This Year’s Event Highlights the Legacy of Yvonne Chouteau (Shawnee)

The weekend of August 24-25, the University of Oklahoma School of Dance will host its third dance festival honoring the renowned Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma, known as the Five Moons. Events will be held at the University of Oklahoma Norman campus and First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. This year’s festival, presented in partnership with the Shawnee Tribe, will highlight OU School of Dance founder Yvonne Chouteau and celebrate her artistic legacy and Shawnee heritage. (Jump to event schedule)

The five ballerinas—Yvonne Chouteau (Shawnee), Rosella Hightower (Choctaw), Moscelyne Larkin (Eastern Shawnee/Peoria), Maria Tallchief (Osage) and Marjorie Tallchief (Osage)—each led trailblazing careers in the dance world during the 20th century.

The schedule boasts a full line-up of educational, cultural, and social events on Saturday, August 24, in Norman and Oklahoma City, including an art market, panel discussions, and stomp dance. The festival will culminate in a special dance performance on Sunday, August 25, in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center at the University of Oklahoma.

The Sunday matinee program features performing groups such as American Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and students from the OU School of Dance. Elisa Harkins (Cherokee/Muscogee) is this year’s featured artist and composer, performing an excerpt from her celebrated evening-length work Radio III.

Events on Saturday, August 24, are free and open to the public. Tickets for the performance on Sunday, August 25, will go on sale Monday, July 8, through the OU Fine Arts Box Office.

The Shawnee Tribe will offer charter bus travel on both days of the festival, with departures from Miami and Tulsa. Overnight lodging in Norman, OK, is also available. All accommodations are first come, first served. Complete details and registration info are available here.

View the full festival schedule below (tap/click to open in new tab). Contact: fivemoons@shawnee-tribe.com.