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
Brooke Altman
Brooke Altman, originally from Towson, Maryland, began her dance training at age three with White Marsh Ballet Academy. She explored ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop, and later continued her dance education at Carver Center for Arts and Technology. She has attended summer intensives with Louisville Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and Ballet Jörgen, deepening her versatility as a dancer.
Brooke holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies from Florida Southern College, where she performed in works by faculty and guest choreographers. Alongside her academic studies, she pursued education coursework to support her passion for teaching. Since 2017, she has taught at White Marsh Ballet Academy, leading classes and camps for dancers of all ages. She also brings experience in early childhood care through her work with the Y Preschool in Towson as well as serving as a substitute teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
In 2025, Brooke joined Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s conservatory faculty and is thrilled to continue her instructional journey here. She looks forward to mentoring her students, sharing her passion for movement, and inspiring growth both as dancers and individuals.
Clara Atsinger
Clara Atsinger began her training with Ballet Theater of Maryland’s Conservatory, taking ballet, pointe, and jazz, and performing in many productions with the company. In 2022, she joined Orlando Ballet School’s Academy program, dancing 6 days a week. There she trained intensively in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, hip-hop, and flamenco.
In 2025, Clara began performing professionally with Sea World Orlando and Universal Orlando as a dancer and actor. She performed in many different shows and parades, and was in the opening cast of two major productions at SeaWorld. During this time, she also taught outreach ballet classes for Orlando Ballet, a program that aims to make ballet more accessible by bringing it to public schools.
Clara is excited to be joining Ballet Theater of Maryland as an Apprentice this year, and to return to her roots by teaching at the Conservatory.
Hannah Brickey
Hannah Brickey began her training in multiple styles at her hometown studio, Centre for the Performing Arts, in Kingsport, Tennessee. While training, she had the opportunity to assist teachers with multiple levels and styles, where she discovered her love for teaching.
At age 15, Hannah moved to North Carolina to continue her classical ballet training at Cary Ballet Conservatory. There, she became a full-time instructor and assistant teacher. During her time at Cary Ballet, she also had the opportunity to perform in multiple classical ballets set by Mariaelena Ruiz.
After completing high school, Hannah moved to New York City to study at The Ailey School. She continued her ballet studies while developing a deep understanding of Horton, Graham, Contemporary, Improvisation, and other modern dance styles.
In 2025, Hannah joined Ballet Theatre of Maryland as a Trainee. She became a substitute teacher in the Conservatory, teaching multiple styles and levels throughout the season. Hannah is thrilled to continue her ballet career at BTM as an Apprentice this season while joining the faculty as a full-time instructor. She is excited to share her love of dance with the next generation and inspire them to develop their own love and appreciation for the art.
Cindy Case
Cindy Case, DFCCA, is a Maryland native who trained locally with Pamela Moore. Before joining Ballet Theatre of Maryland, she was a trainee with Richmond Ballet, a member of Nashville Ballet 2, an apprentice with Charlottesville Ballet, and a company dancer with San Diego Ballet. Her previous professional credits include Serenade, the title role in La Esmeralda, Myrtha in Giselle, and Snow Queen and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker. Her contemporary repertory includes works by Gina Patterson, Heather Maloy, R. Colby Damon, Javier Velasco, and Gregory Hancock.
With over 15 years of teaching experience, Cindy has staged a one-act Peter Pan for Jessica Morgan School of Dance, introduced public school students to ballet through Charlottesville Ballet's Chance to Dance program, and prepared students for professional dance careers. She holds a B.S. in Business Communication from Stevenson University and is a Diploma Fellow as a dancer and teacher through the Cecchetti Council of America. Cindy currently serves BTM as a principal dancer, Conservatory and Arts Integration teacher, and Communications Coordinator.
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.
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 eighth year with the company. Madeline became part of the faculty of BTM's Conservatory in 2021 and enjoys teaching dancers of all ages, from toddlers to tenured adults. Madeline also teaches BTM’s Adaptive Dance classes, and she 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. Karissa has enjoyed dancing the title role in Giselle and La Esmeralda, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and Pearl in The Little Mermaid. Karissa is looking forward to her eleventh season with BTM!
Isaac Martinez
Isaac Martinez began his training at the Hartt School in Connecticut. He trained rigorously with faculty from the 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.
Ellie Moser
Ellie began her training in classical ballet at a very young age. At age 16, she furthered her training at Houston Ballet Academy, where she had the opportunity to perform works by many renowned choreographers. From there, she joined Orlando Ballet's Second Company, performing corps and demi-soloist roles in the company’s productions. In 2022, Ellie joined Alabama Ballet as an apprentice, where she performed featured and corps roles.
In 2022, Ellie found her passion for teaching through Alabama Ballet’s outreach program, which brought dance to children in public schools. She began teaching at The Alabama Ballet School in addition to several other schools in the Birmingham area in 2023. During this time, Ellie worked with students across all ages and choreographed solos as well as group pieces across many different styles of dance.
Ellie is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and strives to help the next generation of students improve their technique and prevent injuries through thoughtful technical placement, body awareness, and proper cross-training. While on faculty at Alabama Ballet School, she created a conditioning program aligned with the school’s syllabus to assist students in achieving the strength and flexibility needed to progress each year.
Victoria Sanzotera
Victoria Sanzotera 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 later trained with the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School before joining Ballet Theatre of Maryland in 2017, where she has been teaching ballet at the BTM Conservatory since 2019.As an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Victoria brings her expertise in strength, conditioning, mobility, and injury prevention into her teaching. She is now incorporating conditioning into the school’s programming to help dancers build strength, stability, and flexibility to support their technique and overall performance.
Anmarie Touloumis
Anmarie is a Power Pilates Certified Pilates Instructor at Evolutions Fitness Center in Annapolis and teaches Pilates for BTM's Conservatory 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.
Rowan Treece
Rowan Treece began her preprofessional training at age 7 under the direction of Damara Bennett at The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, where she studied a Vaganova-inspired syllabus and performed a wide variety of roles in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.
At 14, she joined The Portland Ballet with a merit scholarship and earned a place in their Youth Company and Career Track programs, receiving training from Artistic Directors Nancy Davis and Anne Mueller, and Resident Choreographer John Clifford.
After attending Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s summer program for three years, Rowan moved to Carlisle, PA to train year-round with Marcia Dale Weary, Melinda Howe, Alan Hineline, Darla Hoover, and the rest of the notable faculty of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Additionally, she received private coaching from Christina Hampton and Patricia Sorrell. She also attended CPYB’s Teachers Workshop for several summers. In her final year at CPYB, she had the opportunity to choreograph a new work on her peers as part of the First Steps program.
Rowan joined BTM in 2020 as an apprentice and was promoted to demi-soloist in 2022. She looks forward to joining the conservatory’s faculty this year and sharing the joy of ballet with her students.
Rachel Visosky
Rachel Visosky has been studying Vaganova and French ballet techniques since the age of four. From Colorado Springs, CO, she has trained under German Zamuel, Mark and Sandra Carlson, Olivier Pardina, and Marina Oreshkevich. She also trained at Ballet West, Sarasota Ballet, and Orlando Ballet. Along with classical ballet, Rachel loves to teach traditional Irish Step dance, contemporary, and jazz. She started her career at The Ballet Theatre of Maryland in 2023 as a Trainee and is now a Corps de Ballet member. With a passion for teaching since she was twelve, she is excited to share everything she has been taught with her students.