Our Founder & Artistic Director
Since its establishment, Russell has grown GAB into a full time school, held virtual and in-person performances of The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and more, as well as founded The HOPE Dance Concert, a performance to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2020, GAB was accepted as a New Company into Regional Dance America’s Northeast Region. The school’s students have been awarded and recognized at Youth America Grand Prix and other competitions, as well as Regional Dance America’s Outstanding Soloists and Featured Performers. Russell looks forward to continuing GAB’s growth and debuting and performing many ballets. She is dedicated to providing students with proper training and guidance. Margaret’s professional experience includes principal and soloist roles with Manassas Ballet Theatre and Ballet Theatre of Maryland. Her roles with MBT, under the direction of Amy Grant Wolfe, include Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, Katrina in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, in addition to soloist roles in Les Sylphides and The Sleeping Beauty. Her roles with BTM, under the direction of Dianna Cuatto, include Cinderella in Cinderella, Dawn in Coppelia, Dew Drop and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and Odette in Swan Lake. Russell holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where she trained with Carol Hess, Doug Hamby, and Sandra Lacy. She began her training with the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia under the direction of Lisa Sheppard. She has studied with Orlando Ballet, Boston Ballet, Ballet Arizona, and Burklyn Ballet Theatre. She has worked with Fernando Bujones, John Gardner, Amanda McKerrow, and Thom Clower. Russell’s international performances include the Tanzsommer Festival in Austria with the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre and the Fringe Festival in Scotland with the Burklyn Ballet Theatre
Margaret Russell has been teaching ballet in Maryland and Virginia for the past twenty years. She is currently on the faculty of Anne Arundel Community College and the Director of the AACC Dance Company. She has taught for The Dance Academy, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Manassas Ballet Academy. In 2010, she was appointed Ballet mistress for Ballet Theatre of Maryland and in 2017 for The Dance Academy. Russell’s students have received scholarships to train with American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Academy in Moscow, Russia, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Ballet and other numerous renowned schools. Many of Russell’s students have been finalists at the Youth America Grand Prix and have danced professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. She has choreographed neoclassical and contemporary pieces for Manassas Ballet Theatre, University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Dance Department, and South River High School’s Dance Company. Her choreography received top 12 at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2019. Russell founded Greater Annapolis Ballet (GAB) in 2019 as a school for coaching, private lessons and supplemental technique classes.