Dancer Visas: An Ongoing Challenge

Part of my job as the Company Manager is to make sure the dancers all arrive in Tulsa in time to rehearse for the first production. In addition to helping the new dancers find housing, transportation,and showing them around Tulsa, I also make sure their Visas are filed with adequate time to process before the season begins.

Over one thousand dancers from around the world applied for Tulsa Ballet’s 2010-2011 Season. Out of the twelve hand picked by Mr. Angelini to join the company, nine dancers are foreign and coming to dance in America for the first time. Passing the grueling audition is only the first step in the process; the next trial is in front of the United States Citizen and Immigration Services.
In order to be employed by Tulsa Ballet, all of our foreign dancers must attain what is called an 0-1 work Visa. Often referred to as “an Exceptional Artist Visa,” substantial documentation proving that numerous requirements are met must be gathered and submitted to the USCIS in order to qualify. This documentation includes awards and accolades received, reviews, programs from performances of prestige, letters of recommendation and anything else that might demonstrate that the artist has achieved a level prominence in their field only matched by the top percentile. Collecting, translating if necessary and then compiling the evidence is a collective effort of the dancer, attorneys and myself and generally takes a solid month of work. The petition is then sent to the USCIS to review. There is a chance that there might be a denial or a request for additional evidence, but we expect an approval. Granted, very few dancers in the world would qualify, Mr. Angelini only picks the best. Once the Visa is approved the dancer must go for an interview with the consulate in the country the will be departing from. Getting the entire company in Tulsa for the first day of rehearsal can sometimes be a challenge!

The dates of validity of the Visa coincides with our season, so following the final performance the Visa expires and the whole process must be repeated again for the next year. This year we have 18 Artists representing 11 countries on Visas, including The Center for Dance Education’s School Principal, Liudmila Polonskaya.

It's a daunting task - but rewarding when I see the talented dancers on stage.