Ozark
Ballet
Theater
About Ozark Ballet Theater
Katie Stasse and David Sanders moved to Northwest Arkansas in July 2020 with a toddler, a vision, and not much else. They came looking for a community where they could build something that didn't exist here yet: a nonprofit classical ballet academy with professional-caliber training, real performance opportunities, and no financial barriers to entry. They found that community, and then some.
OBT now trains 90 students in Bentonville, 30% on full scholarship, six days a week. Our students come from around the world and from every part of the economic spectrum. Some of our earliest students have already graduated and been accepted on scholarship to prestigious dance programs nationwide. Since our debut in Spring 2022, we have more than doubled the number of classical ballet productions in the region, reaching thousands.
Our training is rooted in the Vaganova method, the same system behind the Bolshoi and Mariinsky, passed down through Katie's own teachers at the Kyiv National Opera. Students here don't just learn steps. They learn from a direct lineage of classical technique that most families would have to leave the state to access. We pair that foundation with guest master classes from working professionals, giving our dancers exposure to the broader ballet world without leaving home.
We also believe the professional dance industry should pay better. OBT provides free continued training for post-high school dancers, free outreach performances across the region, and above-market contracts for every professional artist we bring in. When you buy a ticket or make a donation, that's where it goes.
Ozark Ballet Theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Leadership
Katie Stasse
Artistic Director
School Principal
Katie Stasse has spent over 20 years shaping professional ballet dancers through the Vaganova method. Before founding OBT, she helped built the training program at the School of Russian Ballet Alafaya in Orlando, where her students went on to professional careers. She trained under Vadim Fedotov and Irina Depler, both principal dancers of the Kyiv National Opera, and performed as a principal dancer with the Fedotov Ballet, Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet, and Contemporary Ballet Dallas. She brings direct-lineage Vaganova training to Northwest Arkansas that would typically require relocating to a major metro.
David Sanders
Executive Director
Advanced Ballet Instructor
David trained at North Central Ballet in Fort Worth before studying dance at the University of Arizona and joining State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara as an apprentice. After a 12-year career as a freelance performer and educator, he and Katie moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2020 to build OBT from the ground up. He manages the organization's operations, production planning, and marketing while teaching advanced ballet classes alongside Katie.
Guest Faculty and Principal Artists
Emily Bromberg
Guest Teacher
Principal Guest Artist
Emily spent 11 years as a Principal Soloist with Miami City Ballet after training at the Kirov Academy and Boston Ballet. She has danced principal roles with Festival Ballet Providence, Colorado Ballet, Slovak National Theatre, and Ballet de Barcelona, and currently performs with Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami. Her teaching credits include the Joffrey Ballet School, Miami City Ballet, and studios across Europe and Japan. Emily joins OBT as both a guest instructor and as Odette/Odile in our upcoming production of Swan Lake.
Douglas Horne
Guest Teacher
Principal Guest Artist
Douglas trained on full scholarship at American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, and Studio Maestro in New York. A Bronze Medalist at the World Ballet Competition and finalist at the New York International Ballet Competition, he also reached the semi-finals at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, and won Gold at the Youth America Grand Prix. He danced leading roles with Orlando Ballet from 2009 to 2013 including Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, and Cinderella, and has taught men's technique and partnering as Assistant Director of Ballet Studies at The Center for Contemporary Dance.
