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Off Entire Bill 9/29 2000 R50 I not to go with any other offer I with.couptin I 1 Expires 12/3W2000 NM NM UM NM Mill IOW MIMI NMI MN NIMIN Having A `Blast!' Young performers demonstrate musicianship, showmanship and dynamic choreography in a new theatrical show at the Masonic Temple Theatre. SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News IC Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps, which was founded in 1984 in Bloomington, Ind., by businessman Bill Cook to benefit young people in music education. Artistic Director James Mason, a life- long drum and bugle corps enthusiast, led the first group to place among the top 10 corps at the Drum Corps International World Championships. Mason's 1991 ensemble earned the title World Champion, competing against other organizations from the United States, Japan, Canada and Europe. Since 1993, Mason has been shap- imberly Baron performed in marching bands while attending high school and college in Florida, but she didn't stop her musical stepping after graduation. With experience in the Disney Collegiate All-Star Band '98 and the Disneyland Paris International Student Show Band in '99, she landed a job in Blast! and will be marching and play- ing at the Masonic Temple Theatre Oct. 3-22. Baron and 59 other young musicians are part of an international tour that combines athleticism, instrumen- tal talent and kaleido- scopic movement in a new kind of theater piece. Developed from the drum and bugle corps concept, which spotlights brass and percussion instru- ments, the show fea- tures numbers that range from light classi- cal to techno pop. "We're all musicians and dancers, and instead of being in a pit, we're on stage," "Blase": Music in motion. explains Baron, 24, who plays the French horn and mellophone. ing the evolution of Star of Indiana "We do drill-like movements and syn- from a competitive drum corps to a chronized choreography to the theatrical show that brings outdoor melodies that we play. We also have pageantry to the stage. There was a special lighting and sound effects to go North American tour with the with the moods of the music. Canadian Brass and later the develop- "We play original music and music ment of Brass Theatre, which also that people would be familiar with. toured to many venues, including the We start off with Bolero, which is Interlochen Center for the Arts. Blast! familiar, and go into a couple of origi- had its world premiere in London at nal pieces. In the middle of Act I, we the end of 1999 and its American pre- by go into Appalachian Spring miere in August, the same month the Copland. In Act II, we play 'Land of troupe became the subject of a public Make Believe,' which is a popular jazz television special and its CD was tune, and `Malaguena; which is a released. Latin tune." "We get a range of people from evolved from the Star of Blast! small children to the elderly in our audiences, and there's just something for everyone," says Baron, who is adjusting to the touring life and enjoy- ing the sightseeing that goes along with it. "It seems that everyone comes away from the show with something special to remember." Baron, who was active in temple activities before getting into college and away-from-home work, learned dance basics as part of her Blast! rou- tine. The troupe appears in jumpsuits that can be altered in simple ways to fit in with different parts of the program. The instrumental skills Baron will bring to Detroit are built on choices that came gradually. Although wanting to play drums, she agreed to the clarinet at age 9 when her mother thought practicing on percus- sions would be too noisy. A switch to the French horn came in high school, when she again wanted to try drums but was told by the school band direc- tor that he didn't need more drummers. "I seemed to have a natural tal- ent for the French horn," Baron says. "The mellophone is what a French horn player uses in a marching band or drum corps so, by default, I played the mel- lophone as well. "The French horn has a wide range of pitches, and it's also a very mellow sound. It adds color to the brass section. We rarely have the melody. Most of the time we play harmony and count- er melody" Baron, whose contract runs until June and will tour to England after the U.S., audi- tioned for Blast! on the recom- mendation of a musician she knew during her work for Disney. "I've learned a lot about con- necting with audiences," she says. "In college ensembles, I didn't concern myself with that at all. I concerned myself with sitting behind a stand and playing the music on the page. With Disney and Blast!, the whole point is to make a connec- tion with the audience." Ci Blast! will be performed 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 3-22, at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit. $35-$55. For information on the Detroit shows, call (313) 832-2232. For more about Blast!, go to www.BlastOnTour.com .