TheAtlanta Festival Ballet Company is composed of ten professional dancers and student apprentices who have dedicated themselves to the discipline ofdance performance. The Company began as the vision of Co-Artistic Director[1] Gregory Aaron, and made its debut on November 4, 1989, in a full length performance ofCinderella. In 1994, the Company welcomed[2] Nicolas Pacaña as Co-Artistic Director. Gregory Aaron does thechoreography.
The Company hosts two major ballet productions a year, including its classic version ofThe Nutcracker.
The Atlanta Festival ballet Company also hosts its own school, the Atlanta Festival Ballet School. Many students from the Atlanta Festival school have been accepted to ballet programs with theAmerican Ballet Theatre, Hartford Ballet,San Francisco Ballet,Houston Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, andJoffrey Ballet. Students have been recipients of scholarships to Boston Ballet, The School of American Ballet, The Rock School, Southern Methodist University, and many other prestigiousclassical ballet training schools and companies.