Ballet Theatre of Maryland and Full Circle Dance Company To Present WE WALK IN MOONLIGHT

For one show only, Full Circle Dance Company and Ballet Theatre of Maryland will present We Walk in Moonlight: A Collaboration of Movement, Myth, and Mystery at The Gordon Center on Saturday, October 28. During the mixed repertory performance, members of both companies will share the stage for the world premiere of a new work by Travis D. Gatling.

Says BTM Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch, “I'm always looking for ways to create new experiences for the dancers and our audiences. While that's often done through collaboration with musicians or visual artists, it's rare that two dance companies who typically perform very different types of movement come together to create something new. The result is truly something special!”

Although both companies will present their dancers in works that evoke the show's moonlit theme, Gatling's new choreography is the centerpiece of the evening. His work, which explores the physical responses our bodies make when we are dreaming, synthesizes the unique qualities of both companies.

“This collaboration sizzles,” says Full Circle Artistic Director Donna L. Jacobs. “Watching this talented group of dancers with different backgrounds come together is unprecedented and important—for us, for our community, and for our industry.”

Ballet Theatre of Maryland and Full Circle Dance Company perform We Walk in Moonlight at The Gordon Center, October 28 at 8:00 pm. Tickets range in price from $15 to $25. To learn more about the performance, visit fullcircledancecompany.org and balletmaryland.org. To purchase tickets, visit gordoncenter.org. This is the only official website to purchase tickets to We Walk in Moonlight. Tickets purchased through any unauthorized third parties may not be honored by The Gordon Center.-

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.

Full Circle Dance Company, under the direction of Donna L. Jacobs, is a multiracial professional ensemble that performs exciting choreography from a variety of modern dance traditions. Based in Baltimore, the company draws on the diverse backgrounds of its dancers and works in a collaborative spirit to create meaningful dance with universal appeal. Founded in 2000, the company has developed a signature way of working that involves exploring a carefully selected theme for up to a year, commissioning work from multiple choreographers on that theme, creating opportunities to involve members of the community in the creative process, and presenting the new works on a single theme together to offer audiences varied perspectives on each topic.

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. 

Donna L. Jacobs, Full Circle Dance Company's Artistic Director and Director of Morton Street Dance Center, is an honors graduate of the New York School for the Performing Arts, Wesleyan University, and Georgetown University Law Center. As a young dancer, Ms. Jacobs studied with Bernice Johnson, Michael Peters, Chuck Davis, Frank Hatchett, Gertrude Sher of the original Graham company, and master Graham teacher Penny Frank. While attending Wesleyan University, Ms. Jacobs was asked to join the dance faculty and taught advanced modern, ballet, jazz, and African on campus and as a freelance artist. Since coming to Baltimore, she has performed with several local companies. Ms. Jacobs is the director of the Morton Street Dance Center, Inc., and has over 40 years of teaching, choreography, and production experience. Under her direction, Full Circle has received numerous grants and awards. Her choreography has been featured in the Broadway Dance Center's "Best of" Choreographer's Showcase and performed by invitation around the country. Ms. Jacobs has personally received numerous awards including the Mark Ryder Choreography Award from the Howard County Arts Council, Dream Bridge from the Dream 4 IT Foundation and a Baker Artists Award. Her artistic work has been displayed throughout the state and mid-Atlantic region. She has been inducted into The Daily Record's Maryland "Circle of Excellence" for her professional accomplishments, and named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women three times.

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