Vladimir Kostenko

Vladimir Kostenko (June 11, 1903 – November 7, 1967) was a Ukrainian-born American ballet dancer whose career became closely tied to the original Broadway production of Oklahoma!. Born near Kiev in the Russian Empire, in a region that is now part of Ukraine, Kostenko emigrated to the United States in 1938.

Shortly after arriving in America, Kostenko joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, which was then under the direction of Léonide Massine. While the company was on tour along the American West Coast, he married ballerina Maria Nikolaevna Korjinska in February 1940. Korjinska, a native of Moscow, was born in 1916 and died in 1994.

Kostenko's Broadway debut came in 1943 with the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!, which had opened earlier that year. He assumed the role of Dream Jud on June 1, 1943, following the departure of George Church, who had informed the show's producers well in advance of his intention to leave but had been persuaded to remain through the production's opening. Kostenko held the role for six years on Broadway, and during that extended run he also stepped in to perform the part of Jess and served as supervisor of ballet. His wife Maria joined the Oklahoma! company as well, appearing throughout its entire Broadway run and later as one of the postcard dancers. Following the Broadway engagement, Kostenko reprised the role of Dream Jud in London and in touring productions across the United States.

In the early 1950s, Kostenko became director of the San Francisco Studio of Ballet Art, situated in the city's Castro district, where he trained a number of future performers. He became an American citizen in 1952 and remained in the San Francisco Bay Area for the rest of his life, appearing in demonstration ballet performances at various civic functions. Kostenko died in San Francisco on November 7, 1967, at the age of sixty-four.