Studio D School of Dance has taken pride in making its home in the Shuerman Opera House in Downtown Griffin for 25 years.

Built in 1870, it housed Shuerman’s Theatre upstairs.  The theatre was used to present plays until 1894.  The historic building has been renovated to provide one of the largest  and finest facilities for dance in the state.  The ground floor includes two large dance rooms and the second floor ballet room has an 18″ ceiling with a 35″ by 55″ floor space.

Studio D is dedicated to providing the finest in dance education with a professional staff in an atmosphere which encourages growth, development of skills, and self confidence.  In addition, it’s aim is to provide exposure to art, music and theatre which will inspire each student in a growing appreciation of the arts.

MITCH FLANDERS

Artistic Director/Owner

& GRIFFIN BALLET THEATRe’s FOUNDING Artistic Director

Mitch Flanders embarked on his dance journey with initial training at the Atlanta Ballet and secured a scholarship at the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York City. Following his graduation, he received an invitation to grace the stage with the Eglevsky Ballet, led by the esteemed Edward Villella. During his tenure there, Mr. Flanders took on lead roles in numerous Balanchine ballets, including iconic performances in "Serenade," "Four Temperaments," "Allegro Brillante," and "Swan Lake," where he had the privilege of partnering with NYC Ballet principal dancer, Allegra Kent.

Subsequently, Mr. Flanders became an integral part of the Chicago City Ballet (CCB) under the artistic direction of Maria Tallchief. During his time with CCB, he frequently danced alongside the legendary Suzanne Farrell, the prima ballerina of the NYC Ballet. He notably portrayed the prince in Paul Mejia's celebrated full-length rendition of "Cinderella" alongside Ms. Farrell and was prominently featured with her in a PBS "Dance in America" series special titled "Eight By Adler." His time in Chicago also saw him as a featured guest dancer with the Lyric Opera.

Mr. Flanders has further distinguished himself as a principal dancer with the Los Angeles Ballet, gracing stages as a guest artist across the United States alongside luminaries such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland. His international performances took him to illustrious venues in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Geneva, Vienna, and Tunis, Tunisia. He made his mark with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, sharing the spotlight with some of the world's most renowned vocalists, including Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Mirella Freni, and under the direction of leading maestros James Levine and Franco Zeffirelli. His television credits encompass "Live at the Met" featuring the opera "Aida" and the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of "Eugene Onegin."

Mr. Flanders' extensive teaching experience includes roles at The New Jersey Ballet School, New Dance Studio NYC, Providence Ballet, and as a ballet master for The Ballet Rotaru of Atlanta, the Georgia Ballet, and The Rock School. Additionally, he has served as a grant panelist for the Georgia Council for the Arts for three years. For the past remarkable 26 years, he has been the owner of Studio D School of Dance,along with held the esteemed position of Artistic Director at the Griffin Ballet Theatre, and owner of the Festival Dance Camp at the University of Georgia.

In his role as Artistic Director of GBT, he has made a lasting impact by creating and staging numerous full length ballet productions, including "Peter Pan," "Robin Hood," "Coppelia," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Armed Man," "The Love Project," and the perennial favorite, "Nutcracker."  The Griffin Ballet Theatre takes pride in its reputation as one of the foremost professional and pre-professional ballet companies in Georgia.

Under Mr. Flanders' guidance as the owner of Studio D many of his dedicated dancers have achieved admission into esteemed dance institutions such as the American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, The Rock School, Joffrey Ballet, and the Georgia Governor's Honors Scholarship Programs.

Ashley Barnes

BALLEt, POINTe, jazz

EARLY CHILDHOOD DIRECTOR

& griffin ballet theatre’s ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & Ballet Mistress

Ashley, began her training under Mitch Flanders 29 years ago. Demonstrating her dedication and passion for dance, Ashley has been a valued member of The Griffin Ballet Theater for an impressive 25 years. Within the company, she has held various positions including principal dancer and Ballet Mistress. Currently, she holds the role of Artistic Director with Griffin Ballet Theatre which has allowed her the privilege of being involved in the creative side of the company.

In addition to her commitment to The Griffin Ballet Theater, Ashley has dedicated her expertise to teaching for the past eighteen years at Studio D. Her career as a ballet instructor is further demonstrated by her fourteen year tenure as current Director and ballet instructor at Festival Dance, a prestigious program affiliated with UGA. Furthermore, Ashley has greatly contributed to the dance community by serving as an adjudicator for the Georgia Governor's Honors Scholarship Program over the past several years.
Continuing to enhance her dance education, Ashley remains devoted to her studies under the tutelage of Mitch Flanders and various instructors in the Atlanta area. She has had the honor to be a guest artist with several companies, including City Gate, Phyzix Urban Dance Theater, and Lamorris Namari.

Throughout her career, Ashley has had the distinguished honor of dancing the title roles in renowned ballets such as Cinderella, Firebird, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Giselle, and Swanhilda in Coppelia. Notably, she has portrayed iconic characters such as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Wendy in Peter Pan, Sugarplum in Nutcracker, and Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. Ashley has even performed as Peter Pan and in Giselle with Savannah Danse in Savannah, GA.
Beyond her dance career, Ashley has ventured into commercial modeling, music videos and choreography for local churches successfully showcasing her diverse talent to bring artistic vision to life in various settings. Ashley has also collaborated with the drama departments of Spalding and Griffin High School, choreographing for several of their theatrical plays.

Dara Wells

Jazz and TAP Instructor

“Balance & Grace” Yoga Instructor

Dara was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She is trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Hip Hop and Broadway Theatre. Five years of dancing on the performance and competition circuit allowed her to be trained from teachers all over the U.S., as well as, in L.A. and New York as the recipient of studio scholarships and selected to travel with conventions around the country as an assistant. Dara began her professional dance career at the age of sixteen as a member of the Gary Harrison Dance Company in Atlanta, Georgia. She also performed in music videos, industrial shows, dance conventions and was featured in a Superbowl halftime show. A graduate of Northside High School Performing Arts, she was awarded scholarships to Florida State University and Brenau University dance departments. She then went on to travel around the world for seven years performing as a backup dancer for James Brown on the Godfather of Soul Tour. As a dance instructor, Dara offers 25 plus years of experience teaching and choreographing multiple disciplines for the ages of three through adult, recreational, professional and competitive companies, private lessons, studio, high school performing arts programs and college classes around the southeastern part of the United States. She loves all styles of movement and expression which can be seen in her own “style” of choreography which may be best described as fusion. As a teacher, she believes discipline, technique and willingness are what fosters the ability to evolve as an artist. Dara finds joy, inspiration, and connection by sharing her love for personal discovery, awareness, and growth with others. When she is not doing this through dance instruction, she also serves as a certified yoga instructor, recovery empowerment specialist and a wellness coach.

Elise Wright

Musical Theatre Director

Elise began her theatrical training at the age of thirteen in her hometown of Griffin, Georgia. She studied dance and musical theatre at Studio D School of Dance, and she was very active in the local arts community. Elise danced as a company member of the Griffin Ballet Theatre, collaborated with local schools to produce outreach shows and school productions, taught dance and theatrical classes for the community, and was involved as a performer, choreographer, and stage manager for the Main Street Players. She graduated from Spalding High School with honors and the GADoE Fine Arts Diploma Seal in 2018.

Elise graduated as a Summa Cum Laude honors student with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. While in college, Elise was involved in almost all of Lees-McRae's theatrical productions and has received multiple awards for her work.  Elise currently is the middle school drama teacher in Butts county.

Ema Maxedon

Early childhood instructor

Brie Jones

Early childhood instructor & Front Desk

Brie started dancing in January 2014 at Studio D School of Dance. Coming from an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) where she earned a first-degree black belt, the transition to ballet was smooth. In August 2014 Brie became a member of the Griffin Ballet Theatre Company. In 2017 she started training with Ms. Ashley as a teaching assistant and began teaching early childhood dance classes in 2020. She will work with Griffin Ballet Theatre as a teaching assistant during the 2023-2024 season.

Brie has performed in Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Love Project, Ghosts, Peter Pan, and Coppelia throughout her dance career with Griffin Ballet Theatre. In addition to performing, Brie has a wealth of experience assisting the back of the house in the props department and stage management. She has also helped in the theatrical department with Spalding High School as Stage Manager and Props Master with South Pacific and Hairspray along with Griffin High School. As a 2020 Honor graduate from Lamar County High School, Brie is excited to continue working in the local arts community. Brie is currently at Georgia State University pursuing a Global Studies Degree.

Annalise Timmons

TAp instructor

Karen Barner

Front Desk