MARIETTA - The Georgia Ballet kicks off its 50th anniversary season on Saturday and Sunday with the production of "A Sleepy Hollow Story," based on the classic American tale, in the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at Marietta's Cobb Civic Center.

Originally premiering in 2006, "A Sleepy Hollow Story" has been one of the Marietta-based ballet company's most popular productions. Based on Washington Irving's folktale, it features choreography by resident choreographer Janusz Mazon. "Enigmatic Tangos," a new work by Mazon, as well as the Spanish-themed classic, "Paquita," will be on the same bill as "A Sleepy Hollow Story" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Georgia Ballet, composed of a professional dance company and a dance school, was founded in 1960 as the Cobb/Marietta Ballet. Inspired by her love of dance, Marietta native Iris Hensley was its founder.

Hensley served as its artistic director until she died in August 2003. She received her training in Atlanta, New York, Washington, D.C., and with the National Ballet of Canada. She had a noted and varied background as a dancer, teacher and choreographer.

Hensley was a visionary, said her friend, Joan Harrell of Marietta, a ballet board member for 24 years. Hensley saw a need for the Marietta area to have its own ballet company, Harrell said.

"I've seen it go from practically no board members and no money, to a thriving company and school today," Harrell said. "I'm so proud of how the ballet has come this far."

Michele Ziemann-Devos, the company's executive director, said the ballet has survived for 50 years because of the sheer passion and commitment of its artistic leadership, staff, faculty and artists.

Ziemann-Devos, Janusz Mazon and current Artistic Director Gina Hyatt-Mazon, all worked with Hensley.

"Founder Iris Hensley's devotion to and belief in the empowerment that great art - and great art education - can endow to an individual, as well as a community, is alive and well here at the ballet," said Ziemann-Devos, who's been with the company for 13 years.

Patti Pearlberg, wife of Marietta City Councilman Van Pearlberg, is a ballet board member. The Atlanta native said she took ballet classes until high school and considers herself a "longtime ballet aficionado."

"It's grown out of a sense of how important I think it is to expose our children to the arts," she said of her interest.

The nonprofit Georgia Ballet is made up of a regional professional ballet company of 15 dancers from around the country and a school. It also boasts arts in education outreach programs that serve 17,000 Cobb and metro Atlanta students each year, said Ziemann-Devos. It operates with an annual budget of $750,000. It was honored as one of four metro Atlanta arts organizations to receive a $75,000 grant from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund this year.

Mark and Cindy Jamerson of Dallas are season ticket holders who have sent their 11-year-old daughter, Jody, to Georgia Ballet classes since she was 6.

"She absolutely loves it," Cindy Jamerson said.

She said Jody, an upper school student, will be performing as a schoolgirl and village child in "A Sleepy Hollow Story."

The company is also bringing back "The Nutcracker," for the holidays (Dec. 4 through Dec. 6). The Dec. 6 performance will be a joint fundraiser with the Center for Family Resources. Cobb Commissioner Tim Lee, Southern Polytechnic State University President Dr. Lisa Rossbacher, celebrated chef Johnnie Gabriel and CNN anchor Tony Harris will take the stage to raise funds for the CFR and ballet. A season bonus in February is "Spectrum," an annual fundraiser run by the professional dancers of the Georgia Ballet.

Show tickets can be purchased on the Georgia Ballet's Web site at www.georgiaballet.org or calling the office at (770) 528-0881.