In a light-filled room on the westside of Atlanta, Anderson Souza is a long way from home.

Holding a cutout of a broken car piece, he steps and spins across the expansive studio — one of 14 men bringing to life a fatal car accident in rehearsals for the Atlanta Ballet’s 2024 production of “Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon.”

Mr. Souza is a Brazilian expat, but he is in good company: Other dancers hail from Brazil, as well as Spain, South Korea, Cuba, Mongolia, Poland, Japan, Brazil, Ukraine, the Philippines and more. In all, roughly half of the Atlanta Ballet’s 38-person roster comes from abroad.

This is the inherently international world of ballet, which originated in the Renaissance courts of Italy and was refined in France and Russia, and which still draws its music and storylines from various countries. And with many dancers vying for a few coveted spots with professional companies, they go where they find work, which often means moving abroad.

New York provided Mr. Souza’s first job outside of Brazil, sending him into a bit of culture shock. While it’s still a big city, Atlanta has a more relaxed pace, he said.

“I can actually breathe when I walk down the street,” he said.

And while Atlanta’s charm might be a draw for some people, the talent pool for ballet in general is limited. Very few aspiring dancers become professionals, said Gennadi Nedvigin, the Atlanta Ballet’s artistic director. He receives about a thousand applications a year, in addition to roughly 100 dancers attending an annual open audition. Of all, only a few are selected.

“Talent is hard to find, and we’re all looking for the best talent out there,” Mr. Nedvigin said, adding that it’s hard to compete with cities such as New York, Boston and San Francisco. “That’s always been our dilemma. How do we attract dancers to come to Atlanta?”