Some assume that Aaron Copeland scored the Appalachian Spring ballet, then called in Martha Graham to “write the drill”. Not so. The choreographic ideas came first, and it was she who commissioned him to wrap some music around them. He did. Nice job, kids.
Carol Abohatab has become the Martha Graham of Drum Corps. Her creativity and visual imagination have driven and shaped the innovative programming of Spirit of Atlanta, the Glassmen, the Santa Clara Vanguard, and the Bluecoats, as well as World Class color guards San Jose Raiders, Emerald Marquis and State Street Review.
She spent a dozen seasons as a performer, with the Criterions (’74-’78), 27th Lancers (’79-’84), and finally Star of Indiana (’85), thereafter becoming one of the most highly regarded instructors in the history of modern Drum Corps. Carol has judged for the NW Association of Performing Arts, and in the U.S., Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines for WGI, founded the Vanguard Dance Company, created and directed the youth program Children’s Adventures in Music, and published 3 dance training courses.
Her choreography has been presented by Westwave Dance Festival, SJ Dance Co, Summerfest, and at numerous sites in Italy including amidst the classic statuary of La Piazza del Signoria in Florence. She has completed 5 Artist-in-Residence programs in Italy, with her solo endeavor, Open Space Dance, and is on the faculty at San Jose City and Evergreen Valley Colleges. Clearly, Carol Abohatab is a Renaissance Woman, and now she’s a Hall of Famer.
