Ballet Theatre

Familiar music interpreted through dance is always fascinating, and what I saw at a rehearsal at Ballet Theatre of Maryland last week promised dance audiences a treat. Artistic director Dianna Cuatto has selected music by 20th-century American composers George Gershwin, Aaron Copeland and Leonard Bernstein for the Director's Choice program on Feb. 24 and 25. Ballet master Bryan Skates has choreographed two of the pieces: Copeland's Old American Songs, a blend of traditional hymns and folk songs, and Sentimental Saunter, which is set to Gershwin.

The Nutcracker is a holiday treat that does not grow stale under choreographer Dianna Cuatto of the Ballet Theatre of Maryland. Now in her fourth season as artistic director, Cuatto continuously tweaks to accommodate the growing dance skills of her cast, intent on perfecting every scene danced by her professional troupe and superbly-rehearsed students. This year's budget prevented engaging J. Ernest Green and the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra to supply live music at selected performances for a third consecutive year, but the production I saw Saturday succeeded despite being somewhat diminished in dramatic nuance.

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, with its dancing Sugar Plum Fairy, waltzing flowers and toy soldiers, has long been a beloved holiday tradition. This season, Baltimoreans can see Russian dancers perform the ballet, composed by Tchaikovsky for the Alexandre Dumas adaptation of the E.T.A. Hoffman short story. The Lyric Opera House is offering four performances of The Great Russian Nutcracker by the Moscow Ballet. "It features an all-star Russian cast, including two stars from the Kirov Ballet, the No. 1 ballet company in the world," says Akiva Talmi, the show's producer.

As principals in the Ballet Theatre of Maryland rehearsed their Renaissance Festival presentation this week, the demands of their profession were manifest. Ballerina Christi Bleakly met challenges with strength and grace while Bryan Skates moved from rigorous duels with Joseph Villalobos to executing seamless lifts of Bleakly, including holding her above his head with one hand. As she supervised the dancers and attended to other details, artistic director Dianna Cuatto provided insight into her choices for her fourth season as director and the 26th season of Maryland's only professional ballet company.

Far removed from the usual tedious and too-long dance school recital, Ballet Theatre of Maryland's Summer Intensive Gala 2006 performance was an entertaining showcase. Saturday's program at Anne Arundel Community College's Pascal Center for the Performing Arts included diverse selections from classical, romantic and contemporary repertoires. The selection included Coppelia, The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet, along with newer works like American Ballads, Peter Pan and Hitchcock Presents choreographed to Dance of the Marionettes.

Ballet Theatre of Maryland held its recent Evening in Morocco gala under a tent in Annapolis festooned with hanging, hand-blown Turkish lanterns and carpeted with hand-woven Oriental rugs. This transformation of the William Paca House Garden into an elegant Moroccan hideaway was accomplished by Max Onder of Karavan in Annapolis. Adding to the atmosphere were several guests wearing Moroccan garb mingling with other party-goers, who all seemed to have fun while helping to raise funds for the ballet company.

THE SUNLIGHT POURING THROUGH THE LONG rectangular windows of an American Ballet Theatre rehearsal hall is cool, thick and faintly golden, like cream. A pianist taps out the music of French composer Leo Delibes on the beat-up black instrument in the corner of the cavernous Studio No. 5. Dancer Michele Wiles hops up and down delicately on one pointe-shoed foot. The other leg is extended straight behind her, and her arms arc gracefully. Each soft lift and landing is so precise, Wiles almost seems to be digging a small hole in the ground, about the right diameter for planting a tulip bulb.

For the students at the Ballet Royale Institute of Maryland, dance is a serious sport. Just as a high school quarterback would practice long hours for a chance to play on the same field as Peyton Manning, select dancers at the institute have dedicated many hours to preparing for the Bravo! gala, where they will dance alongside professional ballet dancers. Students in the institute's Enrichment Program, which is for gifted and talented dancers, made the cut. This audition-only program is for students who plan to pursue any kind of dance career.

The approach of a major snow storm hardly dampened the party mood of ballet enthusiasts who arrived at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in surprisingly large numbers Saturday night to continue the celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday. Ballet Theatre of Maryland was the second resident arts group scheduled to participate in the Hall's Mozart birthday celebration. For this occasion, company artistic director Dianna Cuatto invited Annapolis Chorale director J. Ernest Green to advise in the selection of Mozart music for the program and welcomed members of the Chorale's Chamber Chorus to participate in the Wedding of Figaro - the second Mozart segment.

What better way to start the new year than by joining the four resident companies at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in a festival celebrating the 250th birthday of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The festival also celebrates local performing groups - the Annapolis Symphony, the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, the Annapolis Chorale and the Annapolis Opera - with each offering programs this month through March. "The Maryland Hall Mozart Festival is as much a celebration of Mozart's genius as it is a celebration of the arts in our community," Annapolis Symphony Orchestra President R. Lee Streby wrote in an e-mail response.