Photo taken at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center
The Columbia County Ballet,
was formed in 1985 to bring something new in dance as a performing art to the children in Augusta, Georgia. Our studios are located on a beautiful sprawling acre and a half in the Martinez/Evans area.
Owners
Ron & Kathleen Jones,
met while Ron was dancing as the principal dancer with the Atlanta Ballet. Kathleen was the new Public Relations Director and brought a welcome sense of enthusiasm to the company. Ron and Kathleen married and relocated to the Pittsburgh Ballet where Ron had secured a position as soloist. When they discovered they were expecting their first child they chose Augusta as their home to begin their family. The Ron Jones Academy of Ballet (now Columbia County Ballet) was opened in 1985 and the non-profit performing company was chartered in 1990. Today, the Columbia County Ballet celebrates over 35 years of artistic enrichment to the community.
More about our founders
Click here for more on Ron
Some of my earliest memories as a child growing up in Hawaii were from watching Ed Sullivan’s Variety Show on Sunday evenings with my family. Often the show would feature a couple from the New York City Ballet, Edward Villela and Patricia McBride. When Villela partnered McBride it was beautiful. I wanted to do that.
My family of 9 emigrated to the mainland and finally settled in Michigan. I attended a Magnet School and majored in Performing Arts. Instead of gym I was required to take modern dance. A fellow student asked what ballet school I danced with.. When I told her I had never had a ballet class she was surprised and encouraged me to try the Severo School of Ballet.
Bobby Barnett from Atlanta Ballet visited Severo’s as a Guest Instructor and set one of Ballanchine’s most famous ballets on our company, Serenade. He cast me as the male lead. When Mr Barnett returned to Atlanta, he invited me to join his professional company. That became the beginning of a very satisfying career for me.
I met my wife Kathleen several years later. We married then left Atlanta for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Atlanta Ballet’s touring schedule kept me traveling on the road and away from my bride and our new home. We were happy in Pittsburgh but had come to love Georgia. We chose Augusta to return and start our family.
In 1985 we opened what is now called the Columbia County Ballet School. Five years later we added a performing company, now called Augusta Ballet. The company today presents 3 major productions each season. This season will be Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Narnia.
Click here for more on Kathleen
I was born in Oklahoma. My father, a traveling sales rep, let us join him in his travels during the summers. My brother and I loved visiting different states and museums. My favorite place to live was Colorado. That also was the place I became a cheer leader.
In high school we moved to Texas and I became the President of the Permian Panthers Pep Squad (Friday Night Lights), and Basketball Sweetheart. I loved being around people and the excitement of winning. Permian High held State Championships in football, basketball, and baseball.
I attended college at Texas Tech University where I minored in dance. I had a roommate who loved to travel. When we graduated she and I set off for Europe. Paris, Italy and Greece are among my favorite memories from there. We also visited Lebanon and Egypt. I found these fascinating. We returned home to the states to regroup then on to South America. After a year of travel we returned to Florida.
I began working at a health spa as an Exercise Instructor. One day the Spa burned to the ground. We heard good reports of Atlanta so we made the move. I interviewed for two interesting jobs, one to train birds in a zoo and one to work for the ballet. I chose ballet over birds. That’s where I met my husband, Ron. We became friends over coffee and conversation. One day he proposed and I accepted.
When we were expecting our first child we chose Augusta as an ideal place to raise a family. We opened a ballet studio and began to work specifically with children. I oversaw the Pre-Ballet section, ages 3-7, of the training, gently introducing the little ones to ballet. Ron and I choreographed a full length production for our students to perform that first year and presented it in the beautiful Bon Air Ballroom. It was called The Roar of Love (NARNIA). This season we celebrate 40 years of ballet in Augusta and 40 years of NARNIA. We will top the season off with a Gala Performance at the PAC followed by a Banquet at Sacred Heart Cultural Arts Center.