An eclectic mix of movement, light, drumbeats and brass instruments will arrive in State College this week.

Blast II: Shockwave will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Eisenhower Auditorium. A free artistic discussion for ticket holders will be held in Eisenhower's conference room one hour before the performance.

The show is a sequel to a 2001 Tony Award winner Blast!. Debuting in 1999 in London, Blast! evolved from the Star of Indiana, a drum and bugle core. After briefly touring in the United States, the show ran on Broadway until September 2001.

"It is in the same genre as STOMP and Tap Dogs," musical theatre faculty member Lon Hurst said. "I think we are starting to see more of this type of thing."

Many fans have seen the show in other cities, and are happy it will be performed in State College.

"There are a lot of people in Blue Band who are really into Blast!. People have seen shows in Philadelphia and New York," said Blue Band president Matt Barr (senior- music education). He said a group of 140 Blue Band members will attend the show.

"It really is its own thing. They start with the basics of marching band," Barr said.

In Blast II: Shockwave, musicians play a variety of pieces -- including Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," Leonard Bernstein's "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs" and excerpts from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana -- while performing choreographed movements.

"I interpret it as spectacle theater. There is no story line," said Ray Linkous, the show's music arranger. "It is like
a live-action version of Disney's Fantasia."

The company is comprised of 24 brass musicians, four percussionists and a 10-person "visual ensemble," according to a Center for the Performing Arts press release. Most of the artists are in their 20s and their extensive dance training has prepared them for ballet, acrobatics and modern dance.

"[The musicians] have to be proficient on their instrument and also with their bodies," Linkous said.

Blast II: Shockwave is subtly different from Blast!. Although both shows incorporate rock, classical and other types of music, Blast II: Shockwave will focus more on pop music. "This Blast focuses a lot more on expressive type movement and dance technique," Linkous said.

State College is Blast II: Shockwave's second destination. The world premier is at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) this week.

Tickets are $38 or $30 for general admission and $25 or $17 for fulltime University Park students. Tickets can be purchased at Eisenhower Auditorium from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays or at the HUB-Robeson Center information desk from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. They are also available by phone at 863-0255 and (800) ARTS-TIX.