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Fayetteville has many rites of spring, and on Sunday, June 1, one of those rites — which has been a tradition for more than 40 years — will come to the Crown Theatre as Charlotte Blume presents the Spring Festival of Dance. The festival, which begins at 2:30 p.m., celebrates the art of dance through a variety of styles.
“This has been an annual event for more than 40 years,” said Blume, who has instructed students in the art of dance throughout her life. “It is a recital for my students but we add several elements that are of interest to the general public.”
Blume explained that the show features students from beginners to the most advanced dancers. The advanced students take the lead; however, the beginners also get their moment to shine. The festival will showcase more than 200 dancers in a variety of dance styles. It will feature classical ballet, jazz, tap and even hip-hop. Blume said that ballet takes the forefront as it is the basis of all dance.
“All of our dance training is based on the basics of ballet,” she said.
With that being the case, the festival will feature two ballets: Les Patineurs (the skaters) and Verdi’s The Seasons. Blume said Les Patineurs is not performed very often, although it is in the American Ballet Repertoire. {mosimage}
“It has been staged quite a bit,” she said.
Les Patineurs features 23 dancers on stage in a series of dance sketches that portray skaters on a frozen outdoor pond. Sarah Thornton, with Todd Overlie and Wilfredo Charon, dance the leads in the Pas de Trois. Jonelle Guthrie dances the role of The Novice. The selection is choreographed by Charlotte Blume.
Soloists in The Seasons are Deja Lewis, Alexa Copenhaver, Virginia Williams and April Glasper. Glasper also dances as Puck in a scene from Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“The excerpts from The Seasons are very popular,” said Blume. “We perform that ballet very frequently. People want to see it over and over again.”
In addition to the ballet performances, the festival will also feature a number of tap numbers, including rhythmic tap. Blume explained that rhythmic tap is categorized as tap dance to jazz music. Choreographing the jazz numbers is Howard Blume, Charlotte’s son, who has a studio in California. Blume, a journalist, has dance as his hobby, but always makes the time to come home and perform in the spring festival. Along with Blume, two of the dancers from his studio are performing — Erin Aubrey Kaplan and Marty Barrera. The trio will perform Turn Down Day, a pop-jazz favorite that made the charts in the ‘60s and was written by the late David Blume, Howard’s father. They will also perform Pinocchio, a jazz waltz, which is also choreographed by David.
“His choreography is featured throughout the show,” said Blume.
Jazz dance performances include The Prayer, a lyric and upbeat piece by Charlotte Blume, and Chantel High’s Hip Hop “Funk Fuzion” Dance Company.
“It’s a fun show for the entire family,” said Blume. “It’s a great way for a family to spend the afternoon watching the dances do what they do best.”
Tickets for the event are $9 and are available at the Crown Center Box Office.
Dance Festival, Fayetteville Rite of Spring
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