Appalachian Ballet Co.
Appalachian Ballet Company, artistic director, Amy Moore Morton has choreographed another comedy work for the 30th anniversary of Appalachian Ballet Company in Knoxville, Tennessee. Ms. Morton has received rave reviews in the past from her comedy "With Chaplin" performed in 1997 at the national festival of Regional Dance America in Houston, Texas. The title of the new work is "Black and White and Read all over." This lighthearted work shows four dancers dressed in 1950's attire (all black and white) and the ladies are reading the gossip columns from the newspaper (the props are actually Dancer magazines!).
Ms. Morton says the dancers enjoy reading the articles while they are actually rehearsing! The ballet walks us through four different columns from a quilt-making club, lost loves and bridge clubs. Costumes were
designed by Angie Wood of Appalachian Ballet. Dancers Hannah Jones, Stephanie Swain, Kathleen Souder and Megan Larson dance the roles of the housewives. Lacy Simpson, Megan Baker and Ashley Smith dance the role of the blue trio. The remainder of Appalachian Ballet Senior Company make up the corps dressed in Carmen Miranda type costumes dancing en pointe and shaking maracas!
This ballet was adjudicated by Jeffrey Gribler, Pennsylvania Ballet, in February in preparation for the annual Regional Dance America/Southeast Regional Ballet Association Festival to be hosted by Appalachian Ballet Company in Knoxville, TN in April 2002. •