Our History
Kay Sandel, Founder
KAY SANDEL, retired Professor of Dance and Ballet Pedagogy at Oklahoma City University, has taught ballet at OCU since 1995. For over thirty years, Ms. Sandel owned and directed CLASSICAL BALLET SCHOOL, teaching and choreographing for students of all ages. Many of her students have become professional dancers and have been accepted into some of the most prestigious programs in North America. Kay handed over ownership of CBS to her former student, Julie Bierne in 2015.
Ms. Sandel danced professionally with Ruth Page International Ballet of Chicago, Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet, and Ballet Oklahoma. She studied with Roman Jasinski and Moscelyne Larkin, former members of the Original Ballet Russe. She danced for many years as principal dancer at Tulsa Ballet. While still in high school, she danced the role of “Myrtha” with Maria Tallchief as “Giselle.” She was awarded a Ford Foundation scholarship by Frederic Franklin to apprentice and dance with the National Ballet of Washington, D.C., where she also studied with Maria Swoboda and Oleg Turpine.
She has taught at University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Dance Masters Conventions, and Omaha Ballet Association. Ms. Sandel attended National Ballet of Canada’s International Teachers Workshop and has attended many David Howard and Finis Jhung teacher workshops. In addition to choreographing for The American Spirit Dance Company, Ms. Sandel teaches ballet technique, ballet pedagogy, and anatomy and physiology for dancers.