Lineage: BTM with Full Circle Dance Company
- Cindy Case
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
Radicant
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
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
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.
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
This contemporary ballet work by Isaac Martinez also premiered in Momentum 2025. It is set to music by Abel, Mayte, Catricala, and Vivaldi.
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
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
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.
All Full Circle performance photos by Dorret Oosterhoff
