Dance Scene
'Puss in Boots' signifies director's fairy-tale success

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Dancers practice at the Kokokahi YWCA for the ballet "Puss in Boots." Honolulu Dance Theatre executive and artistic director Matthew Wright said "Puss in Boots" has the basic ingredients of a good fairy tale and the dancers do "things that are a little more cutting edge." Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Once upon a time, there was a man who loved to dance. All over England he danced. And he was very good, winning awards and savoring applause.

But that wasn't enough. So in 1979 he joined the Hamburg Ballet. All over Europe he danced. And he was very good, dancing in roles created just for him and choreographing workshop performances.

But that wasn't enough. So in 1985 he moved to the United States. All over America he danced. And he was very good, performing in "Romeo & Juliet," "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker."

Again, it wasn't enough. He realized there was more to dance than performing. He could create dances, he could teach dances. So when he moved to Hawai'i, he took a risk.

After working with Ballet Hawaii and the Hawaii Opera Theatre, his life took a new direction. He met and married another dancer, who also loved to teach, and they started their own dance company called Honolulu Dance Theatre. Now the man could dance to his own beat.

And it wasn't a typical beat, either.

The man and his wife wanted to give people something new and different. Not the typical performances that they both danced in all their lives. So that's what they did.

Instead of the usual classic fairy tales, the man chose "Puss in Boots," a story about a tomcat who changes the life of a poor miller's son, to perform at the Hawai'i Theatre this weekend.

"It has the basic ingredients of a good fairy story," said the man with a British lilt. "We do things that are a little more cutting edge."

They perform it for anyone who wants to see the children's story done to ballet.

The man thinks the story's fun.

So does his wife, who plays the savvy tomcat. "I love making the children laugh," she said, smiling herself. "They have so much fun watching."

But what the man doesn't realize is he is much like the tomcat who took fate into his own hands.

You see, the miller's youngest son inherited the tomcat, while his older brothers got the family mill and a working donkey. The boy thought he lost on his father's fortune. But the tomcat looked into the boy's eyes and said without flinching, "Do you think I'm worth less than a half-ruined mill or a mangy donkey? Give me a cloak, a hat with a feather in it, a bag and a pair of boots, and you will see what I can do."

And like the confident cat, the man told the world, "Give me a chance, and you will see what I can do."