PRESS RELEASE: Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Resident Company at the Lyric in Baltimore presents Excalibur: The Sword in the Stone 2016-2017, April, 2017.

Immediate Release:

Press Release Contact: Dianna Cuatto

410-224-5644 (w); 443-891-3408 ©

Email: [email protected]

Baltimore, Maryland. The Ballet Theatre of Maryland (BTM), the premier professional Resident Ballet Company at the Lyric in Baltimore presents: Excalibur: The Sword in the Stone-Saturday, April 1, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. Wizardry, magic, sword-fights, warrior knights, princesses, the forces of dark versus the forces of light, romance and betrayal are all part of the Excalibur tapestry. This powerful retelling of King Arthur’s legend from his birth, to his pulling the sword from the stone, through the creation of the Knights of the Round Table, and Camelot’s inevitable downfall, will mesmerize you. Calder Taylor stars as the virtuous, but flawed Arthur who lives to see his dream of unity, truth, and light fulfilled and then lost through the dark designs of his half-sister Morgan (Emily Brennan) and her son, Mordred (Alden Taylor). Nicole Kelsch portrays the poignant Warrior Princess Guinevere with Alexander Collen as the virtuous Lancelot and Lynne Bellinger as the High Priestess Vivianne of Avalon. .

In 2015, Excalibur was proclaimed to be one of the top ten shows by MD Theater Guide’s Mark Beachy. “…There is never a dull moment,” said Beachy…The dancers are as sharp as the swords while the beat of the drum keeps the heart pounding…the audience, can be thankful for the opportunity to experience something new, original, and very special."

Artistic Director Dianna Cuatto won an Individual Artist Award for her choreography set to the award-winning, period and original music of nationally acclaimed Composer Maggie Sansone. The musical score will be played live by Sansone and features the talents of Andrea Hoag (Fiddle); Karen Ashbrook (Flute & Pennywhistle), Paul Oorts (Guitar & Musette Accordian), James Gummer (Drums and Percussion), and Maggie Sansone (Hammered Dulcimer).

You won’t want to miss this performance as BTM and the Lyric make history again in their collaborative journey bringing high-caliber, theatrical dance to Baltimore in BTM’s first Season as a resident company. For tickets: [email protected]. Or call: 410-900-1150.

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Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Resident Ballet Company at the Lyric in Baltimore, is designated as the premier professional ballet company in the state of Maryland with an attached, fully comprehensive school of classical and contemporary dance. The company is comprised of 16-18 professional dancers, and is supplemented by Apprentices and Trainees from all over world. In addition to the Lyric, the company performs in residence at MD Hall in Annapolis, the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, and tours throughout the state and surrounding region with over 70 performances per season. The attached school of dance has an all professional faculty with teachers currently performing in the field. Most have degrees in dance education and/or certifications from top training schools in Australia, San Francisco, and beyond. . BTM’s school has locations in Annapolis at Maryland Hall, the Merritt Annex, and Easton, providing quality training for ages 2 through adult, pre-professional and professional in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, etc. BTM also provides students opportunities to perform with the professional company in some of the professional productions with age appropriate challenges in many of our full-length story ballets. Look for upcoming auditions, performance, and other opportunities with BTM at the Lyric. For information about BTM, visit us at www.balletmaryland.org or call 410-263-8289.