Since 1984, Marjorie Kovich, Artistic Director, has led the Norman Ballet Company through many public performances that have not only delighted audiences but also provided many young dancers with invaluable performance training.

While growing up in Dallas, Marjorie began ballet training at the age of 5. Ballet became a second home to Marjorie, and she immediately took to the art.

During these formative years, Marjorie gained more training as she participated in various civic dance groups. Later, she used this rewarding experience as a foundation for her efforts to provide realistic and positive experiences for young dancers in Norman.

Marjorie continued to pursue ballet and received her BFA and MFA from the University of Oklahoma in Ballet Performance where she trained under Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekov. She performed with Ballet Oklahoma from 1976 to 1981 in such roles as Snow Queen in Nutcracker, Myrtha in Giselle, the title role in The Firebird, The White Swan pas de deux, and other principal roles.

Starting in 1972, Marjorie began training young students in Norman with the opening of the Marjorie Kovich School of Dance. Students from her dance studio have been accepted for advanced study at such places like the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Harid Academy. Her students have also received degrees in dance from the University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, University of Utah and Indiana University.

In 1982, Marjorie’s dance studio did a public production of Sleeping Beauty. With over 60 dancers involved, the success of this production lead to the incorporation of the Norman Ballet Company.

Now more than twenty years since the NBC‘s inception, hundreds of students later, and through thousands of people who have attended one of the company’s many performances, Marjorie attributes the success of the company to the support that the community has provided--from businesses who provide financial support, to individual volunteers who serve on the board of directors and various committees, to parents who support their children through hours of rehearsal, and all who see the potential in each new class of students, and are willing to put the time and money into the vision and efforts of the Norman Ballet Company.