This season, BTM will celebrate its Sapphire Anniversary with The Firebird, The Nutcracker, Momentum, and The Sleeping Beauty.
Ballet Theatre of Maryland, the state’s leading professional ballet company, has released individual tickets for sale for their 45th year in residence at Maryland Hall for the Arts. This season, BTM will celebrate its Sapphire Anniversary with The Firebird, The Nutcracker, Momentum, and The Sleeping Beauty.
Says Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch, “Every year provides opportunities to reflect on the company’s rich history and continued development, but this season is a particularly special one. We are returning to two beloved ballets the company has previously performed—Firebird and Sleeping Beauty—with a fresh approach that reflects the company’s rapid growth. Simultaneously, we look back on the enduring impact of my predecessors, Artistic Directors Eddie Stewart and Dianna Cuatto, during Firebird this fall.”
After opening the season with Ballet in the Garden at Hammond Harwood House on September 16th and the 45th Anniversary Gala at Acqua al 2 on September 24th, the company will launch its mainstage season with The Firebird, October 13-15. This all-new production of the one-act ballet is based on the elusive, mythical firebird of Russian folklore and features the music of Stravinsky. To observe BTM’s Sapphire Anniversary, the program will also include Italian Symphonette by Artistic Director Emeritus Dianna Cuatto and the works Sapphire Romance, Toujour Amour, and Longings by Founding Artistic Director Edward Stewart.
December 9-17, audiences join BTM for Annapolis's favorite holiday tradition, The Nutcracker. Whirling snowflakes and scampering mice are the perfect complement to every family's winter festivities. In the new year, the company will spring forward with Momentum: A Mixed Bill, February 23 and 24. This exploration of classical and contemporary movement will feature world-premiering works by choreographers near and far.
Lastly, true love’s kiss brings the season to an end on April 26 and 27 with Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty. This classic story of good versus evil brings some of ballet’s most famous scenes together with a vibrant, family-friendly cast of storybook characters.
Tickets for all productions are available both in-person and streaming. To purchase tickets or learn more, visit balletmaryland.org. BTM cautions that BalletMaryland.org and Eventbrite.com are the only official websites for purchasing tickets. Ballet Theatre of Maryland is not responsible for tickets purchased through unauthorized third parties.
Ballet Theatre of Maryland, founded in 1978, is designated as Maryland’s premier professional ballet company and conservatory. The company, comprised of 37 professional dancers and nine trainees, produces high-caliber ballet performances that engage the mind and spirit and express Maryland’s unique voice through movement. BTM seeks to make ballet accessible to all audiences while attaining ever-higher levels of artistic excellence. Professional faculty members of the Conservatory of Dance are current in their field, most with degrees or certifications in dance education. The conservatory offers a full curriculum of classes and provides students with professional performance opportunities. For more information about BTM, please visit www.balletmaryland.org or call (410) 224-5654.
Nicole Kelsch is originally from Dallas, PA where she trained with Peter and Kristin Degnan at Ballet Northeast. She graduated with a B.A. in Ballet from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. After graduation, she danced professionally with Columbia City Ballet, Atlanta Festival Ballet, and Connecticut Ballet before joining Ballet Theatre of Maryland in 2006. Nicole has been featured as Clara and the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the Firebird in The Firebird, Swanhilda in Coppelia, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, as a Principal in Antony Tudor's Continuo, the Principal Couple in Italian Symphonette, Titania and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Magdalena in An American Southwest Carmen, Cinderella in Cinderella, Guinevere in Excalibur, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Pearl in The Little Mermaid, and has performed the Don Quixote Pas de Deux. Nicole also served as the Ballet Mistress for the company and the School Principal. This is Nicole's fourth season as Artistic Director.
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