One of the most common questions that professional dancers get asked is how we became professionals. Let's zoom in on one critical period: the pre-professional training phase. Although dancers have typically tackled several years of ballet classes by the time they decide to pursue it as a professional career, they are usually quite young when they and their parents make that important commitment to pursue vocational training.

The snow has fallen, the ships have sailed, and the theater is quiet—for Ballet Theatre of Maryland's new Annapolis-themed Nutcracker, we've drawn our production to a close. As we all navigate that nebulous time between Christmas and New Year's, we're leaving you with a Nutcracker story to keep you company. This telling, adapted from the work of principal BTM dancer Alexander Collen, is sure to warm a cozy winter's night.

After premiering in Annapolis with fully completed sets, costumes, and choreography, a new production of The Nutcracker is born! We at Ballet Theatre of Maryland are deeply grateful for the support of our community, both behind the scenes and in the audience. Today, we look back over the whole process with an exclusive interview with Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch and Board President Ted Atsinger. Read on to learn about the inspirations behind the show, what they're proudes

The turkey has been eaten, and the temperature is dropping--here in Annapolis, that means it's almost time for The Nutcracker ! Last weekend, Ballet Theatre of Maryland performed our all-new, Annapolis-themed production for the very first time for audiences in Hampstead. We still have a few weeks before our shows at Maryland Hall, so I caught up with Wardrobe Coordinators Karissa Kralik and Clara Molina about what it was like to bring a new production of The Nutcracker to th