Born of the ’Boro” is a collaborative, multimedia project involving Blue Moves Modern Dance Company and local visual artists, musicians and writers. From submissions publicly solicited during the summer of 2006, company members chose visual art and prose to use as inspiration for choreography. Local musicians are working with the choreographers and their selected works of art to create original musical scores for the choreography. The project will culminate in a dance production at the Rutherford County Center for the Arts on March 23 and 24, in addition to a visual art exhibit at the Center during the month of March.

Although Blue Moves has collaborated with musicians and writers before, this is the first time choreographers have incorporated visual art, prose and commissioned music all in one production, and the synergy created by infusing local artists of different media into the choreographic process is exhilarating. The performance will consist of four dances and include spoken word, visual art and some live music. Choreographers are working in pairs, taking the theme of collaboration even further by working together on choreography.

Two of the dances are based on Grayson White’s surreal tale “The Peacock and the Pearl,” one dance is inspired by excerpts of Jonathan Harrison’s self-labeled “proem,” “The Last Big Thing,” and one dance takes shape and theme from David Lundquist’s painting, “Illuminudies.” The selected composers’ musical styles range from bluegrass to symphonic spy rock.

The gallery exhibit at the Center for the Arts, running through March 24, will showcase a range of works by the three participating visual artists.

The company incorporated live music and dance in the opening reception held March 3.

Reservations can be made by calling the Center at 615.904.2787 or visiting boroarts.org.

For more information on Blue Moves Modern Dance Company, visit bluemoves.org.