About GBT

Gwinnett Ballet Theatre was the first performing non-profit organizations in Gwinnett County and celebrates over four decades of serving the community with entertainment, outreach, and education. In 2020, Gwinnett Ballet Theatre and Sugarloaf Youth Ballet announced an exciting new partnership that connected the two organizations, creating a premier dance education center and launching a local professional ballet company in Gwinnett County.

Artistic Director

Lori Zamzow-Wire has been passionate about dance since her early childhood. Growing up in Lakeland, Florida, Lori received much of her early training and teaching experience from Florida Dance Theatre. Lori furthered her dance aspirations by attending the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on dance performance.

Lori has performed with several professional dance companies including dancing as a soloist for five years with The Georgia Ballet. In addition, Lori has extensive teaching and choreography experience. Her leadership acumen has allowed her to successfully organize and implement a ballet program at the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA. After several years as Ballet Mistress at Sugarloaf Performing Arts, Lori purchased the studio in 2004. Since then, she has transformed the organization into a well-respected dance training facility that houses Sugarloaf Ballet, a nonprofit performing company. Lori’s compelling vision has produced a very distinct teaching philosophy: “Dance is a great preparation for life. It teaches discipline, balance and concentration. It builds self-esteem, strength and character. Dance instruction is beneficial to all, whether or not they wish to become professional dancers.” Her studio and its programs emphasize preparing the whole person, not just the dancer.

Ballet Mistress
Regine Metayer

Regine Metayer began her dance training in Port-au-Prince (PAP), Haiti at the Haitian-American Academy of Ballet & Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Florida State University.  She has performed with noted Florida dance companies such as the Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theatre, the Borracha Dance Ministry and the Tallahassee Ballet Company.  Her dance education includes Classical Ballet, Horton, Graham, Jazz, Afro-Contemporary, and African-based dance studies.  After graduating from FSU, she relocated to New York City and studied at Ballet Hispanico.   She also danced with the Dance Continuum as a soloist, the Albano Ballet, Ballet NY,  the Brooklyn Ballet Company and the Staten Island Ballet.

She joined Ballethnic Dance Company in East Point, Georgia where she performed for 7 seasons.  She also performed with Collage Dance collective as a Guest dancer in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2010, she performed with World Ballet as a principal dancer under the direction of Henry Hernandez and Dr. Elizabeth Delancy in Tallahassee, Fl. She joined City Gate Dance Theater as a soloist in 2012. Today, Regine is the Artistic Director and founder of Metayer Conservatory for the Arts and Metayer Dance Theatre. She is also the Ballet Mistress of Fusion Dance Company, City Gate Dance Theater and Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. She was one of five national Visiting Fellows in 2017 at the School of American Ballet in NYC; assisting with diversity initiatives.

Our History

Established in 1977 by Lynne Snipes, Gwinnett Ballet Theatre stands as Gwinnett County’s first performing non-profit organization. Rooted in this legacy, its mission is twofold: to provide aspiring dancers with essential training and performance experience for their professional careers, and to enrich the community through entertainment, outreach, and education. This dual dedication underscores Gwinnett Ballet Theatre’s pivotal position, of strengthening our community through embracing the arts. 
 
Over the course of the ensuing two decades, Lynne Snipes orchestrated the evolution of Gwinnett Ballet Theatre into a robust performing company and a distinguished school. Throughout subsequent eras, the mantle of leadership passed to several accomplished artistic directors, each leaving an indelible mark. Lisa Sheppard Robinson’s nurturing stewardship endured for an impressive 14 years. This baton was then passed on to Jaime Robtison, Wade Walthall, Angela Harris, and culminated with Lori Zamzow-Wire, who stands as the current Artistic Director, guiding the institution into its present chapter. 
 
GBT’s formative years produced remarkable talent that ventured worldwide to pursue their careers. Noteworthy professionals, including Alessandra James (Charlotte Ballet) and Jessica Collado (Houston Ballet), showcase GBT’s legacy of excellence on stages across the nation. 
 
In 2020, Lori Zamzow-Wire orchestrated a pivotal transformation for Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, elevating it into a professional ballet company that extends paid company contracts and an extensive performing calendar. The Gwinnett Ballet Theatre performance season spans an impressive 41 weeks, embracing three significant productions annually along with a series of smaller performances.  
 
Now, with the establishment of a professional company, Gwinnett Ballet Theatre is not only attracting talented dancers to stay in Gwinnett County but also drawing fresh talents to its fold. Remarkably, in just one year following its transition to a professional entity, GBT received over 200 applications from around the world. As of now, GBT boasts a roster of 14 company members distributed across three distinct levels, with hopes of expanding further in the upcoming years. 
 

GBT is located at the Sugarloaf Performing Arts Center in Suwanee. It is the largest location for dance instruction in Gwinnett County and features a dance instruction school, a youth ballet company, a daytime ballet conservatory, and the professional GBT company.