Ballet Theatre of Maryland

Ballet Theatre of Maryland Conservatory of Classical and Contemporary Dance, founded in 1978, is the only school in Maryland that offers a fully comprehensive ballet training program for the beginner student through the professional dancer. 

A focus on the healthy body aesthetic-healthy body types and healthy mentoring-is a hallmark of Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s company and conservatory. Our goal is to provide the best dance training to all students whether they intend to become a professional dancer or to enjoy participating in this vital art form for a short time. We work to share this engaging art form with our community and create lifelong dance enthusiasts. In accomplishing these aims, it is central to the mission and vision of the school to expect of each student, whether or not a professional dance career is planned, the very best effort of which he or she is capable. We provide a professional faculty and the best possible instruction to serve the dance needs of all students, and give the care and attention the student deserves, always believing in each as an individual, growing young artist. The faculty and staff of BTM are dedicated to this purpose, and provide additional resources to help meet our students’ needs.  

BTM offers a complete curriculum for a future career as professional dancer as well as for the health and knowledge of the recreational dancer. It is designed to provide anatomically sound training while providing an increasing variety of special classes and performance opportunities that make greater demands on the student with each level of study mastered. The syllabus is based on the Christensen aesthetic which enhances the classical technique, Italian and Russian tradition with cross-training in contemporary dance forms to prepare graduates for the eclectic demands of dance companies now and in the future, and for granting the recreational student with the tools necessary to sustain a healthy body throughout their lives. 

The opportunities to watch BTM’s professional dancers in their daily classes, rehearsals and performances, to perform alongside them in professional productions, and to train with professionals working in the field give students the inspiration needed to follow their passions and strive for excellence and to sustain those who choose to dedicate themselves to a professional career.