LINEAGE Immersed Us in Color, Beauty, and Community

A dramatic snow squall temporarily threatened the March 12 performance of LINEAGE at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, but the sun came out and so did the audience for a memorable evening of ballet and modern dance. 

The third annual collaboration between Ballet Theatre of Maryland and Full Circle Dance Company, LINEAGE included a highly varied program of works from the ballet and modern dance traditions. 

Featuring a cast of nearly 50 professional dancers and 16 community guest artists, this show honored mothers, mentors, and matriarchs during Women's History Month. 

At a table in the lobby, audience members placed the names of their own female ancestors into special pockets in an Ancestor's Quilt, which then carried those precious names onto the stage during the Full Circle work She Did That! Community guest artists aged 9 to 60+ joined professional dancers in that work, embodying the stories and legacies of women who broke barriers and carved diverse paths for future generations. Many of the community guest artists were students of the Morton Street Dance Center, the Baltimore City studio where Full Circle Dance Company is in residence.

A rousing finale work, an excerpt from Sin Shakers and Shouters by choreographer Travis D. Gatling, raised the roof, with dancers from both companies sharing the stage. 

In the program for LINEAGE, Ballet Theatre of Maryland Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch and Full Circle Artistic Director Donna L. Jacobs shared the following thoughts:

This yearly performance has grown into a meaningful opportunity to celebrate joyful, innovative dance in many forms. Although ballet and modern dance carry their own unique traditions, both disciplines have been shaped by generations of women whose creativity, strength, and resilience continue to guide us. We invite you to reflect on the labor of mothers and matriarchs to provide creativity and sustenance. We hope you will recognize this heritage not only as a relic of the past, but also as something that is living, shared, and personal.