Works in Progress: Momentum's Choreographers, Pt. 2
- Cindy Case
- Feb 9
- 7 min read
Ballet Theatre of Maryland's 2026 production of Momentum is this weekend! This Valentine's Day Weekend performance features live ballet filled with expressive movement, music, and artistry. This year's Momentum is particularly special because all eight choreographers are drawn from within the BTM company.
Our most recent blog post shared the creative process for Karissa, Hannah, Karen, and me. This week, read on to learn more about the new pieces by Diego Sosa, Mimi Hardin, Ellie Goods, and Michael West Jr!
Diego Sosa
Principal dancer Diego Sosa is creating his first mainstage work with BTM this Momentum, but he's already an experienced choreographer.
He says, "I began choreographing in Paraguay, creating works for dance competitions and festivals. Over time, and especially here in the United States, I've had the opportunity to create full-length works for the schools where I teach. Many of these pieces are based on stories and fairytales, while others are original creations that come directly from my own ideas and imagination."
Diego's piece, "Las Alas del Mainumby", is a good example of his creativity as a choreographer. "My new work is inspired by the symbols and natural elements of Paraguay, especially the hummingbird. The music was composed specifically for this piece by Paraguayan composer Edgar Torres and is inspired by classical Paraguayan folk music. This musical collaboration deeply shaped the movement, atmosphere, and emotional world of the work."
For the dancers in Diego's cast, it's been exciting to see these elements come together as he developed the new work. Diego says, "My process is very intuitive. I let the music guide me. The music tells me where to go, what the movement needs to be, and how the story unfolds. I listen first, and the steps come from that connection."
Diego says, "I hope the audience feels a genuine emotional connection and leaves with a sense of beauty and imagination. I also hope they take with them a glimpse of my culture, the spirit, sensitivity, and natural energy of Paraguay that inspired this piece."
Mimi Hardin
Demi-soloist Mimi Hardin can't remember a time when she didn't want to choreograph dance. She says that watching ballet on video when she was a little girl led her to "[spend] time wondering how those steps were created and movements were brought to life."
"After dancing in ballets by well-known choreographers such as Marius Petipa and Michel Fokine, I was entranced with George Balanchine's work for New York City Ballet. His choreography felt fresh, free, and appealing. He created 'real dance'; the movement he made was art."
These observations have informed who she is as a choreographer: "I have always felt producing interesting pieces should be fun for audiences and for dancers. While choreographing pieces for pre-professional or intensive classes and eventually setting pieces for my own students, I have tried to showcase my love of dance."
Mimi's feelings of regard for her dancers and audience members also translate to her rehearsal process. "During my training, I learned that a fun, professional environment led to better success on stage. For this reason, it is important to allow the dancers to sometimes choose more comfortable options rather than forcing them to execute steps in directions they may not like... making the choreography look strained."
Mimi believes that dancer feedback is important, as "they are the ones performing the steps and putting in the work. In the future, I hope to make every dancer feel excited and confident while enjoying every moment of my choreography."
Her new work, "Au Crystal", draws inspiration from her hometown. "In Golden, Colorado, it can snow nine or ten months of the year. As we drove home at night from ballet, we would stop to eat a late dinner in downtown Golden before our 'trek' up the mountain. I would stare out the window admiringly at the never-ending piles of snow glistening in the light. Golden's old street lamps made the snow feel warm, and no matter which way you turned your head, the glitter of the snow would change into a new pattern. On windy nights, the snow would drift and dance in the streets. Constructing these memories into movement has been both exciting and nostalgic for me."
The title of Mimi's piece includes a subtle nod to its inspirations: "Originally, I thought of naming the piece 'Golden', but after some consideration, I chose the title 'Au Crystal'. The chemical name for gold is Au, and knowing the piece was about golden, crystalline snowflakes, 'Au Crystal' was more fitting."
Mimi took inspiration from works by Balanchine and the "stunning" musical composition "Winter" by Vivaldi. "I hope to invoke the feeling of a midnight walk in the snow. Although snow can be chilly, it can also render a feeling of security, solitude, and beauty."
Ellie Goods
Corps de ballet dancer Ellie Goods first became interested in choreography when she performed in Jessemyn Vedro's "Affirming Flame" and "Concerto Grosso" at Pasadena Dance Theatre in 2019. "I loved the process of watching her choreograph and being in the room as she went through the creative process with my classmates and me. After taking a choreography workshop with Mark Harootian, I was inspired to give it a try myself."
Unfortunately, her first opportunity to create a piece on her classmates was in March of 2020. She says, "I only had one rehearsal before going into COVID lockdown five days later." But Ellie made the most of it and experimented with creating pieces over Zoom. She continued to explore choreography through a workshop class from Amy Hall Garner and enlightening discussions with Silas Farley and Adrienne Canterna-Martinez.
Ellie put choreography on the back burner when she joined BTM as a trainee in 2022. This year, she's excited to return to the process. Her new work, "Are you the same as before", is set to the familiar notes of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.
She says, "I have always known this symphony's first movement, but at the end of 2023 I happened to relisten to it while I was at the gym (Silly, I know!) and I started envisioning a piece for it. I went home and wrote down my ideas and concept for the piece, and then put it away. I didn't return to it until December 2025, when I had the honor of being invited to choreograph for Momentum."
Ellie is excited for the opportunity, though she admits that choreographing on her peers is daunting. "I am one of the youngest people in the room, as well as the youngest choreographer for BTM. Even though I've sometimes put unnecessary pressure on myself, everyone has been very supportive and willing to work with me in this process. It's really cool to see the ideas in my head come to life in the studio."
Her piece explores what it's like to go through life and all of its hardships. "It's about how that process has changed you," Ellie says."Maybe for you, it's about friendships or the mental struggles we all face. I hope that in the end, everyone in the audience can take something different away from this piece, something personal. I'm super excited for my professional choreographic debut and being able to share it with everyone!"
Michael West Jr
Michael West Jr first began choreographing while attending the George Washington Carver Center for the Arts and Technology in Towson, MD. He says, "My training as a dancer was mostly based in modern dance," but attending summer intensives at Nashville Ballet and performing in fairytale ballets with the Mid-Atlantic Youth Ballet piqued his interest in choreographing for ballet.
Michael says, "I was drawn to ballet's expressive port de bras, magical themes, and ability to capture the essence of music and tell a story without words. I decided that creating and setting ballets was what I would like to do even when I finished performing myself."
He continued creating solo work as a contemporary ballet dancer and aerialist with FALL and Suspended Gravity Circus in Nashville, TN, and ultimately set his first professional work on BTM in 2023. His cosmic-inspired ballet "Ultraviolet" set the stage for him to continue creating works for the company.
This season, Michael is staging "Rose Quartz", a piece inspired by the crystal of the same name. Michael was strongly influenced by George Balanchine's "Jewels" as well as various versions of the lush Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker. He says, "In the future, I'd like to create more movements to the work that are inspired by different crystals. I would use music from different composers so each movement has its own feeling."
He staged the original version of "Rose Quartz" when he returned to the George Washington Carver Center as a guest choreographer in 2025. When it came to restaging the piece on BTM, Michael says, "I haven't made many changes, but I am excited to see the work come alive when approached by more seasoned dancers."
Michael says that his approach to choreography is to "create movement patterns that flow naturally and feel fun for the dancers to perform. I typically include steps that I enjoy doing while using imagery inspired by nature and the elements. I feel compelled to create roles in ballet that I would personally enjoy performing myself, and specifically aim to create more representation for LGBTQ+ people."
"I often feel that, although I love the dancing itself, I don't relate to the heteronormative narratives of most classical ballets. I also aim to challenge traditional gender roles in ballet and create more roles specifically where male-identifying dancers move in a soft and expressive way."
Michael hopes that his piece will embody an ethos of caring for others. "The rose quartz crystal is associated with feelings of compassion, unconditional love, self-love, and kindness in both romantic and platonic relationships. In the real world, there is a lot of violence against individuals who have immigrated to the United States, women, trans people, and Black people. I feel that it is important to create art that depicts people showing love to each other and treating everyone as an equal. I hope that it can inspire people to do the same in their own lives."
Tickets are still available for this weekend's performances! Visit our Momentum page to reserve your seat, or our Meet the Choreographers page to learn more about each presenting artist.
Headshot photos by Clara Molina
Rehearsal photos by Lauren Martinez
