Silver Spring Dance

Our first round of LOTS auditions is in the books and we are already so excited to get working on this year’s production!

We do still have openings at our next round of auditions so head over to ssdcdance.org/nutcracker to reserve your dancer’s spot. Ballet students from all local studios are welcome to audition.

Questions about our production, dancer placement, or anything else? Email our director, Katie Reiter at [email protected]!

See you in the Land of the Sweets!🩰🍭

Congratulations to all our SSDC dancers on their beautiful Spring Concert performances! Thank you for a wonderful season. We hope you all enjoy some rest and fun with family and friends and we will see you back in the studio very soon!

Spring Concert weekend is here and we are so excited for this beautiful show! A few reminders for families, friends, and audience members…

Tickets are $15 and are available online at ticketor.com/silverspringdance until two hours before each performance. Tickets will be available for in-person purchase in the lobby starting one hour before each performance.

Families should pick up their pre-ordered flowers in the lobby before heading into the theater on Saturday. We have a very limited number of extra flowers available for purchase. These extra bouquets are $15 each and will be first-come-first-served.

You can purchase a candy gram for your dancer in the lobby before the show! These are $3 and will be delivered to the dancers backstage!

We will have water for sale at both shows for $2

⭐️All show day purchases are CASH or VENMO only⭐️

You can also make a donation to our “Raising the Barre: Funding a Future in Motion” campaign! This campaign helps fund our community programs like “Journey to the Land of the Sweets: A Nutcracker Tale” as well as dancer scholarships, studio improvements, and other initiatives that directly benefit dancers and their families.

Thank you for a wonderful year and we will see everyone tonight at dress rehearsal! 🌞🌛

⭐️Senior Spotlight⭐️

McKenna Straley is our third and final Senior Spotlight for 2026! McKenna is a 2026 graduate of Hempfield High School. She fell in love with dance 15 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. She currently studies ballet, tap, modern, and jazz at SSDC and danced the Coffee Soloist role in SSDC’s 2025 production of “Journey to the Land of the Sweets: A Nutcracker Tale” in addition to ensemble roles in Party Scene, Snow, Flowers, and Hot Chocolate. Outside of the studio, she was a 4 year Principal Dancer in Hempfield Dance Theater and has been involved in various extracurricular activities, including the Video Production Club, Powderpuff, Hempfield Happenings, and HSDTV7. With a deep passion for video production and communications, she has competed nationally at the Student Television Network conference as part of the highest placing production team in HHS history and only the 4th ever presenter to represent Hempfield. She is also the recipient of a student Emmy for her accomplishments in video production. McKenna will be attending Penn State University to major in Advertising and Public Relations. She would like to thank her teachers at SSDC for their dedication throughout the years, her Mom and Dad for being her biggest supporters, and her sister, Brennan, for sharing the stage with her through the highs, lows and her final bow!

McKenna you are such a star and we are so excited to see you go out into the world and shine!🎓🥳⭐️

⭐️Senior Spotlight⭐️

Our second Senior Spotlight of 2026 is Hannah Keller! Hannah is a 2026 graduate of Hempfield High School and has been a dedicated member of SSDC since the age of five. She has studied ballet, pointe, tap, modern, contemporary, and jazz. This past year, she has enjoyed sharing her passion for dance with the younger dancers as a Teaching Assistant. Outside the studio, Hannah has been highly involved in her school and community. Her activities include Dance Theatre (featured/principal dancer), Hempfield Marching Knights (Quartermaster Captain), Symphonic Band, LLMEA County Band, National Honor Society, and Anchor Club. In addition, she volunteers with the preschool ministry at her church. Hannah was honored with an LLMEA Band Award in recognition of her achievement in the HHS music program. She was also a recipient of the 2026 Luthercare Nursing Scholarship. In the fall, Hannah will attend Messiah University to pursue a degree in nursing and plans to continue her involvement in dance through Messiah”s Acclamation Dance Ministry. Hannah would like to thank her parents, family, and friends for their unwavering support, as well as her dance teachers for continually pushing her to grow. As she takes her final bow, she is grateful to share the PAC stage one last time with her sister, Ashley, finishing a chapter they’ve spent years dancing.

You are amazing ! Congratulations on all your achievements!🥳🎓🩷

*check out the ADORABLE backstage photo of Hannah and her dance bestie Lydia!🥹

It’s officially show week and that means it’s time for our first ⭐️Senior Spotlight⭐️ of 2026!

Tahlia Wirick began dancing at the age of three and has trained in a variety of styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, and contemporary. Over the years, dance has become an important part of her life, shaping her discipline, creativity, and love of the performing arts. Tahlia performed in SSDC’s “Journey to the Land of the Sweets: A Nutcracker Tale” in 2024 and 2025 dancing in Candy Canes, Party Scene, and Ribbon Candy. She also performed in Hempfield Dance Theatre her senior year. A 2026 Hempfield High School graduate, Tahlia has maintained a strong academic record, consistently earning Superior Honor Roll recognition. During her senior year, she was honored with the Young Writers Award in creative writing. Tahlia enjoys giving back to her community. She has volunteered at the Hands-On House, helping with summer camps for elementary-aged children, and she has assisted with Pre-K through fourth graders on Sundays at Reality Church. She also was able to share her love for dance with SSDC’s younger students as a teaching assistant. This fall, Tahlia will attend Messiah University where she will major in Nutrition and Dietetics. She plans to continue dancing as a member of Messiah’s Acclamation Dance program.

Congratulations ! We are so proud of you!🎓🥳🩷