Ballet Theatre Of Maryland Presents THE NUTCRACKER This Holiday Season

Ballet Theatre of Maryland will present its holiday classic The Nutcracker, December 10th-18th. This yearly tradition from Maryland's premier ballet company takes the stage at Maryland Hall, delighting audiences with its whimsical story, varied characters, and festive sets and costumes. To extend the holiday experience, BTM will once again offer a Sugar Plum Party before each Sunday show.

BTM's Nutcracker, which features choreography by former director Dianna Cuatto, retells Clara's timeless adventure to rescue her beloved Nutcracker from the Rat Queen's evil spell. Audiences will travel with her through the whirling Kingdom of Snow to the Land of the Sweets, capturing the spirit of the holiday season in the language of dance and theatre.

Says Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch, "Like many holiday traditions, The Nutcracker is the kind that gets passed down from one generation to the next. Parents who bring their children each year will often share their own memories of first seeing the show. For many young audience members, seeing The Nutcracker is an important event that they will carry with them always."

At the Sugar Plum Parties held an hour before each Sunday show, families have the opportunity to create even more memories. Ticket holders to each Sugar Plum Party take pictures with their favorite characters and enjoy light refreshments before the performance.

Take in Ballet Theatre of Maryland's performances of The Nutcracker December 10th - 18th, at 7pm on Saturdays and 1pm and 4:30pm on Sundays. In-person tickets are on sale now at $50 for adults, $40 for seniors and military, and $30 children and students. Add on the Sugar Plum Party option for $10 per person. Virtual streaming tickets to watch from home are available for $30. To purchase tickets or learn more, visit balletmaryland.org.

The only official websites for purchasing tickets to The Nutcracker are BalletMaryland.org and Eventbrite.com. Purchasing tickets from any other seller or website may result in paying inflated prices or receiving fraudulent tickets. Ballet Theatre of Maryland is not responsible for tickets purchased through unauthorized third parties. To receive the best audience experience, including important updates about program changes or cancelations, please purchase tickets through official channels.

Ballet Theatre of Maryland, founded in 1978, is designated as Maryland's premier professional ballet company and conservatory and has a long history performing at venues throughout the state. The company is comprised of 23 professional dancers, 15 apprentices, and 17 trainees. 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 in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, partnering, and conditioning while providing students with professional performance opportunities. For more information about BTM, please visit www.balletmaryland.org or call (410) 224-5654.

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.

To post a comment, you must register and login.