Robert Barnett, Artistic Director Emeritus of the Atlanta Ballet will speak at the Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts 2nd Monday Luncheon on March 10th at 12:00 p.m. The luncheon is held at the GHCA Education Center at 157 Mary Street in Clarkesville and the cost is $25.00. For reservations please call 706-754-5989.

Robert Barnett attended a two-room school through the sixth grade in Conconully, Washington where he began to study tap dance with the ambition of becoming the next Fred Astaire. In 1943, while serving as a volunteer in the Navy, Barnett discovered ballet. From 1946 to 1948 he studied ballet in Los Angeles with Bronislava Nijinska under the GI Bill. David Lichine saw Barnett dance and invited him to join the original Ballet Russe. In December 1949 he was accepted by the New York City Ballet and became a soloist. George Balanchine choreographed the "Candy Cane" dance in The Nutcracker for Barnett.

In 1958 Dorothy Alexander, founder of the Atlanta Ballet, invited him to join the company as a principal dancer. Upon her retirement in 1963, Barnett was named artistic director and introduced many Balanchine masterworks into the repertoire including The Nutcracker. He was also the director of the American ballet dancers in the International Ballet Competition in 1980 in Varna, Bulgaria, and in 1981 in Moscow. After his retirement in 1994, Barnett continued setting ballets and teaching around the world. He and his wife now reside in Asheville, North Carolina. Georgia Heritge Center for the Arts is honored to present the distinguished and personable Mr. Robert Barnett as its guest speaker, and bringing this level of talent to the Northeast Georgia area.