Photo by Irwin Fayne, courtesy of Terpsicorps
This July, Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance presents Appalachian Phoenix, a deeply personal and emotionally resonant work rooted in real-life stories of courage and kindness following Hurricane Helene.
The production will take place at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 24–26, at Diana Wortham Theatre at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. Stories gathered through community nominations will be translated into movement onstage.
“We received over 60 stories of people who stepped up in extraordinary and deeply personal ways—nominated by the very neighbors they helped,” says Heather Maloy, Terpsicorps founder and artistic director. “I’ve spent months immersing myself in their experiences, writing synopses for our website and doing additional research to ensure each story is as complete and truthful as possible.”
Each of these stories now lives inside Appalachian Phoenix, not through direct reenactment, but as symbolic, expressive movement. “The challenge comes in translating such rich, powerful narratives into dance—not because dance is limited, but because it speaks in a different language,” says Maloy. “It’s not always literal; it’s emotional, symbolic, layered. Many of the characters are composites, embodying the strength and compassion of multiple heroes.”
In collaboration with composer Jeff Schmitt and a roster of standout regional musicians, the Appalachian Phoenix production also features a dynamic musical component. “This score is alive,” says Maloy. Working from a detailed storyboard outlining each scene and its emotional arc, Schmitt and the music team shaped the composition around the choreography’s demands and the stories’ emotional beats.
“We recorded a rehearsal version of the score over two intense days, making changes right up to the final take—including stunning on-the-spot poetry from Datrian Johnson,” says Maloy. But even that version isn’t final. “Once the dancers arrive, the music will keep evolving as we adjust tempos and phrasing to support the choreography. The final performances will be live, with the musicians on stage—breathing with the dancers, behind a translucent wall of water bottles.”
The performance will also feature visual and sculptural art. An immersive set created from thousands of repurposed plastic water bottles collected throughout Asheville symbolizes both the nourishment provided in crisis and the environmental costs of recovery. In the theatre lobby, a large sculpture titled Rising Phoenix will have the names and stories of hurricane heroes embedded in its wings.
Though Appalachian Phoenix is the headline piece, the evening will also include several shorter Terpsicorps works—some humorous, others uplifting—that complement the emotional journey of the main performance.
For Maloy, the purpose behind the performance is clear: to honor the resilience and interconnectedness of her community through the universal language of art. “The stories of our hurricane heroes form the emotional core of this performance—threads in the fabric of how our community has rebuilt, and continues to rebuild,” she says. “My hope is that this performance becomes a moment of healing—one that celebrates our resilience and inspires us to carry that strength forward with compassion and purpose.”
Tickets for Appalachian Phoenix are available now at Terpsicorps.org, and the website also includes synopses of the heroic stories that inspired the production.
