Anna Mains is a Nashville native who began her dance training at age eight with Centennial Youth Ballet. From 2016 to 2018, she was a Trainee with Nashville Ballet and went on to study at summer programs including Arts Umbrella, GagaLab, Orsolina28, American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. In 2018, Anna joined The Joffrey Ballet’s Trainee Program and was promoted to the Studio Company the following year. She then joined Charlotte Ballet’s Second Company and was promoted to the Main Company in 2022. Anna has performed works by a range of acclaimed choreographers, including Alejandro Cerrudo, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Mthuthuzeli November, Omar Román De Jesús, Helen Pickett, Christopher Stuart, Rena Butler, and Val Caniparoli. She danced the title role in Carmen by Andrea Schermoly for its 2025 premiere with Charlotte Ballet. Her recognitions include the 2025 Princess Grace Honoraria in Dance Performance, the 2024 SEED Grant from the Arts & Science Council, and being named a 2019 Luminarts Fellow, sponsored by Myrna Kaplan.
