Posted on: Wednesday, December 1, 2004
DANCE REVIEW
'Local' spin adds freshness to ballet
By Carol Egan
Special to The Advertiser
Honolulu Dance Theatre gave a beloved but much over-produced ballet some fresh Hawaiian blood in a three-performance run of "The Hawaiian Nutcracker Ballet" last Friday through Sunday.
Choreographer/director Matthew Wright created a holiday spectacle in this "localized" version of the "Nutcracker," presented at the Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College. In place of the stately Old World aristocratic milieu, we find ourselves at 'Iolani Palace during the reign of King Kalakaua. Act 2 transported us to the Land of the Rainbows, a magical place inhabited by wild and fantastic creatures. The fanciful costumes were designed by Celia Chun and Michele Hulme, while the simple yet appropriate set was created by Matthew Wright.
Young dancers often make auspicious debuts in this ballet. Such is the case with the talented and charming Rachel Alexander, who danced the role of Prince Kawananakoa in Act 1 and the hordes of adorable tiny, pot-bellied Menehune.
For the most part, the cast consisted of students from the School of Honolulu Dance Theatre, directed by Wright and his wife, Celia Chun. Chun also was one of the featured dancers.
Other major roles were assigned to guest artists, outstanding among whom were Tiffany Ferrer as Princess Kaiulani and Silvia Rotaru as the Snow Queen. While Rotaru also lent her talent to several of the group numbers, Ferrer's character appeared onstage throughout the show.
Many choreographers attempt to revise this holiday favorite, often adding contemporary themes and characters in place of the traditional ones. Wright almost completely transformed the original story line to follow a more local theme. In several instances, he was successful in matching the creatures with the music, especially with the Wild Boars, Peacocks, Geckos and Menehune. Other times one felt a grating disconnect between the dance and the music, particularly notable in the Pineapple Pas de Deux, danced to one of Tchaikovsky's most glorious pas de deux scores.
Wright also confused aesthetics by allocating classical ballet combinations to hula dancers (inferred by their costuming). Although the royal couple may in fact have been dancing quadrilles and waltzes, one is sure that hula dancers were never doing ballet.
The choreographer's strengths were on display, however, in the clarity and simplicity of some of his most successful numbers. The dance of the Wild Boars and Warriors was visceral and modern but suitable to music which traditionally accompanies the battle between the mice and toy soldiers. The marching dance of the Menehunes was wonderfully age-appropriate for the wee ones. And the Geckos, with their stiff-legged strides, entertained us with subtle humor. The dynamic rhythm of the "Russian" dance provided perfect accompaniment for the athletic and humorous romp of three Surfers.
