Lineage: BTM with Full Circle Dance Company

Cindy Case
Feb 23
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Group of women dancers in floral dresses pose with raised arms on a dim stage around benches, creating a joyful, energetic scene. — Full Circle Dance Company in performance. Photo by Dorret Oosterhoff

For the last few years, Ballet Theatre of Maryland and Baltimore-based Full Circle Dance Company have teamed up to present an evening of shared dance--each performance alternating between our repertory and theirs, and including one piece where dancers from our two companies share the stage.

Very soon, we'll be back onstage together again! Join us at the Gordon Center on Thursday, March 12, for Lineage. This performance explores ideas of heritage and legacy, with special focus on the contributions of women. Blending the grounded power of modern dance and the soaring sweep of ballet, Lineage shines a light on mothers and matriarchs as sources of creativity and sustenance.

Two dancers in flowing skirts perform a graceful contemporary dance on a blue-lit stage. — Full Circle dancer Morgan Sledge with BTM dancer Michael West Jr in 2025's Ground and Sky

Our Artistic Director, Nicole Kelsch, describes the collaboration as being "deeply meaningful to Ballet Theatre of Maryland." She says, "Working alongside Full Circle Dance Company allows us to celebrate the distinct voices of ballet and modern dance while honoring the women whose legacies shape both our lives and our artistry. Ballet and modern dance carry different traditions, yet both are shaped by generations of women whose creativity, strength, and resilience continue to guide us; and LINEAGE invites our audiences to reflect on this heritage—not as something distant, but as something living, shared, and personal.”

We're eager to share the show with our audiences on Thursday, March 12. Below, I've collected a little about each piece that's on the program. We hope to see you there!

Full Circle Dance Company

She Did That!

Group of dancers in white tops and flowing skirts pose with raised arms on a purple-lit stage, creating a dramatic, synchronized mood

She Did That! draws on stories of real female ancestors shared with Full Circle by the community. Each of these stories is unique, but they share common qualities: resilience, creativity, generosity, hard work, and love. This piece celebrates the lives of the women who came before us.

Seven women dancers pose on a dark blue-lit stage, arms raised in sync, wearing white tops and colorful skirts, intense and focused

She Did That! will also invite members of the audience to participate directly in the artistic process in a small but deeply personal way. It features a quilt created by local artist Jaszmine Howard that reflects real stories of female ancestors. Before the performance, audience members will be invited to write the names of their own female ancestors on bits of fabric. These fabric scraps will be inserted inside the quilt, honoring the audience members' ancestors in a concrete way on the stage.

To Come Full Circle

Group of dancers in red dresses perform on a dark stage, arms raised and extended in a dramatic, synchronized pose.

To Come Full Circle was created in 2025 by choreographer Travis Gatling to celebrate Full Circle Dance Company's 25th anniversary. It honors the contributions of the many artists who have left their mark on this company, and it highlights the interconnectedness of our creative community.

Ten dancers in red dresses perform on a dark stage, lit in blue and amber, posing in a coordinated line.

Radicant

A dancers on a dark stage, in green on the floor under a spotlight, creating an intense, dramatic pose

Radicant is a compelling solo created and performed by Josette Chang. The botanical term "radicant" refers to rooting from the stem.

We Stand For Those Who Stood

Five dancers perform on a dimly lit stage with red and amber lighting, arms outstretched in a dramatic modern routine.

We Stand For Those Who Stood reflects on essential American freedoms—free speech, free press, the right to protest—and on defenders of these rights, both past and present.

BTM's Works

Concerto Lilla

Ballet dancers in pale pink tutus perform synchronized leg lifts on a blue-lit stage, smiling in a graceful ensemble. — Photo by Nick Eckert

Among the BTM performances on the bill is Concerto Lilla by Emily Carey. Set to the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Emily drew inspiration from the sense of community she felt after the birth of her son. This piece premiered as part of Momentum in 2025.

Three ballet dancers in pink tutus leap in unison against a deep blue stage backdrop, arms raised and smiling. — Front to Back: Erin Jenkines, Karen Fleming, and Victoria Sanzotera. Photo by Nick Eckert

The theme of her piece is described in this quote: "We don't heal in isolation, but in community" - S. Kelley Harrell

Sombras del Amanecer

Contemporary dancers in pastel costumes perform acrobatic lifts and extensions on a dark stage under pink lighting. — Photo by Nick Eckert

This contemporary ballet work by Isaac Martinez also premiered in Momentum 2025. It is set to music by Abel, Mayte, Catricala, and Vivaldi.

Six ballet dancers in peach costumes pose on a dark stage, lit by warm pink-purple light, with graceful, focused expressions — Photo by Nick Eckert

Isaac describes it as a tapestry of music and dance inspired by warm, soft shadows and the brilliance of new beginnings. True to Lineage's theme of female ancestors, it includes an audio recording of Isaac's mother singing to his baby nephew.

Linda Rae

Two ballet dancers pose on a dark stage, one standing in a pale dress and veil, the other seated in black and white tights under spotlight. — Erin Jenkins and Isaac Martinez. Photo by John Maloney

Lindsey Bell's 2024 work, Linda Rae, rounds out BTM's performances in the show. Set to the fourth movement of Dvořák's Serenade for Strings in E Major, this gentle pas de deux was named for Lindsey's grandmother. The piece tells the story of a man reminiscing on his true love and the life they once led together.

Dancing Together: Sin Shakers and Shouters

Women in patterned dresses perform a dance on a dark stage around benches, lit by blue and warm spotlights.

Both companies will close the show with Travis Gatling's Sin Shakers and Shouters. This work from Full Circle's repertory is a crowd favorite, and it will have the audience clapping and stomping along!

Join us at the Gordon Center at 7:30 on Thursday, March 12, for this special evening of dance. Tickets and more information are available on our Lineage page now.

Two female dancers in flowing teal costumes pose mid-leap against a solid teal studio backdrop, focused and dynamic. — Photo by Brion McCarthy

All Full Circle performance photos by Dorret Oosterhoff