Altanta Festival Ballet was founded in 1989 by choreographer Gregory Aaron and internationally renowned danseur Nicolas Pacaña. It is the only professional ballet company in Atlanta's Southern Crescent.

For the past 21 years, Atlanta Festival Ballet has delighted audiences with its holiday classic The Nutcracker. Annual spring productions have included Peter Pan, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid. In addition, repertory concerts have included Carmina Burana, and original works such as An Artist's Life, Sing Sing Sing, Back to the 50's, Outcast, Bella Amore, Symphony in C, Paganini, Spartacus and Tchaikovsky.