Appalachian Ballet's program includes variety of dance forms

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Brittany Blum ties her ballet shoes before a rehearsal for “Peter and the Wolf & Other Works,” to be held Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, at the Bijou Theatre. Blum, a junior at the University of Tennessee, plays the wolf in one ballet and has choreographed two other dances.

The Appalachian Ballet practices 'Pathways'

The Appalachian Ballet practices the dance "Pathways."

Photo by Justin Fee

Brittany Blum ties her ballet shoes before a rehearsal for “Peter and the Wolf & Other Works,” to be held Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, at the Bijou Theatre. Blum, a junior at the University of Tennessee, plays the wolf in one ballet and has choreographed two other dances.

Photo by Justin Fee

Anne Souder will play the role of Peter in the Appalachian Ballet’s "Peter and the Wolf & Other Works."

The Appalachian Ballet's upcoming production includes the classic "Peter and the Wolf" ballet, complete with one dancer's much-feathered duck costume. But the 90-minute program's seven dances range from traditional ballets to those that incorporate contemporary movement.

"Peter and the Wolf & Other Works" will be presented 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets are $16.50 for adults and $11.50 for senior citizens and students.

The Maryville-based ballet company began working on the program the first week of January. Artistic Director Amy Moore Morton knew that she wanted to do "Peter and the Wolf"; the company hasn't presented the ballet in at least 15 years and never to live music. A Knoxville Symphony Orchestra brass quintet will play the music for this part of the show.

"Peter" is a child-focused performance. Composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote the musical symphony in 1936 to cultivate young children's interest in music.

Actor and Maryville resident David Dwyer will be the narrator for the ballet in which each character is represented by a different musical theme and instrument. Morton choreographed the company's version of the work.

"Peter and the Wolf" will be the last dance in the production. The other dances will be performed to recorded music. Among them is "Pathways," which choreographer Morton calls a "light, bright, smiling, happy ballet" set to music by 18th-century composer Antonio Vivaldi.

"Pathways" is in contrast to Morton's "CrYptOgraMs," which is danced to "32 Cryptograms for Derek Jarman," a piece created in 1994 by American composer Robert Moran. The 15-member contemporary dance is inspired by computers and computer codes, Morton said. A cryptogram is a puzzle and secret in code; the code here is that the dancers' movements actually spell out "secret."

Children's stories inspire "Celebration Dance," choreographed by Morton and featuring the ballet company's youngest dancers as "lost boys" and Indians. "Celebration Dance" is inspired by J.M. Barrie's classic stories about Peter Pan. Also on the program is Marius Petipa's "Raymonda Variations," a ballet with ballerinas in tutus.

"Peter and the Wolf & Other Works" includes two pieces choreographed by 18-year-old Brittany Blum. A member of the Appalachian Ballet and a University of Tennessee junior, Blum has been dancing since she was 3 years old.

Dancer Stephanie Swain will perform "Breathe Me," a solo dance Blum choreographed. And nine dancers in bright red costumes will present Blum's "Virulent."

A production of intensity, tension and high energy, Blum said "Virulent" is about the actions of a virus. Virulent, according to the dance program, means "very harmful or poisonous, intensely bitter and hostile, extremely infectious, malignant or deadly."

Blum, who plans to study medicine, is majoring in clinical laboratory science. She brings her "Principles of Microbiology" textbook to study during breaks in ballet rehearsals and says dance is an important part of her life.

"If I didn't have dance, I wouldn't be the person I am," she said. "This is my home base. I need to come here every day."

Amy McRary may be reached at 865-342-6437.

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