TULSA BALLET SELECTS YAMAHA PIANOS

BUENA PARK, CA (September 5, 2003)—Yamaha is proud to be the official piano of the Tulsa Ballet, which attracts nearly 50,000 people annually to programs at its world class facility and other area locations. Tulsa Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau selected three Yamaha pianos, a C3, C2 and GC1, which are used for teaching, rehearsals, events and concerts.

The Tulsa Ballet relies on Yamaha pianos for its performance and educational programs. Pictured from left to right are principal dancers Alfonso Martin and Daniella Buson from Black Swan, Mike Bennett of Saied Music Company, Music Director Ramona Pansegrau, and principal dancer Ma Cong and soloist Ashley Blade-Martin from Going for Baroque. Photo Credit: Christopher Jean-Richard.

"I've performed probably 300 concerti," says Pansegrau, "and 95 percent have been on Yamaha pianos. I trust Yamahas because I know they'll deliver the sound I'm looking for. Their action is consistent and they're a pleasure to play. Yamaha pianos are near and dear to my heart. They've never failed me."

"Live music is so important in ballet classes," she adds, noting the company's 38,000 square-foot building in midtown Tulsa houses three huge state-of-the-art dance studios. "Students learn faster and instructors teach more effectively. These days, we're not exposed to enough live music. A dancer who has great technique without musicality will not go as far as one with a highly developed sensitivity to music. I teach pianists from Tulsa University, and playing for ballet classes can be a huge asset for a pianist considering a career as a ballet accompanist."

When she's not gracing a Yamaha piano as pictured here, principal Daniella Buson of the Tulsa Ballet dances to its tune. Photo Credit: Christopher Jean-Richard.

This summer, Tulsa Ballet hosts the eighth year of "Pointe to the Future," offering serious U.S. ballet students, ages 9 and up, the opportunity to train with one of the world's best ballet companies. Youngsters audition to attend the three-week intensive workshop at Tulsa Ballet Studios and, once accepted, will learn from professionals of international status in the fields of classical ballet, pointe, character and jazz. In August, the new Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education opened, offering comprehensive, multi-disciplinary programs in all facets of the art form, including classes in ballet technique and special seminars on jazz, contemporary and character dance; dance history; stage makeup; and costuming.

Tulsa Ballet performed at the 2002 Sintra Ballet Festival in Portugal, one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe. For details about their current season, which runs August 3, 2003 through April 2004, visit www.tulsaballet.org.

For more information on the Yamaha Pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com.