Program Opens with Fresh Take on Classic Appalachian Spring

Nashville Ballet will explore two contemporary dance styles in one performance—a ballet set to brand-new music by acclaimed singer-songwriter collective Ten Out of Tenn and another featuring an iconic Aaron Copland score—at the world premiere of Seven Deadly Sins with Appalachian Spring May 5-7, 2017, at TPAC’s Jackson Hall.

The latest production from Nashville Ballet company dancer Christopher Stuart, who recently choreographed the smash-hit Johnny Cash ballet during February’s Attitude, Seven Deadly Sins follows one man’s journey as he is tempted by corrupt forces on his path to redemption. The performance will feature a genre-bending musical collaboration between Ten Out of Tenn and the Nashville Symphony.

“Seven Deadly Sins will spotlight each of the temptations we battle every day—pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth—through a series of modern-day experiences,” Stuart said. “At its core, the ballet is about the choices we make. As flawed, imperfect humans, we’re bound to slip up from time to time, but Seven Deadly Sins offers a hopeful, thought-provoking look at what happens when we do.”

Originating in 2005, Ten Out of Tenn is a collective of musicians ranging from Americana to folk to rock to pop that was created to highlight Nashville’s diverse music scene beyond the country genre it’s traditionally known for. The musicians (each with their own successful solo careers and fan bases) team up to produce a compilation album and tour as one band, taking turns both in the spotlight and collaborating all together on stage to display the wide spectrum of Nashville’s current music scene in one evening.

During this unique Ten Out of Tenn reunion show, the artists (Butterfly Boucher, Trent Dabbs, Gabe Dixon, Katie Herzig, Matthew Perryman Jones, Erin McCarley, K.S. Rhoads, Will Sayles and Amy Stroup) will perform all-new, original music. Rhoads, who acts as producer on the project, grouped the artists together to each create a song inspired by the concept of one of the seven deadly sins. Ten Out of Tenn musicians will debut the music at Seven Deadly Sins backed by live orchestration from the Nashville Symphony, which was scored by Rhoads. The Seven Deadly Sins set list features:

Pride (Can't Bury My Weakness) by Butterfly Boucher
Greed (This Isn't What I Got Into It For) by Trent Dabbs and K.S. Rhoads
Envy (If Every Wish Came True) by Katie Herzig, Amy Stroup and K.S. Rhoads
Sloth (I Feel It Too Much) by Erin McCarley and K.S. Rhoads
Gluttony (I Can't Get Enough Of Everything) by Jeremy Lister, Gabe Dixon and K.S. Rhoads
Lust (All That I Want) by Matthew Perryman Jones and K.S. Rhoads
Wrath (Like Thunder) by K.S. Rhoads

“This collaboration between Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Symphony and Ten Out of Tenn is a snapshot of what is happening now in the local arts scene,” Rhoads said. “Ours is a city that celebrates and thrives on creativity, and this show is such a beautiful culmination of that. There will be dance, theatre, full orchestration, songwriting, musicianship and storytelling all in one. That’s really what Ten Out of Tenn was striving for when it began 12 years ago—to highlight the magic that is happening in this little town in the middle of Tennessee.”

Seven Deadly Sins will feature modern costumes by Nashville-based fashion designer Maria “Poni” Silver. Owner of Black by Maria Silver, the Dominican-American designer specializes in contemporary streetwear that combines urban nonchalance with easy glamour. Her designs were showcased in four consecutive Nashville Fashion Week runway shows, and she was the recipient of Nashville Fashion Week’s Rising Star Award in 2016 and a finalist for St. Louis Fashion Week’s Project Design competition in 2013.

Seven Deadly Sins will open with Appalachian Spring, Nashville Ballet Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling’s abstract interpretation of Copland’s iconic masterwork. With a quintessential Americana score performed live by the full Nashville Symphony orchestra, the ballet examines the simplicity of a bygone era and themes of community, acceptance and the power of the woman.

Seven Deadly Sins is presented by Union Station Hotel, with support from Nashville Public Television. Tickets start at $28 and can be purchased by phone at (615) 782-4040 or at www.nashvilleballet.com. A complete performance schedule and more information can be found online.

About Nashville Ballet
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 75,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries and public elementary, middle and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students age 2 to 70.

Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional private support provided by Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund, Caterpillar Financial, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, The HCA Foundation, Ingram Charitable Fund, Inc., The Mall at Green Hills, The Memorial Foundation, New York Choreographic Institute, Publix Super Market Charities, The Shubert Foundation, SunTrust Bank, other community partners and hundreds of generous individuals who provide ongoing annual support.

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