BWW Q&A: Nicole Kelsh Talks THE NUTCRACKER at Ballet Theatre of Maryland

This holiday season, Ballet Theatre of Maryland will present a world-premiere Annapolis-themed production of THE NUTCRACKER, featuring entirely new sets, costumes, and choreography.

Inspired by local history, the new staging reimagines Clara’s adventure as it unfolds against the backdrop of historic Annapolis. To accompany the premiere, BTM will offer a family-friendly Sugar Plum Party before every Sunday performance.

Ballet Theatre of Maryland's The Nutcracker premieres at Maryland Hall December 13-21, 2025. Optional ticket add-on: Sugar Plum Party, 1 hour before each Sunday performance to take pictures with your favorite characters and enjoy light refreshments.

Nicole Kelsch received her early training from Peter and Kristin Degnan at Ballet Northeast in Pennsylvania. She also received training from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Austin, Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, and Princeton Ballet. Nicole graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Ballet Performance in three years. Upon graduation, she danced professionally with Columbia City Ballet, Atlanta Festival Ballet, and Connecticut Ballet.  ​

In 2006, Nicole joined The Ballet Theatre of Maryland as an apprentice under the direction of Dianna Cuatto. She was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2008 and throughout her career was 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. 

In 2008, after having served on the faculty for two years, Nicole became the School Principal for The Ballet Theatre of Maryland Conservatory. She was named the Ballet Mistress for the company in 2015. Nicole retired from performing in March 2020 and became the Artistic Director in July 2020. She successfully led the company through a full 2020-2021 performing season at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, staging performances of Edward Stewart’s Dracula, Dianna Cuatto’s The Nutcracker, An American Southwest Carmen, and The Little Mermaid.

For more information about the productionor to purchase tickets, visit balletmaryland.org.

What have been some of the biggest rewards or surprises during this creative journey?

It's been incredibly rewarding to see my vision come to life and hear positive reactions from the dancers in the production. It's important that they feel good and enjoy what they are dancing because that will carry through to the audiences. Coming into the studio and saying "I don't know if this idea I have will work but let's try it" and having the dancers very willingly give their best and make it work or work with me to find a way to get the same feeling or idea across in a different way is always fun and rewarding.

What makes Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s Nutcracker unique compared to other productions?

The wonderful thing about the Nutcracker is that every production has unique spins and no two productions are alike. For us, the story centers around Clara's Grandfather and Grandmother who, in Clara's dream, become the Nutcracker and the Sugarplum Fairy. Her dream takes her back to 1812 and the battle scene is depicted as a Naval battle in the war of 1812, and the sets and drops depict well known Annapolis landmarks. The divertissements in act 2 represent confections that would have been sold on Main Street in Annapolis in the 1800s- rock candy, popcorn, caramel, peppermint, and cotton candy.

You also feature students alongside professional dancers — what does that dynamic bring to the stage?

I think student performers really bring the magic and wonder of Christmas and the holiday season to the production. They work so hard from September on to perfect their parts and along the way they watch the company very closely as well. It's wonderful to see how they enter the studio a little unsure at the first rehearsals and by a few weeks in, they are creating personalities for their characters and adding their own little touches like the older dancers do.

Why do you think this story continues to resonate so deeply with families year after year?

I think in the same way that we often watch the same Christmas movies year after year, The Nutcracker is a tradition that brings the warmth of the season to the stage. It's about family, traditions, dreams, and the possibility that, at Christmas, anything can happen. It's also often the first ballet that young children will be taken to see, and the first one that students will perform in.

Do you have a favorite moment in the show?

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