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, Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts.

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.