Blurring the lines

An article on an up-and-coming choreographer who seems intent upon drawing a young generation to the art by blurring the lines.

I remember fondly a note I got after a bluegrass concert we (I know!!!) sponsored in Richmond: the writer complained that one of the groups (Old School Freight Train) was most certainly not performing bluegrass music. OSFT, about whom it's been said,

"Shades of Jack Johnson, Ben Harper... even a kiss of Van Morrison. With "Not Like The Others," Old School Freight Train is off on a timeless new track, blending roots and rock to create a sound that's all their own."

Tim Dickinson, National Affairs Correspondent, Rolling Stone

It might not be "your father's bluegrass music," but OSFT's spin on the bluegrass sound and form has propelled them into new realms none of the other groups I was working with achieved.

There is most definitely a place for the preservation of the "pure" in all of the arts. But innovation is what will engage the next generation and steer them toward the whole spectrum of whatever art it is. I wonder which American dance company will be first to score Shecter to choreograph for them?