Our Talented Team

Originally from San Jose California, Zachary began dancing in high school with South Bay Dance Center under Kit Ashleigh Dean and Anton Pankevich. He then went on to work with Ballet San Jose under the direction of Jose Carreño and Daliah Rawson as a trainee. In search to further his training he moved to Florida to train for five years with Magaly Suarez and Ibis Montoto at The Art of Classical Ballet. From there he went on to BalletMets second company for one season under the direction of Edward Liang before joining Atlanta Ballets Corp De Ballet for three seasons. Zachary is now a Principal Artist in his second season with The Georgia Ballet.

Shelby Chaney began her ballet training at age nine in Auburn, Alabama under Carol Smith and Angie White. Her passion for dance grew through summer intensives with Montgomery Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, International Ballet Intensive, and the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet in New York City. After her summer at GKA, she was invited to join their year-round program, spending three years training under Gelsey Kirkland and other renowned ballet masters. Shelby has been a company member with Georgia Ballet since 2017 and is currently celebrating her ninth season. Some of her favorite roles include Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Carmen in Carmen, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shelby is grateful to continue sharing her love of ballet with audiences each season at Georgia Ballet.

A native of Syracuse, NY, Mary began her ballet training under Kathleen Rathbun at Ballet and Dance of Upstate New York. At 16, she was accepted into The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, where she trained intensively for two years. In 2017, she continued her studies at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, working with renowned instructors Ariel Serrano, Wilmian Hernandez, Delia Ballart, Tania Vergara Perez, as well as Ana Julia Bermudez and Ramona De Saa of the Cuban National Ballet School. Mary has participated in prestigious summer intensives, including The Chautauqua Institution of Dance, BalletMet, and The Bolshoi Ballet Academy. From 2022 to 2024, she was a company artist with Syracuse City Ballet, and in August 2024, she joined The Georgia Ballet. Mary is honored to continue her artistic journey with The Georgia Ballet and to share her passion for dance with audiences throughout the Atlanta community.

Ephraim began his formal dance training at age eight alongside his brothers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As a member of the local youth ballet, he performed roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Coppélia. In 2015, he placed third at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition and was invited to compete in the New York Finals. He later competed at the 2018 World Ballet Competition, performing variations from Coppélia, Swan Lake, and Flower Festival, earning fifth place overall in the Pre-Professional Category. Ephraim has trained with Nashville Ballet and Kansas City Ballet and attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. At 17, he continued his training with Atlanta Ballet and performed for two seasons with Atlanta Ballet II. He is currently a company member with The Georgia Ballet. Recent roles include the Prince in Cinderella; Nutcracker Prince and Cavalier in The Nutcracker; Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Brom and Ichabod in Sleepy Hollow; the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland; and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.