Our Mission

The Griffin Ballet Theatre is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the community by developing a deeper appreciation of ballet and other forms of dance. We provide an opportunity for talented young dancers to work and perform in a professional atmosphere, and perform as a company to present high-quality performances to our entire region.

Meet our Artistic Staff

Mitch Flanders

Founding Artistic Director

Ashley V. Barnes

Artistic Director

Mitch Flanders

Founding Artistic Director

Mitch Flanders began his dance journey with the Atlanta Ballet and earned a scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York City. After graduation, he joined the Eglevsky Ballet, performing lead roles in Balanchine ballets such as "Serenade," "Four Temperaments," "Allegro Brillante," and "Swan Lake," partnering with NYC Ballet principal dancer Allegra Kent.

Mr. Flanders then joined the Chicago City Ballet under Maria Tallchief, performing with Suzanne Farrell, including the prince in Paul Mejia's "Cinderella" and in PBS's "Dance in America." He also guest danced with the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

As a principal dancer with the Los Angeles Ballet, he performed across the U.S. and internationally with stars like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland. His career highlights include performances with the Metropolitan Opera alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. His television credits feature "Live at the Met" and the Lyric Opera of Chicago's "Eugene Onegin."

Mr. Flanders has taught at The New Jersey Ballet School, New Dance Studio NYC, Providence Ballet, and served as ballet master for The Ballet Rotaru of Atlanta, the Georgia Ballet, and The Rock School. He was also a grant panelist for the Georgia Council for the Arts.

For the past 26 years, he has been the Artistic Director of Griffin Ballet Theatre and owner of Studio D School of Dance. He directs the Festival Dance Camp at the University of Georgia and has created numerous full-length ballets, including "Peter Pan," "Robin Hood," "Coppelia," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Armed Man," "The Love Project," and "Nutcracker." Under his leadership, many dancers have joined prestigious institutions such as the American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, The Rock School, and Joffrey Ballet.

Ashley V. Barnes

Artistic Director

Ashley hails from Griffin, Georgia, where she began her dance journey at age four under Mitch Flanders. She has taught at Studio D for eighteen years and has been with The Griffin Ballet Theatre for twenty-five years, serving as Ballet Mistress for a decade and Assistant Ballet Mistress for two years prior becoming the Artistic Director. Ashley has also been the Director of at the University of Georgia's Festival Dance Camp and adjudicator for Governors Honors Dance program.

Ashley has continued her dance education with esteemed teachers like Kat Wildish, Patricia Miller, Paulo Manso De Sousa, Finis Jhung, David Howard, David Norwood, Carol Szkutek, and Anne-Sophie Rodriguez. She has contributed to establishing new dance companies, including Phyzix Urban Dance Theater and Lamorris Namari.

On stage, Ashley has portrayed title roles in productions like "Cinderella," "Firebird," "Peter Pan," "Alice in Wonderland," "The Little Mermaid," and "Giselle." Her repertoire includes Swanhilda in "Coppelia," The Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella," Wendy in "Peter Pan," Sugarplum in "Nutcracker," Lilac Fairy, and soloist roles in "Don Quixote." She has also performed in Savannah, Georgia, with the Savannah Danse Company and in Griffin Ballet's productions of “The Love Project”, “The Armed Man”, “A Mother’s Tears”, "Dracula", “Aladdin”, and "The Lion King."

Ashley has ventured into commercial modeling and music videos and served as choreographer and Assistant Director at Oak Hill Baptist Church for seven years. Her dedication to dance and the performing arts continues to inspire.