    overview

    faculty

    registration

    class schedule

    c lass descriptions

   encore, encore

    open adult program

    summerdance 2010

    school policies

    school calendar

    annual fund

    photos

    recital 2010

   inspiring insights

    birthday parties

faculty

Gina Hyatt-Mazon

Gina Hyatt-Mazon, Artistic Director
Former Principal Artist, Hamburg Ballet
Gina Hyatt-Mazon began her ballet training in Berlin and Munich, Germany. In 1981, Ms. Hyatt-Mazon won the gold medal in the German National Competition, and in 1982, the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.

Ms. Hyatt-Mazon joined the Hamburg Ballet in 1982 and was a principal dancer from 1986 to 1997. She worked closely with choreographer John Neumeier, creating the lead roles in many of his ballets such as Othello, A Cinderella Story, Peer Gynt, and Undine, and she has danced much of the classical repertoire including Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and The Nutcracker.

Ms. Hyatt-Mazon has staged most Georgia Ballet productions, such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Serenade, Coppelia, Giselle, and the contemporary Going Bach. She was The Georgia Ballet's Ballet Mistress under the direction of Iris Hensley from 1997 until her appointment as Artistic Director in August 2003. Ms. Hyatt-Mazon has worked extensively as a guest teacher and coach in addition to teaching for the Georgia Governor's Honors program.

Michele Ziemann-DeVos, Executive Director & School Director
Ms. Ziemann-DeVos was appointed Executive Director of The Georgia Ballet in August of 2003. A former professional dancer, Ms. Ziemann-DeVos has an extensive background in business and has experience in management, accounting, sales, and marketing.

She has taught ballet to students for sixteen years, and she has served as the director of The Georgia Ballet School since 1996. Under her direction, the school has grown considerably in size and revenue. Additionally, Ms. Ziemann-DeVos inaugerated numerous initiatives relative to structure and curriculum which dramatically strengthened the school artistically.

Ms. Ziemann-DeVos was born and raised in Chicago, IL, attended the University of Cincinnati, and has performed professionally with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Des Moines Ballet, New Haven Ballet, and The Georgia Ballet.

Janusz Mazon, Ballet Master/Choreographer
Former Principal Artist, Hamburg Ballet
Janusz Mazon received his early training in Bytom, Poland and became a soloist dancer with the Bytom State Opera. In 1982, Mr. Mazon won the gold medal in the Professional Ballet Competition of Poland and was named principal dancer with the Warsaw State Opera Company. From 1985 to 1997, Mr. Mazon was a principal dancer with the Hamburg Ballet in Germany, where he danced leading roles in John Neumeier's ballets and such classical ballets as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and South America.

Mr. Mazon joined The Georgia Ballet as Ballet Master in 1997. As a choreographer, he has created several original works for The Georgia Ballet including American Dreamer in 2001, Interruptions in 2005, A Sleepy Hollow Story in 2006, and The Firebird in 2007.

Mr. Mazon graduated with honors from Life University, and in addition to training Georgia Ballet professional dancers and students, he operates his own chiropractic practice, Mazon Chiropractic, in Marietta.

Lynne Brague

Lynne Brague, a native of Marietta, Georgia, began her dance training with Iris Hensley, founder of The Georgia Ballet. Ms. Brague has extensive performance experience in ballet, modern, jazz and musical theater. Her professional performance credits include Carl Ratcliff Dance Theatre, Alliance Theater of Atlanta, Royal Viking Cruise Line, Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company, Southern Dance Consort of Nevada, and The Georgia Ballet, among others. A respected dance educator and choreographer in modern and ballet, Ms. Bragues twenty-year teaching career includes serving for six years as the dance department chair for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program, and educational consulting, teaching and choreographic work for the Westminster Schools, Woodward Academy, Pebblebrook High School, the School of the Atlanta Ballet, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, and Dance Arts of Valdosta. Ms. Brague’s choreography has been seen on the stages of many regional dance festivals, performing arts magnet schools, and Valdosta State University.

Kirsten Edmunds

Kirsten Edmunds has been teaching ballet in the Atlanta area for twelve years. She has trained with North Carolina Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet’s Center for Dance Education, North Carolina School of the Arts and American Ballet Theatre. Kirsten danced two seasons with The Georgia Ballet’s professional company. Ms Edmunds is also a kindergarten teacher in the Cobb County School District.

Rebecca Geiger

Rebecca Geiger was first introduced to the art of ballet in Colombia, South America, where she spent the first fourteen years of her life. Upon returning to the United States, she moved to Pennsylvania and began serious ballet training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Her love of dance led her to pursue an academic dance education after graduating from high school, and Rebecca earned her B.A. in Dance from Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi in 2005. Since graduating, Rebecca has been teaching ballet, pointe, and conditioning to beginning through advanced students in Pennsylvania as well as teaching five-year-olds in a preschool setting. She recently moved to Georgia to pursue a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling. She plans ultimately to use her expertise in dance and the arts in a community development setting. Her recent projects include performance and research in Thailand, Cambodia and Australia.

Elizabeth Hensley-Glenn

Elizabeth Hensley-Glenn has been teaching at the GAB for 9 years. She currently teaches ballet and pointe, but has also taught pre-ballet, jazz and tap in previous years. Elizabeth started her training at the age of 14 at Connecticut's Nutmeg Ballet. She then was accepted into The School of the Hartford Ballet's pre-professional division where she trained with Gabrielle Gunthard, Truman Finney, Maria Youskevitch, and Ann Dubrowsky. Elizabeth received a BA in Dance (pedagogy concentration) from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. After graduation, Elizabeth joined The Georgia Ballet's professional company. She danced for three seasons with GAB and performed in Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, Where The Wild Things Are, La Bayadere, American Dreamer, Going Bach, and The Nutcracker. She danced such principal roles as Myrthe in Giselle, Lead Arabian in The Nutcracker, Allegro Brilliante, and Russian Girl in Serenade. Elizabeth now lives in Marietta with her husband and two children.

Barbara Hancock

Barbara was awarded a scholarship by the Fine Arts Foundation which launched her career in New York City. As a soloist for the Harkness Ballet, she danced at the White House and as a guest with the Washington Ballet. Later she expanded her performing skills to Broadway productions. While in New York, she won a five year contract with Warner Brothers Studios. Her first movie, Finian's Rainbow, gave her the cherished honor of dancing with Fred Astaire and she won two Golden Globe nominations. Ms. Hancock has been on the staff at the Alliance Theatre School since 1978 and has performed in many musicals there. Ms. Hancock has taught at The Georgia Ballet, Brenau College, Theatre West in Los Angeles, and the Performing Arts Center.

Kara Hill-Protos, Assistant School Director

Kara Hill-Protos received her BFA from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. She has performed with Southern Ballet Theatre, Dayton Ballet and The Georgia Ballet professional company for eight seasons. She has taught and choreographed for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program, The Georgia Ballet’s Momentum Program, the Dance 101 Arts in Education Program and the Walker School spring play. Ms. Hill-Protos also teaches and adjudicates for the Dance Olympus/Dance America organization.

Krysten Hill

Krysten, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music, has been teaching throughout the Atlanta area for several years. She has trained at the schools of Milwaukee Ballet and, Joffrey Ballet and the Paul Taylor School. Krysten is the Director of Dance for Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program in Valdosta, GA. She has taught and choreographed for the Momentum Program at Sawyer Road Elementary and the Walker School spring play. Ms. Hill also teaches for the nationally recognized Dance Olympus/Dance America organization. Krysten has performed with The Georgia Ballet professional company for four seasons.

Jennifer Inman

Jennifer joined the faculty of The Georgia Ballet School in 1997, and performed with The Georgia Ballet professional company under Iris Hensley. She began her intensive ballet training at Ballet Hysell School, the affiliate school of the New Orleans Ballet, where her teachers included Vincenzo Celli and Barbara Forbes. She continued her training at Giacobbe Academy of Dance in New Orleans and later at The Boston School of Ballet, both in the summer program and as a year-round student. In Atlanta she studied at Terpsichore Dance Expressions and The Georgia Ballet. She has a B.A. in American History and French from Washington and Lee University.

Zayani Mandigo

Zayani's dance career launched when she began studying dance at the University of Kansas where she earned two internships with Avlin Ailey’s Ailey Camp. Her dance credits include Cinderella, West Side Story, The Nutcracker, Ethos Dance Company, and La Danse Elite Dance Company. Zayani was also a featured dancer at Kansas City’s “18^th & Vine Celebration and Reunion” and “Duke Ellington’s 100^th Birthday Celebration”. She choreographed the 1997 Teach For America Summer Institute Closing Ceremony and the 2003 Class Act Productions Final Performance. Zayani has earned two Top Teacher awards and several Best Choreography awards for modern and jazz at national dance competitions. Zayani has been teaching dance since 1994 and plans to continue sharing her passion for dance for many years to come.

Erin-Elizabeth Watts

Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, Erin-Elizabeth began her ballet studies at The Virginia Ballet under the direction of the late Oleg and Tania Tupine. She has attended many summer programs including Pennsylvania Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Richmond Ballet. Upon graduating high school she joined Southern Ballet Theatre’s professional company in Orlando, Florida. During her two years with Southern Ballet Theatre she began teaching in their resident school. Since joining the teaching staff of The Georgia Ballet in the fall of 2002, Erin-Elizabeth has specialized in teaching the youngest students of the school, those ranging in age from 2-7. For the past two years she has directed the Pre-Ballet Recital in addition to teaching ballet, tap and jazz in the Upper School. Erin-Elizabeth has also taught for the Momentum program at Sawyer Road Elementary School and has choreographed for the Walker School spring play.