Atlanta Ballet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atlanta Ballet |
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| General information | |
| Name | Atlanta Ballet |
| Year founded | 1929 |
| Founding Artistic Director | Dorothy Alexander |
| Principal venue | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Artistic staff | |
| Artistic Director | Gennadi Nedvigin |
| Resident Choreographers | Claudia Schreier |
| Other | |
| Official school | Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education |
The Atlanta Ballet is a famous ballet company located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the longest continuously performing ballet company in the United States. It is also known as the official State Ballet of Georgia.
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History of Atlanta Ballet
The Atlanta Ballet started in 1929. It was founded by Dorothy Alexander. At first, it was called the Dorothy Alexander Concert Group. In the 1940s, it became the Atlanta Civic Ballet. Dorothy Alexander was still the director. This was the first regional ballet company in the entire country.
In 1946, the company did something special. They were the first ballet company to help fund a symphony. They gave all the money from their yearly shows to the Atlanta Youth Symphony. This symphony later became the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
New Leadership and Growth
In the 1950s, Robert Barnett joined the company. He came from the New York City Ballet. He was a main dancer and assistant director. Mr. Barnett got special permission from George Balanchine. This allowed the Atlanta Civic Ballet to perform Balanchine's famous works. These included The Nutcracker. For many years, Atlanta was the only company outside New York City Ballet to perform these works.
Dorothy Alexander led the company for over 30 years. She chose Robert Barnett to take over. He became the artistic director in 1961. In 1967, the company became a professional ballet company. It was officially named Atlanta Ballet.
In 1994, Robert Barnett retired. John McFall became the new artistic director. The company then started to focus more on dance education. John McFall left the company in September 2015.
In February 2016, Gennadi Nedvigin was announced as the new artistic director. He had been a main dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. Mr. Nedvigin was born in Rostov, Russia. He trained at The Bolshoi Ballet Academy.
Atlanta Ballet Today
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| Dancers | |
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The Atlanta Ballet has 40 professional dancers in its main company. It also has 16 dancers in its second company. Unlike many other ballet companies, Atlanta Ballet does not rank its dancers. This means all company members have an equal chance to dance leading roles.
The regular ballet season runs from September to May. Performances are held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. In spring 2011, the company also performed at the Woodruff Arts Center.
Exciting Performances and Collaborations
The Atlanta Ballet performs many classic story ballets. These include Swan Lake and The Great Gatsby. They have also worked with famous music artists. In 2001, the Indigo Girls performed with them. This was for a new ballet called Shed Your Skin. In 2008, they worked with Antwan "Big Boi" Patton from Outkast. This collaboration was for a new ballet called big.
The company celebrated its 80th anniversary in the 2009–10 season. They also celebrated 50 years of performing The Nutcracker. Recent seasons have featured many different ballets. These include Moulin Rouge: The Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. They also perform modern works like Minus 16 and Camino Real.
Dance Education
In 1996, the Atlanta Ballet opened the Centre for Dance Education. John McFall and Sharon Story led this new school. Today, there are three locations for the school. They are in Virginia-Highlands, Buckhead, and West Midtown Atlanta.
This school is one of the largest accredited dance schools in the country. It teaches students from age two to adults. They learn many types of dance. These include ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, pilates, and flamenco.
Supporting the Ballet's Future
In April 2009, the Robert W. Woodruff foundation gave $1 million to the Atlanta Ballet. This was part of a big fundraising effort. It was called the "Choreographing Our Future" campaign. This campaign aimed to raise $14.8 million. It was the largest fundraising effort in the company's history.
The money helped to renovate and move to a new headquarters. It also helped to expand marketing and development for the ballet. The ballet also received a very large gift of $3 million. This came from the Michael C. and Thalia N. Carlos Foundation. This donation helped buy and renovate the new headquarters.
The new headquarters opened in May 2010. It is named the Michael C. Carlos Dance Centre. The funds from the campaign also help the ballet's long-term financial health. They also support the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra in performances. The new headquarters is a renovated warehouse. It is 5,000 square feet in size.
