DRUMLine marches from screen to stage

Combine intense beats, stellar dance moves and the musical team responsible for the sick sound… Combine intense beats, stellar dance moves and the musical team responsible for the sick sound of the 2002 movie ‘Drumline,’ and it will yield nothing less than an excellent show.’ And lucky for Pittsburgh, the Cultural Trust is bringing this smorgasbord of brass and percussion cadences and dance combinations to the Byham Theater on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The Cultural Trust hand-picked DRUMLine for its ‘explosive choreography and amazing, compelling musical and rhythmic qualities,’ said Veronica Corpuz, the director of public relations for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. ‘ ‘ ‘ Corpuz went on to stress the diversity of the cast and of the expected audience, as the performance will showcase the talents of students from many of the United States’ top historically black colleges and universities. The DRUMLine Live Web site states that this live performance is the first to showcase the more than 50-year-old tradition of black marching bands on the theatrical stage.’ The show is a collaboration of Halftime Live, LLC and CAMI Ventures. It began touring the United States on Jan. 7 and will hit about 50 cities up through March 22, after which the performance will continue out of the country to Japan and Korea. And while the show is sure to put some incredible military precision and synchronization on display, it promises to be anything but routine.’ Adrenaline and excitement will throb as DrumLine Live includes soul hits by Earth, Wind and Fire and Tower of Power, along with some contemporary hip hop and R’amp;B jams, according to the Pitt Arts Web site. Pitt Arts is offering student discounted seats to the performance, which can be purchased online through its Web site or at the Pitt Arts office. ‘DRUMLine Live takes the precision of African-American marching bands off of the playing field, where it has traditionally been, and puts it on the theatrical stage,’ said Corpuz.