Our local ‘treasure’
Ballet phenom earns invite for intensive training in NYC
There may come a time when Amy Deck is a name as recognizable in the ballet world as Russian icons Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova, or even Oklahoma Native American Maria Tallchief, America’s first major prima ballerina, and the first Native American (Osage) to hold the prima ballerina rank as the New York City Ballet’s first star.
There may come a time when Amy Deck is a name as recognizable in the ballet world as Russian icons Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova, or even Oklahoman Maria Tallchief, America’s first major prima ballerina, and the first Native American (Osage) to hold the prima ballerina rank as the New York City Ballet’s first star.
When that day arrives, don’t expect Amy’s parents, Michael and Micki, or her Muldrow Activity Center teacher Nicole Jones to be surprised.
“She’s incredibly talented,” Jones says of the 10-year-old fifth grader at Muldrow Middle School who began her dance studies at age 2 (Tallchief started formal lessons at age 3).
“You can have a million kids with potential, but if they don’t have the discipline to push themselves, you can only go 50%. Amy has that — she has so much discipline, drive and determination. And that, paired with the great physique that it takes to do the moves that are necessary to be a ballet dancer, is a teacher’s dream.
“She’s a treasure to be able to teach. I could go on and on about her forever because she’s so wonderful, sweet and kind.”
Jones should be a pretty good judge of talent. She was a professionally trained ballerina from the Detroit area before coming to Sequoyah County, and has taught dance for 26 years from Oklahoma and Louisiana, to Michigan and points between. She’s in her 11th year as owner of the Muldrow Activity Center, where she has 200 students and plenty on a waiting list.
And while Amy has devoted eight years of her young life to dancing — “Dance is her life,” her mom Micki says — she comes by her talent naturally. Micki was a dancer in her native China, where she trained in folk Chinese dancing as well as classical Chinese, which combines ballet with acrobatics.
Amy’s ballet journey is slated to continue this summer in New York City. She has been accepted to the prestigious American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Summer Intensive, after acing her mid-January audition in Dallas.
“It is very exciting, because ABT is one of the best theaters in the world, and to make it there, they only take a [small] percentage of kids each year from each audition,” Micki notes. “When you train with classical [ballet], it takes time, it takes dedication to achieve what you’re looking for. We’re very excited about it.”
And Amy’s dedication to her craft blends well with what she’s already accomplished.
“Being that she had already gone to Chicago and trained there with Joffrey Ballet — one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world — I really do see it as something she is going to do this summer,” Jones says. “I don’t know how everything’s going to pull together, but it’s an opportunity you don’t want to pass up. Just to be able to learn from the greatest in the country is an amazing opportunity.
“American Ballet Theatre is one of the oldest ballet schools in the country, and it is world renowned. It is one of the top ballet schools in the entire world, in addition, obviously, to its professional ballet company. If you consider Russia being the Bolshoi Ballet or the Kirov Ballet, this is America’s ballet company,” Jones explains.
Jones says the goal for ABT is to offer training opportunities to those students who have the physical and mental facilities necessary to become professional dancers. “It is very hand picked and hard to get into, and they take them and raise them up to become the best.
“As a dancer, your resume begins at a really young age,” Jones says. “And so Amy being 10 and being accepted into this program, that goes on her resume, because that shows that somebody that is really well acclaimed views her as having high potential. That’s something you definitely put on your resume.”
So Amy is looking to what awaits her in the Big Apple, “provided she can afford to go,” Jones points out.
“It comes down to the financing of it. Everything nowadays is so much more expensive, so we’re actually working with some different organizations to try to get sponsorships to help her to afford to go, because it’s such a great opportunity.”
Ballet schools have limited scholarships available, which are often awarded to older students deemed to be the most serious ballet students. In considering the financial responsibilities of studying in New York City, Micki says tuition at the school is $1,600, plus the cost of travel and staying in a Manhattan hotel for two weeks.
Among possible funding opportunities for Amy, her family and teacher are exploring the Cherokee Nation — Amy is one-sixteenth Cherokee — and corporate sponsorships.
In pursuing funding opportunities, Amy’s work ethic and accomplishments will surely be highlighted, including:
• Acceptance and training with Joffrey Ballet in Chicago in 2021 at age 8. “She was placed in a level above where they would normally place her,” Jones points out, explaining that Amy had to speak with the school’s director to receive an exemption to train in curriculum that was above her age level. “Not too many ballet companies or schools will take kids that young,” Micki acknowledges.
• Acceptance to the Houston Ballet’s Youth America Grand Prix, which is the world’s largest nonprofit international student ballet competition and scholarship program for ages 9 to 19.
• Recipient of numerous national awards, including last summer in San Antonio
• Training in ballet, contemporary, hip-hop and acrobatics, as well as rehearsals and serving as an assistant helping with Muldrow Activity Center’s younger students — “An easy 10 to 15 hours per week,” Jones reveals. “She’s definitely on an accelerated track.”
• In addition to ballet, Amy is also “a very accomplished pianist who has won state competitions,” Jones says. “She’s really good.”
A busy summer
This summer could be a very busy one for Amy and her family — Micki is a librarian at Muldrow Public Library and Michael is a teacher at Muldrow High School. In addition to Amy’s opportunity to study in New York, Micki and her family are weighing what would be an incredibly expensive trip to southern China. Micki has not been able to travel to China since 2019 before the pandemic, “so it’s pulling at her heartstrings,” Jones says, acknowledging the family dynamics in play. “If she can, she’s going to try to visit China this summer.”
“Every summer we look forward to going back [to China],” Micki says. “But with regulations in air tickets, it is almost like impossible.” Micki says round-trip airline tickets have soared to “almost $10,000 per person” since the pandemic.
“We were hoping we could go back to China this summer, but it may not happen. We probably can only choose one. Of course, we want to go [to New York] if we can.”
Micki is from Guangzhou (known as Canton), China’s fifth most populous city by urban resident population. It’s a sprawling large-port megacity that is the largest in the world with a combined metropolitan population of 66 million. The city is located 75 miles northwest of Hong Kong, and is known for its Avantgarde architecture and its cultural arts opportunities.
Overcoming obstacles
While financial hurdles for Amy must be cleared, Jones notes that the success Muldrow Activity Center’s students enjoy is a win for the performing arts in Sequoyah County.
“In eastern Oklahoma, it is an uphill battle to gain appreciation for the arts. We are still growing into training and helping our parent population understand the value of these classical ballet programs,” Jones says. “Our area is very big into, ‘Oh, wow, they have a back handspring. Now they can be a cheerleader.’ So getting them to appreciate the longevity that it takes to accomplish the simplest, most delicate movement has been an uphill battle.
“But we do have several students that take the same amount of hours that Amy does and work just as equally hard as she does. Every student is different, so it’s hard to compare one to the others. Some may have more physical aptitude, and some may be more flexible, some may be stronger. We just try to find out what their strengths are and help them.”
Jones acknowledges that she is only now allowing herself to verbalize her long-held dreams for a new facility for Muldrow Activity Center.
“We outgrew our building four or five years ago, so we are in the process of fundraising for a new facility so that we can meet the needs of our community. It’s not about wanting a handout, it’s about wanting people to understand the value of it.”
Those interested in sponsoring Amy’s training in New York City or helping fund the performing arts in Muldrow should contact Jones at 918-839-0766 “Anyone that ever wants to donate specifically to a certain cause or to the general cause, for any student or the progression of our facility, is welcome to at any point, and obviously tax write-offs can be given, things like that. This is really the first time I’ve ever verbalized reaching out to the community to help with this.”
Amy Deck with her teacher Nicki Jones. Jones was a professionally trained ballerina from the Detroit area before coming to Sequoyah County. She’s in her 11th year as owner of the Muldrow Activity Center, where she has 200 students and plenty on a waiting list. SUBMITTED PHOTO
