Since taking the world by storm with triumphant successes in London, on Broadway, across North America and Japan BLAST!, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for “Best Special Theatrical Event,” and the 2001 Emmy Award for “Best Choreography,” will play the Van Wezel on Tues. Jan. 17, 2012 at 8 PM.
Astounding audiences around the globe repeatedly since the Emmy® winning PBS performance and the Tony® winning Broadway performances, BLAST! is back. The celebration of movement and music, has left critics everywhere surprised and delighted. Howard Kissel of the New York Daily News says: “What a cast, what a ‘Blast!’ An exhilarating evening.” Bruce McCabe of the Boston Globe says, “BLAST! doesn’t falter while bridging the categories of classical, blues, jazz, rock n roll, and techno-pop music. BLAST! stands, blows, pounds, marches, and whirls with panache. It sent the full house into repeated bursts of cheering and applause [with] the thrill of seeing sheer virtuosity in a different kind of art form. BLAST! is entertainment of a high order.”
Born on athletic fields across the nation, BLAST! evolved from the drum corps Star of Indiana, which was founded in 1984 in Bloomington, Indiana. In its initial year, Star of Indiana became the first corps ever to place among the top ten corps at the prestigious Drum Corps International World Championships and improved each year until it became the World Champion in 1991. Star’s performances revolutionized the world of drum corps, bringing an ever more sophisticated sense of musicianship, exciting showmanship, and dynamic choreography to this wonderful genre. In 1993 Star of Indiana began to evolve from a competitive drum corps into a theatrical show which brings the power, passion and precision of outdoor pageantry to the stage in a musical performance now known as BLAST! A unique experience, BLAST! explodes the genre with the artistry of the theatre--a musical spectacle; music in motion.
There are over 40 world titles held by BLAST! cast members who comprise three performing sections – the brass, percussion and visual ensembles. The physical and musical demands of the production require that the performers be highly trained athletes who are also world-class musicians. They produce thrilling performances where athleticism, musical talent, kaleidoscopic movement, and showmanship merge into an art form that is both compelling and entertaining, or in the words of Richard Quzounian of The Toronto Star, “Get your tickets now! BLAST! is nothing short of breathtaking; a free-wheeling fusion of then and now, [it] dazzles the eye, thrills the ear and stirs the spirit. A sure-fire hit.”
