“Appalachian Spring” features choreography from dance legend Martha Graham and music from composer Aaron Copland. The narrative follows a husband and wife who are attempting to make a new life after coming to America, during the pioneer age of the 1800s.

“It’s a piece full of Americana, that came out at a time where more nationalist pieces weren’t being made outside of Europe,” said Shawn Bible, director and dance professor at GVSU. “It’s about embracing this country and what it means to live in and be American. It’s drenched in Americana.”

As one of the great ballets, getting the rights needed to be able to perform the piece has proved to be a difficult road.

“We all had to audition last year for this upcoming performance,” said GVSU alumna and lead performer Lauren Blane. “We had to videotape our practices showing the Graham Foundation that we were on the right track in bringing this piece to the stage. It’s just been a really rigorous experience.”

According to Bible, it’s also been an expensive one. Along with getting rights to the piece, the performance will include a new, one-of-a-kind set done by famous sculptor Isamu Noguchi and custom costumes from local designer, Cat O’Callaghan. The costumes were re-created from original designs by the play’s initial designer Edythe Gilfond, all of which will go to the Graham Foundation, never to be used again.

“This is a historic performance for GVSU and of one of the most iconic pieces that this country has known,” said faculty performer Mary Lohman.

Lohman joins Blane and Bible in a cast that includes four senior students, a returning alumna and a collection of faculty performers with the faculty orchestra providing music for performance.

“Working with the students may be my favorite aspect of this entire performance,” Lohman said. “It’s been really fun and interesting to be just another dancer in rehearsal with the students that I’ve taught.”

Blane shares the feeling.

“This has been an amazing experience,” she said. “It’s nice to not only come back and work with my friends again, but working with the teachers is always something I love doing. You see a different side of them. You get to see them practice what they preach, and it makes their teaching all the more poignant.”

The knowledge of Appalachian Spring and its impact on ballet has not been lost on the public either.

“We have never seen ticket sales like this before,” Bible said. “It’s great to see this amazing response from the public, and I can tell you, it’s been a truly rewarding experience to not only see the growth of these students as dancers and the ability for them to truly go out and own one of the greatest pieces of all time, but to see the public take to it like this is something special.”

“Appalachian Spring” will be performed at 8 p.m. on Monday in the Louis Armstrong Theatre in the Performing Arts Center. Due to the large public interest, a free dress rehearsal will be open to students and faculty at 5 p.m. the same day. Tickets to the main show can be purchased at the box office or by calling 616-331-2300. For more information on this performance, call 616-331-2180, or go to www.gvsu.edu/fallarts.

[email protected]