Artistic Director/Georgia Dance Theatre

Originally from Pompano Beach, Florida, Jo-Ann Sundermeier Reynolds began ballet lessons with Liana Navarro in Miami, Florida before leaving home to further her professional ballet training with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Professional Division. During her time there, she received yearly scholarships including the prestigious Prince Edward Award which is awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional levels of talent, commitment, and achievement. After completing her training, she became an apprentice with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) company at the age of 19, and rose through the ranks to Principal Dancer. In 2013, Sundermeier left RWB to join Smuin Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco, California to broaden her artistic horizon, but in 2015, she decided to return to RWB to fulfill her principal title. Sundermeier is known for her attention to detail and her “pristine technique, matched acting ability, and spot-on musicality” as quoted by arts journalist and dance critic, Holly Harris. These qualities have made her an exceptional coach for leading artists, corps de ballet, and students alike. 

Sundermeier’s repertoire comprises numerous lead roles including Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), Princess Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty), Giselle (Giselle), Myrta (Giselle), Second Violin (George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco) Waltz Girl and Russian Girl (George Balanchine’s Serenade) Tinkerbell (Peter Pan), and Fairy Godmother (Val Caniparoli’s A Cinderella Story). Some roles created on Sundermeier include La Goulue in Jorden Morris’s Moulin Rouge® – The Ballet and Juliet in Oliver Halkowich’s Romeo + Juliet. She has also originated in works by choreographers Twyla Tharp, James Kudelka, Peter Quanz, Diogo de Lima, Joshua Beamish, and Mark Godden.

Sundermeier is a founding member of Q Dance. In fall of 2009, she was selected by acclaimed choreographer Peter Quanz to attend Works and Process commission at the prestigious Guggenheim Museum in New York City, to perform a contemporary ballet called In Tandem, in collaboration with Steve Reich. 

Sundermeier’s image was the face of the 80th anniversary of Jacob's Pillow Dance Summer Festival. She has performed as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics Cultural Olympiad, and was also featured alongside fellow RWB company dancers on a Canadian minted coin commemorating the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s 75th anniversary. She is a Gemini Award winner for the made-for-tv film, The Tale of The Magic Flute for 'Best Performance in a Performing Arts Series’. In 2002, she performed for the late Queen Elizabeth II, as part of the Golden Jubilee commemorating 50 years as monarch. She was invited to perform at the 2004 Sequitur and Groundswell New Music Series in New York City, the 2010 Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, and the 2012 Spring Into Dance Festival. In 2014, she performed in a duet titled Ascension, created by choreographer Lindsay Shearer Nelko, which won 2nd Place Grand Prize at the 17th Annual McCallum Choreography Festival in Palm Desert, California. She was also invited to perform at the prestigious David DiChiera Legacy Ball, held at the Detroit Opera House in 2016.

Sundermeier was a guest artist with New Orleans Ballet Theatre (NOBT) from 2014-2019, performing in their Summer Solstice series as well as The Nutcracker. In the summer of 2019, she and her husband Josh Reynolds made a permanent move to New Orleans to join NOBT as Principal Dancers and Rehearsal Directors. During her time there, not only was Sundermeier a leading principal artist, but she also re-staged full length classical ballets and contemporary works, and was assistant to the choreographer in new creations. Sundermeier was also co-director for NOBT’s Summer Intensive from 2019-2026. In 2025, she was named Director of NOBT’s trainee program, and was selected to be an adjudicator for the Grand Jeté dance competition, South Carolina’s statewide celebration of classical and contemporary dance.

Sundermeier has traveled the world, performing in Europe, Asia, Central America, and North America. She has taught (ballet) master classes to all ages and all levels. Sundermeier and her dancing has been featured in the TV series UnREAL (season 3). She was the assistant to choreographer Maya Taylor, and played as on-screen choreographer and on-screen dancer in the Netflix movie Tall Girl 2. She was also a background dancer in the 2022 movie Deep Water starring Ben Affleck. 

Following her retirement from the stage in May 2026, Sundermeier joins the staff at Georgia Academy of Dance & the Performing Arts, and is named the Artistic Director of Georgia Dance Theatre.