Oklahoma City Ballet was founded in 1963 as the Oklahoma City Civic Ballet. Located in the Science and Arts Foundation building on the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds, it was brought together by the foundation's civic ballet committee and chief benefactors, John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick.

The Kirkpatrick Family remains committed to a vibrant and healthy dance community...

The Kirkpatrick's were also instrumental in securing the leadership of the company's first artistic directors, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov. The Kirkpatrick Family remains committed to a vibrant and healthy dance community in Oklahoma City, expressed primarily through support of the Oklahoma City Ballet.