John McFall

For the past sixteen years, John McFall has cultivated Atlanta Ballet's artistic vision into one of the country's premiere 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 on-stage partnerships with the Indigo Girls, the Red Clay Ramblers, The Michael O'Neal Singers, and most recently with Big Boi of OutKast. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, John began his ballet studies at the Conservatory of Music with Tatiana Dokoudovska. In the fall of 1964, he accepted a Ford Foundation scholarship with the San Francisco Ballet School; in the following year, the became a member of the San Francisco Ballet, performing under the direction of Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin; and by 1969, John had risen to prominence as a dancer and became a principal. John is also recognized in the field for his choreography and has created works for a variety of companies across the country, including National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, San Francisco Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Company. He has also created choreography for such notable artists as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Cynthia Gregory. 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. Not only does the Centre train superb professional dancers - many of whom have joined the company - but it also provides outreach opportunities to enrich the lives of thousands of young dancers and dance enthusiasts throughout metro Atlanta. John has received three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships - in 1978, 1980, and 1985, and was recently named in the Atlanta Business Chronicle's 2010 Who's Who edition for excellence in Arts & Entertainment. John continues to build a distinct place for Atlanta Ballet in the dance world through his dedication to developing signature works and pursuing innovative collaborations with top artists and choregraphers.

John McFall's repertory for Atlanta Ballet:

Peter Pan
Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker
Requiem and this too shall pass
Prisma
Precipice
The Great Attractor
Stella
Jupiter
Swan Lake
Giselle
Sleeping Beauty
The Great Gatsby
Don Quixote
Firebird
Cinderella

John McFall. Atlanta Ballet 07-08 Company. Photos by Charlie McCullers