(Enlarge) Eva Anderson is helping the dancers of the Misako Ballet get their ragtime on.

Charles Abel, Eva Anderson and Caryl Maxwell have a combined total of 150 years experience as dancers, choreographers and directors. This month, these three local icons will each be showcasing new works in programs by three diverse companies.

For Ballet Royale's advanced classical dancers, Abel -- or simply "Charlie," as he is affectionately known in the arts community -- has created a new piece set to music written 60 years ago by his father, Paul Louis Abel.

While still a student at the Eastman School of Music, the senior Abel wrote "Sonata In Stilo Antico" for oboe and clavier. The composition was recently performed in Atlanta and a new recording of the work inspired the Ballet Royale to mount its own interpretation.

At an early rehearsal of the piece, Abel guided a group of skillfully trained ballerinas through a neo-classic variation, a la George Balanchine.

"I'm proud of this piece, because there is a lot of heritage here," said the 30-year veteran of local theater and teacher at Ballet Royale since 1999. Dressed in shorts and T-shirt, he demonstrated a fancy jump, followed by a long stretch to the floor. His signature mop of silver hair fell forward as he completed the traditional porte de bras.

A dozen ballerinas, all wearing point shoes and dressed in classic black-and-white leotards, scattered this way and that, their legs flying high in the air, their arms reaching out towards the audience.

Brenna Dames began her solo in the center of the group. The section called "Saraband" found the teen-aged ballerina slithering across the stage with moves similar to the Arabian dance in "Nutcracker."

Since that viewing, the solo has grown into a pas deux with Abel as her partner. The choreography melds Balanchine's penchant for clean lines with Jerome Robbins' theatrical flair.

"The music provides inspiration to dance well, and the choreography, I hope, will make my father proud." His dad is expected to attend the Ballet Royale premiere.

In addition to Dames, featured dancers are Grace Bromery, Elena Danos, Emile Forest, Jennifer McAllister, Abbey Parrish, Genevieve Simard, Jessica Son, Nicole Talor, Elly Tilles, Giuliana Watson and Carly Weickgenannt.

The Ballet Royale Institute of Maryland will perform its spring program, with works choreographed by faculty and danced by students ranging in age from 3 to adult, Saturday, June 13 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at The Jim Rouse Theatre, at Wilde Lake High School, in Columbia, "In Stilto Antico" will be performed at 3 p.m. only. Admission is $25 for reserved seats, $20 for seniors and children younger than 12. Call 410-997-8443 or e-mail balletroyale@verizon.net for tickets or more information.

Anderson joins with Misako

When she got an invitation to choreograph something for the Misako Ballet Company, Eva Anderson recalls jumping for joy.

"I can do three minutes of Scott Joplin," she gleefully informed Misako, director of this professional chamber ballet company.

"It gets me out of the house and back to the artistic part of my life," Anderson added. "It's wonderful to be asked, and even better that I can still move at my age!"

As it turns out, Misako's company dancers found themselves having a blast with Anderson's ethnocentric, including her signature treatment of the traditional black "Cakewalk," set to a Joplin rag.

"They're doing a good job with the historical approach to this dance," noted Anderson during a recent rehearsal at the Harpers Farm Village Center studio. "One particular step, influenced by Native Americans -- where you bend your knees and jump forward at the same time -- has actually been incorporated into classical ballet."

As in past performances, Misako's dancers turn to the world at large for their inspiration. One new piece inspired by a Japanese folk song centers on a nature theme, though Misako's seasoned dancers will also tackle the Russian classic "Sleeping Beauty," notably its incredibly difficult "Blue Bird Variation."

Cellists Valerie Matthews and Fay Rosinsky will perform classical cello duets during the dance interludes.

"Classical With a Japanese Twist" features company dancers Carey Ballinger, Genevieve Ellis-Williams, Jessica Markiewicz, Jessica McElvaney, Amy Scaringe, Amada Wade and Genevieve Ferris.

It will be presented at the Howard County Center for the Arts's Black Box Theater in Ellicott City this Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 general, $10 for seniors and students, and $6 for children 12 and younger. Call 410-884-9690 or go to www.misakoballet.com.

Maxwell sets 'Sleeping Beauty'

Nobody knows the "Sleeping Beauty" ballet better than Caryl Maxwell. As a student in Georgia, she performed in the full-length fairy tale ballet, then danced in variations from "Beauty" with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Her own Ellicott City Ballet danced excerpts from the famous ballet many times over the years.

Now Maxwell is staging "Sleeping Beauty" as a cornerstone of a special student concert by Ballet with Cindee Velle. The program titled "The British Invasion" will include original dance pieces featuring local dance students aged 2 to adult.

"The 'Sleeping Beauty Suite' was Caryl's idea," says Velle, once Maxwell's student and now director of her own company at the Long Reach Village Center. "She outlined it, created an opening for our entire ensemble and a closing. It represents the absolute best of classical ballet."

"I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing without Caryl," adds Velle. "It' a real privilege having her back after all these years. I can see a difference in my students since she has been working with us."

Rising star Emily Runkle will be spotlighted in the advanced section of "Sleeping Beauty," while Cindy's daughter Amy Velle will join Rachel Boyd in a more contemporary piece.

Ballet with Cindee Velle will present "The British Invasion" at the Atholton High School Auditorium Saturday, June 20 at 2 and 7 p.m. In addition to "The Sleeping Beauty Suite," dancers will perform to other British-inspired music from "My Fair Lady," "Mary Poppins," "Oliver," the Spice Girls, and, of course, the Beatles. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. For more information, call 410-465-7674 or send an e-mail to cindeevelleballet@verizon.net.

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