The UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture will present “Deep Water: The Murder Ballads,” a trio of dance pieces choreographed by E.E. Balcos with music by John Allemeier at 8 p.m., Friday, May 31, at the Knight Theater, Levine Center for the Arts.
The performances are based on three 19th-century North Carolina murder ballads, which are historical narrative folksongs that chronicle true crimes. The May 31 program, performed by ensembles of professional dancers and musicians from the Charlotte area, also features Riley Baugus, a specialist in North Carolina roots music, who will perform the traditional ballads as preludes to the contemporary renderings.
Balcos, associate professor of dance, and Allemeier, associate professor of composition, began collaborating on this original work in 2007. In fall 2011, they completed their first murder ballad piece, “Poor Ellen,” which depicts Ellen Smith’s murder in Winston-Salem in the 1880s. The piece is choreographed for four dancers and scored for a string quartet. “Pieces of Silver,” for four dancers and an ensemble of flute, clarinet, violin, cello and percussion, is based on the ballad of Frankie Silver, who was hanged in 1833 for killing her husband with an axe. The final piece, “Deep Water,” is inspired by the ballad “Omie Wise,” which tells the story of a young woman from Randolph County who was drowned by her lover in 1808. The score calls for timpani, piano and woodwinds; the choreography is for four dancers.
Experienced as a whole, the murder ballad triptych develops a through-line, narratively and compositionally. The three pieces are designed to flow from a more literal representation of ballad material to, in the final piece, a more allusive interpretation.
Dancers for “Deep Water: The Murder Ballads” will be Balcos, Audrey Baran, Tracie Foster Chan, Melissa Jesse, Shane Lucas, Katie Matter and Elizabeth Sturgis. The instrumental ensembles include Scott Christian (percussion), Chris Fensom (trumpet), Erinn Frechette (flute), Sakira Harley (violin), Mira Frisch (cello), Reese Manceaux (saxophone), John Sadak (clarinet), Kirsten Swanson (viola) and Jenny Topilow (violin). Shawn Smith, director of bands at UNC Charlotte, will conduct.
“Deep Water: The Murder Ballads” is funded by the College of Arts + Architecture, with support from the Arts & Science Council. The Charlotte Folk Society is a community partner, and WDAV 89.9 FM is a media partner. Tickets are $18 and are available through the CarolinaTix website.