Dance Theatre

Katie Santilli could have ended up being one of the most graceful pig farmers in Maryland.The Dayton 12-year-old hasn't lost her interest in swine, she's chosen to pirouette to Tchaikovsky rather than slop hogs.This weekend she is playing the lead role in "The Nutcracker" with two members of the renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem and earlier this month, she danced other roles with the world-famous Joffrey Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington."It was really fun and exciting. It was wonderful just being up there and watching all the professionals.

Ken Skrzesz has been selected to be the new artistic director of Kinetics Dance Theatre in Ellicott City. Kinetics is the home of Kinetics Dance Company, a professional modern dance company and the Contemporary School of Dance, with a population of about 300.Mr. Skrzesz was suggested by Dorothy Fried, the founder of the organization and 10-year director.Mr. Skrzesz has been with the organization since June 1993 working as managing director while performing as a dancer with the Kinetics Dance Company.

While a proposal looms in the wings for a new College Park arts center that would offer real performance space for dance, in the immediate future dance aficionados can look forward to an exciting season. From the ridiculous to the sublime, from the avant-garde to the classical, from performances in Baltimore to shows in Washington, this is a season of choice., Avant-garde performances For those who prefer to make their home on the cutting edge of artistic sensibilities, the obvious choice is the Dance on the Edge series.

What better way to inaugurate the 10-day Columbia Festival of the Arts than to feature the home-grown talents of the Howard County-based Kinetic Dance Company? Last night's performance at Wilde Lake High School also included the fine talents of an ex-Baltimorean and current member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Gary-David Shaw.Under the artistic direction of Dorothy Fried, this personable troupe has picked up a loyal following and has cultivated some young and very promising dancers. This is a company that has come a long way, and the program's seven dances contained several favorite works from the company's repertoire, including Sharon Wyrrick's "Ooo Baby, Baby," and Alvin Mayes' "Winter Sleep."

Ann Brown, founder and artistic director of the Chesapeake Dance Theatre, has spent seven years establishing herself as one of this area's most creative choreographers.Employing the innovative approach to children's dance pioneered by her aunt, Virginia Tanner, Mrs. Brown has sparked the creative process in hundreds of young minds and bodies by encouraging youngsters to take a direct role in designing their own patterns of movement.But the choreographer is about to don a new leotard and become an impresario of the dance.

WASHINGTON -- Michael Smuin's cinematic, Emmy-winning ballet, "A Song for a Dead Warrior," was the highlight of Dance Theatre of Harlem's opening performance at the Kennedy Center Opera House Tuesday night.Oddly placed as centerpiece between George Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante" and Alvin Ailey's "The River," Mr. Smuin's ballet received a standing ovation from the crowd, impressed with the strong, evocative dancing of Luis Dominguez and Tai Jimenez, and Mr. Smuin's poignant and violent portrayal of the plight of American Indians.

If you are looking for a way to chase the midwinter blues, a reason to smile, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is in Baltimore this weekend at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre. This popular company, under the artistic direction of Judith Jamison,If you are looking for a way to chase the midwinter blues, a reason to smile, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is in Baltimore this weekend at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre. This popular company, under the artistic direction of Judith Jamison, opened its four-day engagement with a benefit performance that attracted this city's cultural elite and wowed the most jaded audience member with with their power-packed dancing.

At the eighth Scott Joplin Festival at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Eva Anderson's Baltimore Dance Theatre brought together musicians and dancers to celebrate the music of the beloved ragtime composer in a warm and fuzzy evening full of historical facts about dance, music and African-American culture.Unfortunately, unlike past performances, the quality of the dancing was not up to the company's usual high-spirited efforts. The energy level was scattered, and several dancers were obviously under-rehearsed.

There has been a lot of speculation concerning why "Th Nutcracker" ballet has become a holiday tradition. Perhaps it is the fact that this 100-year-old ballet with its magical score by Tchaikovsky and wealth of aspiring dancers has the uncanny ability to rejuvenate the spirit.The Maryland Ballet opened its version of the beloved ballet last evening at the Lyric Opera House. Artistic Director Phillip Carman has assembled a fine cast of dancers from several dance companies to bring the holiday tradition to life.

Every child who believes in Christmas magic knows the blissful struggle between sleep and anticipation on Christmas Eve.And though visions of sugarplums have long been supplanted by those of roller blades and Barbie dolls, children weren't so very different a century ago. That's when the "Nutcracker" ballet first captured the imagination of audiences throughout the world with its story of a little girl's Christmas Eve dream."