No stopping Morinoue's passion for ballet, art

By Carol Egan
Special to The Advertiser

Desmond Richardson and Hawai'i-born dancer-artist Miho Morinoue of Complexions will perform in Saturday's show. Morinoue left Hawai'i 14 years ago to pursue ballet, and eventually art. She also is a costume designer. Phil Mucci Complexions 8 p.m. Saturday Leeward Community College Theatre $27 general, $18 students, seniors and military; $5 extra for reserved seats 455-0385

Born in Kealakekua, Hawai'i, Morinoue was reared in Holualoa, where her parents still run the Studio Seven Gallery. She became involved in the arts very early in life, studying painting with her father, renowned artist Hiroki Morinoue, and traditional Japanese music and dance with her mother and others.

When her father received a grant to study woodblock printing in Yokohama, Japan, 9-year-old Miho accompanied the family. During her three years there, she discovered a love for ballet, which she continued to study after returning home.

By age 14, she realized if she wanted to pursue ballet, she would have to go to the Mainland. She ventured alone to California, where she studied with Maria Vegh, whom she first met during a summer course at Ballet Hawaii. "She is fantastic," Morinoue said of Vegh. "She taught me how to work hard."

Soon after graduating from a California high school, Morinoue headed for New York to pursue a career in dance or art, a field in which she felt as much at home as in dance. "I spent a lot of time exploring, going to museums and trying to decide what I was going to do with my life,"Êshe said. Realizing that time was of the essence if she seriously wanted to dance, she decided to apply her energy in that direction.

Morinoue admits, "I began to realize that classical ballet was not for me. I just wasn't that interested in stories about princes and princesses. I wanted to dance something that had more to do with real life." Soon she enrolled in a modern-jazz class with Dwight Rhoden, a former member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

Within a short time, Morinoue was invited to join Dwight and his partner, Desmond Richardson, in their fledgling dance company, Complexions. "My first show with Dwight was a big one," she said. "There were 29 other dancers, many of them from the Ailey company. And there I was, a 19-year-old bunhead. It was an amazing experience."

Morinoue remains just as enthusiastic, nearly a decade later, about the current company of 18. She also speaks highly of Rhoden's creative process. "Dwight works collaboratively. He never limits the dancer, but he allows us to feel like creative artists as well, not just instruments for the choreographer to shape."

Dance Magazine said of Rhoden's choreography, "Rhoden's work is post-Balanchinean choreography, a new aesthetic in movement, stage, picture and performance concepts reflecting a post-modern techno-savvy worldview." The troupe's dancers come from backgrounds ranging from American Ballet Theatre to offbeat modern companies.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Morinoue has undertaken three other ventures. For several years she has served as Rhoden's assistant and coach. Three years ago she added the title of costume designer to her credits. And finally, just to make sure she stays involved in art, a year ago Miho

and some friends opened a gallery in New York City's Trebeca neighborhood. Exhibits include her own, her father's and those of other artists from Hawai'i.

The performance on Saturday will include a world premiere of "Philosophies," an excerpt from "White," which is part of a full-length work titled "Anthem." The music for "Philosophies" is by J.S. Bach and Vito Ricci, and costumes are by Morinoue, who also designed costumes for several other works on the program.