Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, alumna Samantha Griffin Donley received her preliminary training at Academy of Dance Arts before attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Preparatory Dance Program.
Donley completed the UNCSA high school program in Classical Ballet and summer training at the School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet School, and Chautauqua Institute before beginning her professional career with the Charlotte Ballet in 2013. In 2015, she joined Cincinnati Ballet, where she performed for 11 seasons. In 2018, while Donley was at Cincinnati Ballet, she was recognized in Pointe Magazine’s “Stars of The Corps de Ballet.”
Over her performance career, she performed soloist and principal roles in "Jewels," "Serenade" and "The Four Temperaments" by George Balanchine, "Kiss" by Stephanie Martinez, "Minus 16" by Ohad Naharin, "Petite Mort" by Jiří Kylián, "Nine Sinatra Songs" by Twyla Tharp, "Petal" by Helen Pickett, "Don Quixote" by Anna Marie Holmes, "Swan Lake" by Kirk Peterson, "Evermore" by Dwight Rhoden, "Ibsen House" by Val Caniparoli, and "In the Middle" by William Forsyth, among others.
Donley has performed in theaters across the country, including Laguna Dance Festival, Ballet West’s National Choreographic Festival and The Nutcracker at The Kennedy Center. She retired from the Cincinnati Ballet in May 2025 and enjoys spending time with her husband and their three cats.