Atlanta Festival Ballet

Passion - Preparation - Performance

The Company

Atlanta Festival Ballet, began as the vision of Co-Artistic Director Gregory Aaron and made its debut on November 4th 1989, in a full length performance of Cinderella. The Company is comprised of ten professional dancers and student apprentices who have dedicated themselves to the discipline of dance performance. Mr. Aaron has skillfully guided the Company towards excellence through his creative, exciting and imaginative choreography. In 1994, the Company welcomed Nicolas Pacaña as Co-Artistic Director. Mr. Pacaña has already set many exciting pieces on the Company.

Atlanta Festival Ballet now produces two full-length ballets each season, including an annual performance of The Nutcracker and major productions such as Coppelia, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. In addition, the Company maintains a demanding repertoire which includes Paquita, Eagle's Path, Eclipse, Woman of Crystals and Hold On. Other original works and classical pas de deux. The 1998-99 season includes an exciting new venture for the company touring to Macon and Rome Georgia with Nicolas Pacaña's Beauty and the Beast.

In keeping with the Company's dance preparation and performance goals, student apprentices are exposed to dancing and training experiences with professionals as often as possible. Each major production has been highlighted with performances by such guest artist as Nicolas Pacaña, former Principal Dancer with the Atlanta Ballet and Lorita Travaglia, formerly with International Ballet Rotaru. Gregory Aaron holds excellent professional credentials, having studied with some of the best American Choreographers while dancing in five major ballet companies. In addition, inspirational instructors lend balance to the performance schedule with a strong technical training program for students.

As representatives of the Southern Crescent, Atlanta Festival Ballet has traveled throughout the region, performing at festivals and in programs which heighten public awareness for the arts. In January 1993, the Company presented an evening of ballet excerpts for Arts Clayton's Winter Arts Series and also became a member of the Southern Regional Ballet Association (SERBA). In 1994, the Company was selected to close SERBA's annual festival at the Gala Evening in a performance of Nicolas Pacaña's original ballet Paginini. Annual performances at Festival of Trees, Historic Jonesboro Festival and Festival of Life Aids Benefit have been among his credits, as well as the annual Southern Crescent Celebration at Clayton College and State University.

Atlanta Festival Ballet intends to continue its quest to offer the finest training and performance opportunities for young student dancers. The Company motto, Passion - Preparation - Performance, has been taken to heart by all members as they dance their dreams into reality.

 

Mission Statement

Atlanta Festival Ballet's primary goal is to bring quality ballet to the Southern Crescent, including Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Spalding and Rockdale Counties, in order to educate our young people in the enjoyment and appreciation of the arts and to enthuse the community at large in the passion of ballet. We strive to create an atmosphere of acceptance and appreciation for dance performance where such may not yet be cultivated and to further the growth of the arts through the development of a receptive audience sensitive to the importance of all artistic undertakings. A professional ballet company complimented by student apprentices, Atlanta Festival Ballet also endeavors to provide an opportunity to area young people to participate in a high caliber, professionally oriented ballet program with an emphasis on performance.

In conjunction with our mission and due to the adverse economic factors which prevail in our southern metropolitan area, we are directing our efforts toward securing enough annual funding to provide in-school performances for our area school children without charge.

 

Achievement

In-School Performances

We accomplish our goals during the year by mounting two full-length ballet productions and other various repertory presentations for the general public as well as for the public school children. Since 1991, we have brought area schoolchildren to in-school performances to our annual classic The Nutcracker. In February 1996, we were at last able to secure a performance date early enough in the year to be able to provide in-school performance of our production Alice in Wonderland. Portions of some in-school performances have been underwritten by Atlanta Festival Ballet or granted by area businesses or arts organizations. Our 1995 in-school performances of The Nutcracker were performed 3900 students, including 1200 who were able to attend without charge due to a grant from Clayton County Community Foundation. The program targeted fourth grade students in Clayton County and was also available to students with special needs, such as physical disabilities, autism and other developmental disabilities. In addition, children from surrounding county schools ere included. In February, 1400 children saw our in-school performance of Alice in Wonderland, including 650 who were able to attend free of charge through a grant from Arts Clayton, as part of the Grassroots Program of the Georgia Arts Council. We feel that our in-school program has become a rewarding, exciting method to provide arts education and awareness for the young people in our area. The opportunity to experience a ballet production would probably never occur for most of this children without this program.

In December 1998 Atlanta Festival Ballet premiered The Nutcracker at the Henry County Performing Arts Center in McDonough to record audiences and a sold out school performance sponsored in part by our new partnership with the Henry County School System.

Photo Credits by Keiko Guest