Ballet Theatre Of Maryland And Full Circle Dance Company Come Together For “LINEAGE”

Two of Maryland’s top professional dance companies — Ballet Theatre of Maryland and Full Circle Dance Company — will unite this spring in a performance that explores ideas of heritage and legacy, with special focus on the contributions of women. The show “LINEAGE” will be presented one night only on Thursday, March 12, at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts in Owings Mills.

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. Each company will present works that illuminate the theme, and dancers from both ensembles will share the stage in a rousing final work that will have the audience clapping and stomping along.

“LINEAGE” will also invite members of the audience to participate directly in the artistic process in a small but deeply personal way. One of the works on the program features a quilt created by a local artist that reflects real stories of female ancestors. Before the performance, audience members will be invited to write on bits of fabric the names of their own female ancestors. These fabric scraps will be inserted inside the quilt, honoring the ancestors of the “LINEAGE” audience in a concrete way on the stage.

“LINEAGE” marks the third fruitful collaboration between two companies that belong to different dance traditions but that share many values and creative interests.

“Both of these professional companies are genuinely interested in innovating together,” said Full Circle Artistic Director Donna Jacobs. “Ballet and modern dance diverge in many ways, and they are inheritors of many different legacies, but they also share some important roots. In ‘LINEAGE,’ we can explore the great value in our differences as well as our common ground. It is inspiring, and artistically enriching, for us to be together on this journey.”

Ballet Theatre of Maryland Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch called the collaboration deeply meaningful.

“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,” Kelsch said. “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.”

The performance is scheduled for 7:30pm on March 12. The Gordon Center for Performing Arts is located at 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue in Owings Mills. Tickets are $15-$35 and can be purchased at gordoncenter.com/event/lineage.

“LINEAGE” is made possible by a Maryland State Arts Council Touring Grant and is supported in part by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, the Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, The Gordon Center/JCC of Greater Baltimore, and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.