December 2011 Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre

bios ATLANTA BALLET LEADERSHIP JOHN MCFALL (Artistic Director) For the past 17 years, John McFall has cultivated Atlanta Ballet’s artistic vision into one of the country’s premier dance companies. Led by a strong commitment to imaginative and innovative programming, John continues to push the envelope with inspiring productions and unique collaborations, including onstage partnerships with the Indigo Girls, the Red Clay Ramblers, The Michael O’Neal Singers and, most recently, with Big Boi of the hip hop group OutKast. Since joining Atlanta Ballet as artistic director in 1994, John has choreographed many company favorites, including Don Quixote, Firebird, Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Jupiter, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Additionally, John established the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education in 1996, which has now grown into the sixth-largest dance school in the nation. John has received three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and was recently named in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2010 Who’s Who edition for excellence in Arts & Entertainment.

ARTHUR JACOBUS (Executive Director) Arthur Jacobus enters his third season at Atlanta Ballet. From 1984 through 1993, Jacobus was president of Pacific Northwest Ballet; and from 1993 through 2002, he served as the Executive Director of San Francisco Ballet. Jacobus also has served as CEO/executive director of Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle; president of COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa, Calif.; President of The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Ky.; and President of the Oakland Symphony in Oakland, Calif. He holds masters degrees in Business Administration, Arts Administration and Human Resources Management and has completed management programs at University of Washington and Harvard Business School. Jacobus has served on a number of executive boards in the arts community, including Dance/USA, Washington State Arts Alliance, Northwest Development Officers’ Association, and California Arts Advocates. Throughout his career, Jacobus has remained actively involved in strategy and advocacy in the arts by chairing and sitting on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, becoming a Certified Fundraising Executive, and serving on the steering committee for the Salzburg Seminar to establish a series of international seminars in arts management.

SHARON STORY (Dean of the Centre for Dance Education, Ballet Mistress) Sharon Story is currently in her 17th season with Atlanta Ballet. She joined Atlanta Ballet after a professional dance career that spanned more than 20 years, including tenures with Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet, New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Boston Ballet. In 1996, in addition to her role as ballet mistress, John McFall’s vision and mentorship brought Sharon to her current position as dean of the Centre for Dance Education, which has rapidly grown to one of the largest dance schools in the nation.

She is committed to providing a non-competitive atmosphere and access to dance education that is shaped by the community needs, is innovative, and inspires the commitment and excellence that are the trademarks of Atlanta Ballet. Under Sharon’s direction, the Centre achieved accreditation with National Association of Schools of Dance. Sharon is a member of the Commission on Accreditation for NASD and is delighted to serve on many community and national boards.

Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 19