 1961.[1]
Early life
Terekhov was born on August 22, 1928, in
The Original Ballet Russe of Colonel de Basil
In 1942 the Original Ballet Russe of Colonel de Basil came to Uruguay and desperately needed male dancers for their season touring South America, so Miguel Terekhov joined the company at 14; never finishing high school.[2] His parents had to give parental consent for a passport because he was so young.[2] At 14 he did not know how to care for himself so the stage director Serge Grigoriev became like a father to him.[2] Miguel was learning the rep for the company while already on tour, learning up to two ballets a day.[2] His first year with the Ballets Russes he felt as if he was a part of history, with notable dancers coming before him like Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, and Anna Pavlova.[2] Miguel stayed with the Ballets Russes for 5 years.[2] His time with the company ended in 1947 when they finished the American leg of their tour and were planning to make their way through Europe.[2][1] Many company members had decided to stay in the United States and terminate their contracts with the Ballets Russes, Miguel did not want to see the demise of the company, with so many of the main dancers leaving, so he returned home to Montevideo for 2 years and danced with a company in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[2]
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
In 1954 Terekhov joined the
Post Performance Career
The couple decided that they could not return to the touring life required of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo so Terekhov auditioned for things on Broadway like West Side Story, but was turned down because he danced too much like a ballet dancer.[2] So the couple decided to go to South America to see his family and introduce them to their grandchild.[2] While they were visiting South America they had their second child Elizabeth, who later changed her name to Toni in honor of her grandmother.[2] After a year in Montevideo the couple went to visit Chouteau's family in Oklahoma in 1961.[2][1] While there the president of the University of Oklahoma asked if Terekhov and Chouteau would teach a ballet class.[2] Terekhov then designed the curriculum for a degree in dance at the university and was the chairman for the department.[2] At the University of Oklahoma Terekhov and Chouteau have their own company, present productions, and dance there themselves.[2]
Terekhov died at his daughter's home in
Notable roles
- Shah in Schéhérazade[1]
- The father in The Prodigal Son
- the crusty old General in Graduation Ball[1]
- Dr. Coppélius, the eccentric inventor, in Coppélia[1]
- Understudy for Cain in Cain and Abel[2]
- Evil Genius in Swan Lake
References
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(sound recording) Interview with Miguel Terekhov, 1979, (1979)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved September 26, 2020.