Iris Hensley (1934–2003) founded The Georgia Ballet (originally named the Cobb/Marietta Ballet) in 1960 and served as the Artistic Director until her death in August 2003.
In addition to directing The Georgia Ballet and teaching at The Georgia Ballet School (The Georgia Ballet's associated ballet school),
Mrs. Hensley was the former director and co-chairman for the Board for the Southern Regional Ballet Association, a member of the dance panel for the Georgia Council for the Arts, and a guest instructor for the Governor's Honors Program. She choreographed many ballets throughout her lifetime for both her company dancers and her ballet students. Iris Hensley's ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...
'' is still performed every December by The Georgia Ballet, which is currently directed by Gina Hyatt Mazon,a former principal dancer with John Neumeir's
Hamburg ballet
The Hamburg Ballet is a ballet company based in Hamburg, Germany. Since 1973, it has been directed by the American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier. In addition there is a ballet school, , established in 1978. The performances of the Hamb ...
. Iris Hensley is the mother of
Shuler Hensley
Shuler Paul Hensley (born March 6, 1967) is an American singer and actor.
Early life
Hensley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His father, Sam P. Hensley Jr., is a former Georgia ...
who performs on Broadway and tours professionally. The Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards – The Jimmy Nederlander Awards, are named in Shuler Hensley's honor.
2
Choreography
*''The Nutcracker''
* ''Gershwin Concerto''
* ''Dancing with Denver''
* ''
The Nightingale''
* ''
Carnival of the Animals
''The Carnival of the Animals'' () is a humorous musical suite of 14 movements, including " The Swan", by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. About 25 minutes in duration, it was written for private performance by two pianos and chamber ...
''
* ''
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
''I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944'' is a collection of works of art and poetry by Jewish children who lived in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. They were created at ...
'' performed in 1977 throughout the Abruzzi Region of Italy as part of a cultural arts exchange program. Performing Members of Iris' school of ballet included Sharon Hildreth,
Sheila Willis Hart (Kleiman). Other artistic choreographers on the tour included J Michael Kane. Kane choreographed selections from ''I Never Saw Another Butterfly'' as well as an original work, ''Somewhere in Silence'', wihich featured Hensley's Assistant Director and soloist dancer: Sheila Willis Hart (Kleiman). Other groups which performed on the tour were the Albany Jazz Quartet, The
Atlanta Boy Choir
The Atlanta Boy Choir is a renowned choral group for boys and men in Atlanta, Georgia. The choir, as it is known today, was founded in 1959 by Maestro Fletcher Wolfe and his wife Roberta Kahne Wolfe. The choir is an ambassador internationally, p ...
, The
Atlanta Opera
The Atlanta Opera is an opera company located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1979, it produces mainstage opera productions and arts education programs for Metropolitan Atlanta and the Southeast.
In 2007, The Atlanta Opera moved int ...
Society and many other collaborative arts groups.
* ''The Adventures of Mary Poppins''
* ''
Five Guys Named Moe
''Five Guys Named Moe'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book by Clarke Peters and lyrics and music by Louis Jordan and others. The musical is based on an earlier musical short of the same name by Louis Jordan from 1943. It had its UK debu ...
''
*''The Seven Last Words of Christ''
*''Fantasy Variations''
*''Scottish Suites''(included authentic sword dancing).
Awards
* Lillian Bennet Sullivan Award – for her work in inaugurating the Performing Arts package for thousands of Cobb County school children
References
External links
Georgia Ballet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensley, Iris
American choreographers
People from Cobb County, Georgia
Dance education in the United States
1934 births
2003 deaths