Miguel terekhov biography

American ballet dancer and ballet instructor

Miguel Terekhov (August 22, 1928 – January 3, 2012) was a Uruguayan-born American ballet dancer and ballet instructor.

Terekhov and his wife, Yvonne Chouteau, one of the Five Moons, a group of Native American ballet dancers, founded the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma in 1961.^[1]

Early life

Terekhov was born on August 22, 1928, in Montevideo, Uruguay.^[1] His mother, Antonia Rodriguez, was a Charrúa Indian, a people indigenous to Uruguay and southern Brazil.^[1] His father, Mikhail Terekhov, a former dancer, immigrated to Uruguay from Ukraine.^[1] At the age of 8 or 10 Miguel Terekhov watched a company perform in his hometown and knew he wanted to perform.^[2] He built up the courage to ask his father if he could take ballet class; this is when he learned that his father was a professional ballet dancer.^[2] Miguel's father taught him the basics