.....pic1....Atlanta Festival Ballet.....

Co-Artistic Directors Gregory Aaron and Nicolas Pacaña welcome you to our 19th Season!
.
Atlanta Festival Ballet Company and Season

Gregory Aaron

 

Gregory Aaron
aaron2
.
.
Gregory Aaron is the Co-Artistic Director of Atlanta Festival Ballet Company and Atlanta Festival Ballet School.  Since 1990, Mr. Aaron has guided the nonprofit company to its present status, budgeting for two major productions a year.
 

While his primary energies are directed toward choreography and artistic involvement, Mr. Aaron oversees a staff of five as well as various guild committees, ticketing, programs and backstage coordination. His company is made up of professional dancers, complemented by serious student apprentices, who gain valuable experience and superior training in this endeavor. In addition to his regular responsibilities within his schools aaron1and company, he also teaches, choreographs and performs with other area groups. Many of his students have been accepted to or have received scholarships to major ballet programs and schools across the country.
 

Mr. Aaron began his training under one of the Southwest leading choreographers, Susan Francis.  He then went on to study under the founding director of Ballet El Paso at The Universtiy of Texas at El Paso, Ingeborg Heuser.  Both teachers had immense influence on his early training and inspired him to excel in the study of ballet and go on to become a professional dancer.  He was awarded a stipend scholarship to study at the Houston Ballet Academy, where he studied under Ben Stevenson, Clara Cravey, Eve Pettinger and Frederick Stroebel. In 1979, Mr. Aaron joined The Hartford Ballet as an apprentice and soon became a company member. In 1982, E. Virginia Williams invited him to join The Boston Ballet. Mr. Aaron began guest dancing and teaching in 1984. As a principal with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Company, he performed Sal Aiela's Nocturno at the Riverside Church Theatre. In 1986 he was asked to become a member of the Pacific Ballet Theatre (now known as Oregon Ballet Theatre) and was featured as the Nutcracker Prince in James Canfield's production of The Nutcracker. While there he also danced in Just For Fun, Peasant Pas de Deux, Cabacon and world premiere of Mr. Canfield's The Third Stage. aaron3

Highlights of Mr. Aaron career include: Romeo and Juliet with The Hartford Ballet, Nutcracker Prince and Chinese in The Nutcracker, man at the table in the world famous ballet The Green Table, touring France, Milan, Rome, Venice, Naples and Reggio Calabria, Italy, Taormina and Palermo, Sicily, and Broadway's Uris Theatre, dancing with Rudolph Nureyev and The Boston Ballet in Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Giselle.

In 2001 Mr. Aaron was invited to dance, teach, and choreograph for Ballet Center of Cebu Philippines under the director of Madame Fe Sala Villarica.  Subsequently he choreographed the children’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid which was toured to Dumaguete and performed at the prestigious Silliman University,  2003 saw his invitation by Girlie Royeca, to stage and perform The Little Mermaid on the island of Mindanao, touring to Davao City, General Santos, and Cagayan de Oro.   Additionally he was invited to teach at the Cultural Center of the Philippines for Ballet Philippines. In 2005 Mr. Aaron returned to the Phillippines to stage his latest ballet, The Jungle Book. In the fall of that year he staged his highly successful Nutcracker (which has delighted audiences in the Southern Crescent of Atlanta for 18 years) which was performed in Davao City, Tagum City, and General Santos City.

In July of 2006 Mr. Aaron was named as Co-Artistic Director  with Nicolas Pacaña, of Balletcenter Cebu.  Exciting firsts saw the Philippine premiers of  Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, as well as the introduction of The International Summer Series which brought students from all over the Philippines to participate in.  Mr. Aaron divides his time directing Balletcenter Cebu and Atlanta Festival Ballet. 

Gregory Aaron continues to perform, teach, produce, and choreograph a variety of works across the globe.  He has developed not only his distinctive artistic style but also his exceptional ability to prepare and produce outstanding ballet performances, bringing the highest caliber in classical ballet to audiences throughout the world.

Photo Credits by Keiko Guest

 

 

State of the art facility with sprung wood floors
.
© 2008  Atlanta Festival Ballet Web Design and Development.
.