The Arsht Center Presents DRUMLINE LIVE!, 11/11

Now celebrating its seventh season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County will present the anticipated return of the energetic musical phenomenon, DRUMLINE LIVE, along with Columbia Artist Management LLC. Inspired by the blockbuster film, Drumline starring Nick Cannon, DRUMLINE LIVE will high-step into Miami for one day only on November 11, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., filling the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall with original compositions and soul-infused interpretations of top 40 hits.

Tickets to DRUMLINE LIVE are $25 and $55*, and go on sale to Arsht Center members beginning October 10 and to the general public beginning October 13. Tickets may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

With the imaginative combination of sounds from Michael Jackson to Motown and on stage dance battles, the band delights and amazes with classics as well as their own original compositions. DRUMLINE LIVE brings the drum-pounding, percussion-blasting, high-stepping tradition of the marching band onto the stage for an intensely energetic performance sure to have audiences stomping their feet and clapping their hands. Sizzling choreography and daredevil athletic feats take the syncopated magic of marching band tradition straight to the stage!

“Miami is in for quite a party, as DRUMLINE LIVE returns to the Arsht Center with new compositions and high-energy sounds that will surely keep audiences dancing,” said M. John Richard, President and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “South Florida will also get a chance to cheer for homegrown talent, including former FAMU students, who make up more than half of the incredible cast. This performance is destined to be a highlight of the inaugural Live at Knight series!”

DRUMLINE LIVE is composed of 40 band members including one drum major, 33 percussion and wind players, 5 dancers, and one host, all from America’s historically black colleges and universities. Performances range from vividly choreographed routines to heavy doses of drum riffs and cadences. The live stage show encompasses a rainbow of sound – from funk to R&B to oldies – this marching band amazes with sheer sonic adventure.

Don P. Roberts, creator and musical director of DRUMLINE LIVE, was inspired to produce the theatrical adaptation after serving as Executive Band Consultant for the hit movie Drumline. Under Roberts’ direction, his 300 member band played the role of the Atlanta A&K marching band in the film. As a result of Roberts’ coaching, training, original compositions, and choreography Drumline was nominated for Most Outstanding Motion Picture by the NAACP, and garnered the American Choreography Award. A graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Roberts served as drum major, student conductor, and student arranger. FAMU is known as the university where the marching band traditional originated more than 50 years ago, and has long been regarded as having the nation’s preeminent marching band. Roberts currently serves as the Instrumental Music Coordinator for the Dekalb County School System in Georgia. He also serves as President of Halftime Live, which provided the drumline for the Atlanta Falcons in 2006 and for the Atlanta Hawks in 2007 and 2008.

Previously announced Live at Knight Series performances include: Talib Kweli: Idle Warship with Res (October 19, 2012); Macy Gray (November 8, 2012); Diego El Cigala (November 10, 2012); Lenine (January 18, 2013); Matisyahu (January 19, 2013); Calypso Rose (February 9, 2013); Kodo (March 9, 2013); and Esperanza Spalding (April 19, 2013). This new series will feature a starry line up of popular entertainers representing world music, rock, soul, hip-hop, comedy, pop, literature, current events, lifestyle trends and more.