Nicole Kelsch
Artistic Director
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.
Emily Carey is originally from Chesapeake, VA and began her ballet training at Virginia Ballet Theatre. In high school, she continued training at Ballet Virginia under Janina Michalski Bove and Suzanne Lownsbury and was given the opportunity to student teach under Patricia Sorrell. After high school, she performed with Nashville Ballet's second company, NB2. At Nashville Ballet, she participated in children’s outreach programs, leading the creative movements story-time performances throughout the community. In 2012, Emily joined the Ballet Theatre of Maryland as an Apprentice and rose through the ranks to Principal dancer in 2017. She currently holds the position of Conservatory Principal and has had the pleasure of teaching the students of the Conservatory for nine years, as well as running student rehearsals for various company productions, including The Nutcracker.
Emily Carey
Conservatory Principal
Conservatory Faculty
Lindsey Bell
Lindsey dances professionally as a Principal with Ballet Theatre of Maryland. She studied Ballet Performance at the University of Oklahoma, which is also where she was exposed to Pilates. Through the four years at school, she found Pilates to be a great cross-training activity for her ballet career. Pilates also allowed her to keep in shape and remain healthy in her off-season without too much impact on her joints. Lindsey received her Pilates Mat certification in 2017 and her comprehensive apparatus training in 2021. She loves to continue expanding her knowledge of Pilates and sharing it with her students.
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Certified Peak Pilates Comprehensive Instructor
Alannah Carter
As one of the original students at Jean Marie Dance Studio, Alannah has many years of performance and dance education under her belt. She has a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Washington College and has danced at JMDS for 16 years and has been teaching for the past 7. Alannah has shared her talents by traveling abroad on several mission trips helping the less fortunate. She plans of becoming an archivist and brings so much talent to the Ballet Theatre of Maryland Conservatory of Dance.
Cindy Case
Cindy Case, DFCCA, is a Maryland native who trained locally with Pamela Moore. Since leaving home, she has been a trainee with Richmond Ballet, a second company member with Nashville Ballet, an apprentice with Charlottesville Ballet, and a company dancer with San Diego Ballet and Ballet Theatre of Maryland. Previous professional credits include Myrtha in Giselle, a Big Swan in Swan Lake, Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, Lucy in Dracula, and an ensemble role in Serenade. Her contemporary experience includes works by Gina Patterson, Heather Maloy, R. Colby Damon, and Gregory Hancock.
With over 10 years of teaching experience, Cindy has staged a one-act Peter Pan for Jessica Morgan School of Dance, introduced public elementary school students to dance with Charlottesville Ballet's Chance to Dance and BTM's Arts Integration programs, and written and performed story times for Nashville Ballet's community outreach efforts. In the summer of 2020, she attained her Diploma Fellowship with the Cecchetti Council of America after completing her final Diploma Examination. Cindy has previously served as the Communications Leader for Digital Dance Project and is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Business Communication.
Kristen Faraclas
Kristen Faraclas grew up in Connecticut where she began her dance training with New Haven Ballet and the New England Ballet Company. Kristen earned her BFA in Dance with minors in Dance Pedagogy and Psychology at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. She has spent many years teaching children and young adults with mental and physical disabilities and has completed the Boston Ballet Adaptive Dance Teacher Training program. Kristen more recently graduated with her MA, Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Pedagogy. She is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 & Partnering. She loves helping to make dance more inclusive and accessible and is excited to continue with the Conservatory faculty at the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and its adaptive dance program.
Jenna Fritts
Jenna Fritts began dancing in Traverse City, Michigan, where she grew up dancing with an emphasis on ballet but enjoyed competition dance and all forms and techniques. At the age of sixteen, Miss Fritts moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she honed her studies at Pittsburgh Ballet House under the direction of Kwang Suk-Choi and Sea Young Kang until attending Mercyhurst University. At Mercyhurst, Jenna danced dream roles such as Myrtha in Giselle and Odile in Swan Lake and choreographed numerous pieces, graduating with her B.F.A. in dance, the President’s Award for Excellence, and Summa Cum Laude. Throughout Jenna’s time dancing, she has been a substitute teacher and is eager to take her personal knowledge, experiences, and pedagogical and kinesthetic studies to help educate well-rounded students and share her passion full-time on the conservatory faculty at Ballet Theatre of Maryland.
Madeline Jones
Madeline is originally from Yorktown, Virginia, and most of her formative training was with Sandra Balestracci at the Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts. In high school, she served as a teaching assistant in the school. Madeline graduated from the University of Utah in 2019 with a B.F.A. in Ballet with a Certificate in Ballet Studio Teaching, as well as a B.A. in English. While in school, Madeline taught for several ballet schools in the Salt Lake City area and received her certification in American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, Pre-Primary through Level Three. After college, she joined Ballet Theatre of Maryland as a trainee and is now in her seventh year with the company. Madeline became part of the faculty of BTM's Conservatory in 2021 and has enjoyed teaching dancers of all ages, from toddlers to tenured adults. She also teaches and choreographs for Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s Arts Integration project, collaborating with Anne Arundel County Public Schools to teach ballet to students who may not have regular exposure to the arts.
Karissa Kralik
Karissa Kralik was raised on Long Island, New York where she trained with Mme. Valia Seiskaya until 2010 in Vaganova based ballet and character techniques. She came in second place in the senior division of the American Ballet Competition in 2010. Karissa attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education with a Musical Theater Minor in 2014. There she continued her training under faculty including Christine Cox (BalletX), Eva Szabo, Andrew Pap, Anne White (PA Ballet), and Scott Jovovich (Joffrey Ballet). Karissa studied Modern techniques including Horton with Kim Bears-Bailey (Philadanco) and Graham with Jennifer Binford-Johnson (Martha Graham Dance Company), as well as varied styles of Jazz with Wayne St. David and Donald Lunsford (Philadanco). She enjoyed opportunities to perform works choreographed by Helen Simoneau and Douglas Becker (Frankfurt Ballet). Karissa joined Ballet Theatre of Maryland as an Apprentice in 2016, was promoted to Demi-Soloist in 2017, Soloist in 2020, and Principal in the fall of 2021. She has enjoyed performing roles in ballets such as Pearl in The Little Mermaid, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mina in Dracula, and Aleksya in The Snow Queen. Karissa is excited for her eighth season with BTM and to continue working with artistic director Nicole Kelsch.
Mia Koshansky
Mia Koshansky is originally from Long Island, New York and began dancing at the age of four. She started her ballet education under Frank Ohman at the Ohman School of Ballet and continued training under Karen Lynch of the Lynch School of Ballet until her high school graduation in 2016. There Mia had the opportunity to perform leading roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote. She received additional training at various summer intensives with Milwaukee Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Upon her graduation from high school, Mia studied at the University of Oklahoma School of Dance under the mentorship of Mary Margaret Holt, Michael Bearden, Karel Cruz, Jan Fugit, Boyko Dossev, Rebecca Herrin, Jeremy Lindberg, Roxanne Lyst, Clara Cravey-Stanley, Pam Bjerknes, and Ilya Kozadayev. At OU, Mia was able to perform classical and contemporary works, as well as tour with OU Dance to Cancun, Mexico for International Dance Encounter, perform in the opera The Golden Cockerel, and serve as a Crew Head for OU's Contemporary Dance Oklahoma and A Christmas Carol.
After graduating in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance-Ballet Performance and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Mia joined the Ballet Theatre of Maryland as an Apprentice. She was then promoted to the Corps de Ballet in April of 2023. With BTM, Mia has performed several rewarding roles in the corps de ballet such as a Willi in Giselle and a Sylph in Les Sylphides, as well as Lead Mazurka in the Sleeping Beauty.
Isaac Martinez
Isaac Martinez began his training at the Hartt School in Connecticut. He trained rigorously with faculty from Cuban National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Martha Graham Company, and José Limón company. In 2015, Isaac transferred to the University of Oklahoma where he finished his degree in Ballet Pedagogy; following his graduation he worked professionally for two seasons with Ballet Spartanburg. His repertoire includes works from Don Quixote, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Le Corsaire, The Firebird, in addition to original works by faculty, students, and choreographers around the world. Isaac has choreographed and produced works of his own, which have been showcased in university productions, professional theater productions, as well as international dance festivals. Isaac is thrilled to embark on his fifth season with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and looks forward to teaching as well.
Clara Molina
Clara Molina, originally from Tallahassee, FL, began her dance training at Sharon Davis School of Dance at the age of three. She later continued her dance training at The Tallahassee Ballet for nine seasons. During her senior year of high school, she had the opportunity to work for the Tallahassee Ballet School as an intern to the School Director while dancing for the company. After high school, she attended Florida State University where she earned a B.F.A. in Dance and Honors in the major with a focus in the dance sciences in just three years. During her time at FSU, she took various classes on teaching methods specifically for dance and exercised those methods teaching at Sharon Davis School of Dance. Upon graduation in 2019 she accepted a trainee contract with The Ballet Theatre of Maryland where she has now risen to the rank of Demi Soloist.
Alyssa Nichols
Alyssa Nichols began her dance training in California, where she developed a strong foundation in various styles and techniques through competitive dance. At the age of eleven, she transitioned to a ballet and contemporary focused studio, further refining her technique and artistry. At sixteen, Alyssa moved to Denver, Colorado to study at Colorado Ballet under the direction of Gil Boggs and Erica Fischbach. During her time with the company, she performed roles in classical ballets such as Odile, Giselle, and Raymonda, as well as works by renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp.
Alyssa has also explored her passion for t teaching and choreographing by creating works for the Colorado Ballet Academy’s Pre-Professional Division and choreographing both ensemble pieces and contemporary solos for the Youth America Grand Prix. Throughout this season Alyssa has been coaching and choreographing for competitive studios in jazz and contemporary genres. Alyssa is thrilled to bring her experience and dedication to Ballet Theatre of Maryland, where she hopes to inspire and help shape well-rounded, versatile dancers
Victoria Siracusa
Victoria Siracusa began her ballet training at the Albano Ballet Company under the direction of Joseph Albano and Julia Fredrick. She then joined the Hartt School Community Division to further her training under Samantha Dunster and Eddy Tovar. During high school, Victoria taught ballet at Alyson’s School of Dance at the beginning and intermediate levels. It is there that she gained her passion for teaching dance to the next generation. After graduation, she joined Charlottesville Ballet as a trainee and the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School before joining the Ballet Theatre of Maryland in 2017. She has had extensive training in multiple methods and styles of ballet including, the Vaganova, Cecchetti, Cuban, and English methods. This will be Victoria’s fifth year teaching for the Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s Conservatory of Dance.
Anmarie Touloumis
Anmarie is a Power Pilates Certified Pilates Instructor at Evolutions Fitness Center in Annapolis and teaches Pilates for BTM's Summer Intensive and company classes. Anmarie received her B.F.A from the University of Utah. She is Power Pilates Certified Teacher and has been teaching since 2001.
As well as Pilates, she danced professionally with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland for 13 years. She enjoys working with clients at all levels, especially clients with special needs, “Everything counts. I enjoy supporting and motivating my clients in their own personal Pilates journey and help teach that Pilates can be very functional in people’s everyday life and activities.”
She is a dancer at heart and plans to continue dancing for her own spiritual benefit along with her Pilates practice. Being active and in good health is very important to her as she looks forward to an energetic lifestyle with her son, Jackson.
Julia Walden
Julia Walden grew up in Apex, North Carolina, where she began dancing at age three. At Infinity Ballet Conservatory under the direction of Debra Sayles Senchak, Julia trained in every style of dance and was an assistant teacher and substitute teacher for creative movement through adult. She became well versed in the Peggy Willis-Aarnio teaching of the Vaganova method through Debra Sayles Senchak and Horton technique through Cari Lenn Orr (now Cari Lenn Youngkin). Julia also ran a summer dance camp consisting of ballet, character, modern, and jazz at Infinity Ballet in 2021. After high school, Julia completed the trainee program at the Sarasota Ballet where she performed many classical and neoclassical works. She then joined the Ballet Theatre of Maryland as an apprentice in 2022. Julia is so happy to continue spreading the love of dance through performing and teaching at the Ballet Theatre of Maryland.
Karen Fleming
Karen Fleming, a native of Yorktown, VA, grew up studying dance at Margie Williams Studio of Dance and Virginia Regional Ballet. Upon graduation, she chose to further her studies at the University of Richmond on a full scholarship as a Richmond Artist Scholar. During her time at UR, Karen had the privilege of dancing with and serving as the Company Captain for the Department of Theatre & Dance’s resident performance company, University Dancers. Karen also choreographed two fully-produced works for University Dancers, and both received awards from UR’s School of Arts & Sciences. After graduating summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and English in 2021, Karen joined the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and has since enjoyed dancing a wide variety of classical and contemporary repertoire. She is also thrilled to be a part of the Ballet Theatre of Maryland Conservatory of Dance faculty after many years of guest teaching at dance schools across her home state of Virginia.