The Director

Cynthia McCranie brings a wealth of professional experience and teaching expertise spanning 27 years to the directorship of the Smyrna School of Ballet. Miss McCranie studied dance at North Carolina School of the Arts and earned her B.A. in Dance from Birmingham-Southern College under the tutelage of internationally renowned ballerinas Dame Sonia Arova and Mira Popovich.

Upon graduation, she joined the Savannah Ballet where she also taught in the school, under the directorship of American Ballet Theatre's ballerina, Karena Brock. There she performed in the celebrated "Nutcracker" the roles of Spanish, Chinese, Waltz of the Flowers, and Snow in addition to acting roles in the first act.

Her favorite performances while a member of Savannah Ballet include the quintessential classics "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty,". She continued her professional performing and teaching career with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Company, touring the Southeast and performing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She directed and owned LaGrange Ballet Theatre School and Company where she choreographed extensively, taught college level dance classes and directed sold-out productions of the full-length Nutcracker. Denise Reeves, director of the Georgia Ballet School, invited her to join the faculty of The Georgia Ballet where Iris Hensley encouraged her to continue performing in their productions of "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Nutcracker," and Balanchine's "Serenade" to name a few. Miss McCranie's gift for teaching the joy of ballet along with an excellent technical foundation has encouraged her students at the Atlanta Ballet, International Ballet Rotaru, Dan and Company in Dunwoody, and numerous other studios in the Atlanta metro area to attain success in their future endeavors.

Former students have realized their dreams and talents by earning college degrees in dance, becoming professional dancers, teachers, choreographers and studio directors across the nation, passing along the tradition of excellence in training.