Iris Hensley

Who was Iris Hensley?

Iris Hensley founded The Georgia 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, 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. Mrs. Hensley choreographed many ballets throughout her lifetime for both her company dancers and her ballet students. Iris Hensley's The Nutcracker 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.