After more than two decades without a university band, the is ready to bring the music back. Leading that effort is new assistant professor of music Ocean Akaka, who arrives with a clear vision: rebuild the band program and help revitalize Hawaiian music through bold new arrangements and performances.

Akaka, who recently returned home to Hawaiʻi after teaching on the U.S. continent, arrived in Hilo on a one-way ticket late last year.

“I quickly got settled in, and flew to Oʻahu to spend the holidays with my family, something I haven’t done since 2020,” he said. “That was a great moment for sure.”

Building musical bridges

Akaka, who specializes in conducting wind ensembles and athletic bands, is now part of ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s . However he said his larger mission reaches beyond performance. His research revolves around the revitalization of Hawaiian music through arrangements for Western instrumental ensembles, such as orchestra and band.

Born and raised in Wahiawā, Akaka earned his bachelor’s degree in from ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa. He later completed both his master’s and doctoral degrees in conducting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. There, he led marching and pep bands, directed ensembles and taught conducting. His arrangements have been performed across the U.S. and Europe.

Now he brings that experience home.

“I’m writing a few arrangements of music from Charles E. King’s songbook,” he said. “Many of the songs written in this book are for one or more vocalists, and an accompanying ukulele, guitar or steel guitar. I’m working to arrange these songs for a wind ensemble, and have them performed by the students here at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo.”

For more go to .

—By Susan Enright

Melodic harmonies performed in the Hawaiian language (ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi) will fill the virtual premiere of a University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo keiki-friendly musical about a poetic mouse. Starting Friday, June 10, the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo (PAC) , a theatrical play about a little mouse who highlights the importance of ʻohana and guides his Tūtū and friends through challenges with poetry. Forty haumāna (students) from the Hawaiʻi Island campus star in the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi musical, which is based on children’s books penned by award-winning author and Hawaiʻi Island native Frances H. Kakugawa.

“Keiki can expect an hour of lovable characters, bright costumes, colorful scenery, catchy songs, and a sweet story about how the power of imagination — expressed by Wordsworth through poetry—can brighten our world and carry us through the darkest of times,” said Justina Mattos, a drama professor at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo who staged the production.

Mattos combined forces with Kea Kapahua (����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo dance lecturer) and Rachel Edwards (����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo music lecturer) to work with haumāna from courses such as ballet, chorus and acting who are part of the production’s large cast. Jackie Pualani Johnson, a retired ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo drama professor, adapted the children’s stories for the stage which was also translated into Hawaiian by Pōhai Montague-Mullins and arranged by award-winning musician Wendell Ing.

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi festival goes virtual

The pre-recorded ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo musical will premiere at the , an event PAC has hosted since 2016. It is one of 11 Hawaiian theatre productions audiences will be able to stream online. KEAKA is usually an in-person event however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers opted to produce a virtual festival which will offer a variety of genres, from full-length plays to slam poetry, film and short research presentations.

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa productions, Hoʻoilina and award-winning play He Leo Aloha which recently earned eight national awards, are among the featured performances.

Productions from Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Hawaiian Language Charter School, Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi campus, and an Oʻahu filmmaker will also be showcased.

“The festival seeks to promote Hawaiian language and culture through theatre arts; providing free entertainment for our Hawaiian-speaking community, opportunities for performers and other theatre practitioners to work on creative projects utilizing Hawaiian language, and opportunities for all to see and hear the Hawaiian language in use within the wider community,” Mattos expressed.

Ola ka ʻōlelo i ka hana keaka (Language lives through theatre)

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo is keen on expanding the number of its Hawaiian language theatre productions. According to Mattos, currently most performing arts students have little to no experience with ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Faculty bring in fluent speakers from the community to work side-by-side with haumāna on proper pronunciation and intonation for on-stage dialogue.

The festival will be available for streaming through June 30.

international students and community volunteers took the stage at the . They performed traditional songs and dances from their homelands at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center on February 21 and 22.

The two-night production by the carried on the beautiful tradition of sharing cultures from all over the world. The unique celebration of diversity gave the college and community an opportunity to experience a multitude of cultural performances.

International Nights Program

On February 21, the following groups and countries were represented:

• Japan: Taishoji Taiko
• Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM): Pohnpei Kaselehlie Club
• Japan: Japanese Student Association
• Kosrae, FSM: Kosrae Hilo Organization
• West Africa: LavaRoots Performing Arts
• Sri Lanka: Thatmini Kularatna
• Samoa: Tupulaga O Samoa Mo A Taeao

The February 22 lineup featured the following cultures and organizations:

• Japan: Puna Taiko
• Philippines: Filipino Studies Group
• Tonga: Maata Fakasieiki
• Palau: Ngelekel Belau Club
• Ireland: Hawaiʻi Irish Dance
• Yap, FSM: Waab Student Organization
• India: Big Island Desi
• Marshall Islands: Marshallese Iakwe Club

The presents spring concerts, and at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center.

All You Need is Love

The ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Jazz Orchestra presents a Beatles tribute concert: All You Need Is Love, Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature some of the Beatles best-loved songs with selections from the albums Revolver, Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album.

The band will also perform several songs from the groundbreaking album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Orchid Isle Orchestra and performances choreographed by Dori Yamada and the 5,6,7,8s will also be featured.

For more on the performance, go to .

We Sing the Spring

The ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Kapili Choir, University Chorus and Hilo Community Chorus present We Sing the Spring, Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m.

The first half of the concert features a performance of John Rutter’s composition, “Requiem.” The seven-movement work builds on traditional Catholic and Anglican liturgy for a service of mourning while incorporating more contemporary idioms.

The second half showcases each of the choirs in their own set of songs, with styles ranging from the Baroque to popular melodies of Hawaiʻi, including selections arranged by island musicians Michael Springer and Rodney Wong.

For more on the performance, go to .

Tickets

• All You Need Is Love
• $12 general
• $10 discount
• $5 students with valid ID and children 17 and under

• We Sing the Spring
• $10 general
• $7 discount
• $5 students with valid ID and children 17 and under

Tickets are open seating. For more information, or to order tickets, contact the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center Box Office at (808) 932-7490 or order online.

The , featuring more than 100 student dancers from the and , will take place April 27–28, 7:30 p.m. at the .

Performances:

• Senior project of Sharyse Molina performing to the music of Lady Gaga
• Nicole Monette presents her dance class of teens from Center Stage Dance Alliance in her choreography project to the music of Pink Floyd
• The ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Modern Dance II class will perform BLURBLE WERBLE, a work conceived by Annie Bunker in collaboration with visiting scholar Jeongha Kim and ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts student Bridge Hartman
• Traditional courtly fan dancing and drum dance choreographed by visiting scholar Jeongha Kim
• The ballet classes’ upbeat numbers to “Singin&#8217 in the Rain” and “Dancing in the Streets”
• Jazz Dance class with selections from The Greatest Showman choreographed by Kea Kapahua, in collaboration with Lawrence Mano
• Muriel Assi sharing her heritage in, “Africa: United,” showcasing high energy and stirring rhythms
• The ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Dance Ensemble highlights dances created by Sarah Dunawayand Mano

Tickets

• Friday, April 27, 7:30 p.m.
  $3
• Saturday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.
  $5 Students with valid ID and children 17 and under
  $7 General

The spring 2018 shows are open seating events. To order tickets, contact the Box Office at (808) 932-7490 or .

For disability accommodation, contact Dori Yamada at least 10 business days prior to the event.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s presents Evita, April 7–15. The musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber is directed by ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Professor , with music direction by Armando Mendoza and choreography by Instructor Celeste Staton.

Argentina’s controversial first lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. As an illegitimate 15-year-old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at 22, the president’s mistress at 24, First Lady at 27 and dead at 33. Eva Peron—saint to the working class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military—was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique in the 20th century.

Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, Evita creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself.

Performance Information

• April 7–8 and April 12–15 at 7:30 p.m.
• April 9 at 2 p.m.

Tickets

Advance sales/At the door

• $20/$25 general
• $15/$20 discount
• $7/$12 children 17 and under and ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo/Hawaiʻi CC students

To purchase tickets please call (808) 932-7490 or .

from on .

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s presents Compagnie Hervé Koubi: What the Day Owes to the Night, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

What the Day Owes to the Night is Koubi’s latest work and is inspired by his own personal journey and discovery of his Algerian heritage. His all male cast of dancers has toured extensively around the world before debuting the full length production in the United States in October 2015. Since then it has received numerous standing ovations and acclaim for its incredible physicality, powerful imagery and inspired choreography. Utilizing urban and contemporary dance movements, capoeira, and martial arts to bring the piece to life, dancers literally defy gravity and take the audience’s collective breath away.
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Koubi grew up in the South of France where he studied both biology and dance at the University of Aix-en-Provence before graduating as a pharmaceutical doctor. After deciding to concentrate on a dancing career and graduating from the world-renowned Rosella Hightower School of Dance in Cannes, Koubi gained professional experience as a dancer with the Opera de Marseille. Since then, he has developed many contemporary dance projects in collaboration with various artists, writers, choreographers and musicians from the world over.

Tickets

Advance Sales / At the Door:

• $30 / $35 General
• $25 / $20 Discount
• $15 / $20 Students with valid ID and children 17 and under

To purchase tickets, call (808) 932-7490 or .

Additional Information

For disability accommodations, please contact Dori Yamada at (808) 932-7496 (V) or (808) 933-3334 (TTY) at least 10 business days prior to the event.

For more information, contact the at (808) 932-7490.

The legendary , one of the most cohesive and entertaining Gypsy swing bands in the United States, will perform on March 2 at the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo and March 4 at ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s . This ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians celebrates the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Quintette du Hot Club de France.

Often called gypsy jazz, the music of The Hot Club of San Francisco has entranced audiences around the globe for more than 25 years. With innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions from the group’s superb lead guitarist Paul Mehling, the silken violin of twice Grammy Award-winning Evan Price, the velvet vocals of Isabelle Fontaine and a swinging rhythm section, the group never fails to surprise and delight. To hear the ensemble is to be carried back to the tight, smoky jazz clubs of 1930’s Paris and the refined lounge of the famous Hotel Ritz.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo: Meet Me In Paris, ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center’s annual fundraiser

begins March 2, 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center with hors d’oeuvres, patisserie and beverages donated by local sponsors. The concert and dancing begin at 7:30 p.m. Attendees can dance to their hearts content on the Performing Arts Center Stage or enjoy the music and other guests’ dance moves from the comfort of a theatre seat.

The proceeds will benefit the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center Scholarship Fund and center programs. For tickets, call (808) 932-7490 or visit the .

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa: The Hot Club of San Francisco

March 4, 7:30 p.m. at ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa Orvis Auditorium.

For tickets, call (808) 956-8246 or visit the .

Ivory Coast vocalist and dancer , one of the most vibrant performers in world music, will perform at the University of Hawaiʻi and ����Vlog�ٷ� . Her extraordinary talents position her to set the course for the genre. “Take the energy of Lauryn Hill, the consciousness of and the mystique of Erykah Badu and you got Dobet Ganhoré,” says St Louis American.
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As a child, Gnahoré trained in the music and dance traditions of the Bété people at the urging of her father, a well-known performer and master percussionist in West Africa. Gnahoré’s voice, dancing, charisma and vibrant stage presence is the result of years of theatrical and choreographic work and brings audiences everywhere to their feet. Gnahoré sings in a range of African languages including Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina and Bambara.
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In 2010 she shared an award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with India.Arie at the 52nd Grammy Awards and has released several albums, including her latest Na Drê in 2014.

Concert information

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.
For tickets, call (808) 932-7490 or visit the .

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa Orvis Auditorium
Friday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m.
For tickets, call (808) 956-8246 or visit the .

����Vlog�ٷ� the Dobet Gnahoré for photos and additional information about the production.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo announces the spring 2017 season of performances.

Black Arm Band: Dirtsong

Friday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Black Arm Band is a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are widely acclaimed for their distinctive music theatre performances, and celebration of indigenous culture, language and uniquely powerful visual imagery.

At the heart of Black Arm Band’s ethos is their relationship with the indigenous communities from where their work draws its inspiration.

Wonderheads: Loon

Friday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Acclaimed physical theatre company and mask imagineers the Wonderheads bring you a love story that whisks a man to the moon and back. Francis, a lonely janitor who is plagued by isolation and tickled by whispers of childhood imagination, has hit rock bottom and discovers that he has nowhere to go…but up! But will plucking the moon from the sky bring him the love he is searching for?

Loon is performed in full-face mask, a form so magical that the audience will forget their age and marvel in childlike delight. Wordless and whimsical, it has been described by audiences as watching a living cartoon, or live-action Pixar.

Dobet Gnahore

Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Ivory Coast vocalist and dancer Dobet Gnahoré has garnered a reputation as one of the most vibrant performers in world music. Her extraordinary talents position her to set the course for the genre.

As a child, Gnahoré trained in the music and dance traditions of the Bété people at the urging of her father, a well-known performer and master percussionist in West Africa. Gnahoré’s voice, dancing, charisma and vibrant stage presence is the result of years of theatrical and choreographic work and brings audiences everywhere to their feet. Gnahoré sings in a range of African languages including Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina and Bambara.

In 2010 she shared an award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with India.Arie at the 52nd Grammy Awards and has released several albums, including her latest Na Drê in 2014.

Aparna Ramawamy presents: They Rose At Dawn

Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Under the direction of Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy, Ragamala Dance Company’s work explores the dynamic tension between the ancestral and the contemporary. They Rose at Dawn is a solo work, depicting women as carriers of ritual, navigating inner and outer worlds, invoking a sense of reverence, of unfolding mystery, of imagination.

A stellar 5 piece Carnatic musical ensemble accompanies Aparna Ramaswamy as she explores the spotaneous interplay between music and movement and the dynamic contours created by the artists onstage.

Compagnie Herve Koubi: What the Day Owes to the Night

Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Hervi Koubi grew up in the South of France where he studied both biology and dance at the University of Aix-en-Provence before graduating as a pharmaceutical doctor. After deciding to concentrate on a dancing career and graduating from the world-renowned Rosella Hightower School of Dance in Cannes, Koubi gained professional experience as a dancer with the Opera de Marseille.

His latest major choreographic work is entitled What the Day Owes to the Night and is inspired by his own personal journey and discovery of his Algerian heritage.

Evita

Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 9 at 2 p.m.

Lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by ; music direction by Armando Mendoza, choreography by

Argentina’s controversial first lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. As an illegitimate 15 year old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at 22, the president’s mistress at 24, first lady at 27 and dead at 33.

Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, Evita creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself.

Spring Trifecta

Spring 2017 Great Leaps Dance Concert, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Jazz Orchestra Concert, May 4 at 7:30 p.m.

We Sing the Spring: 35 Years of Jackie!, May 7 at 2 p.m.

To receive the three events for $20, the Spring Trifecta package needs to be purchased by April 29.

Tickets

To view ticket pricing or to purchase tickets visit the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center .

—a combination of theatrical conventions of movement, dance and masks with images, words, science and poetry that allow history and nuclear issues to be considered anew—opens at The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s , November 17–20. The words of the survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima are framed against the hard facts about nuclear weapons in this stirring theatrical performance.

• “Just like shadows. The shock was so great they had lost words, they could not speak; everyone was very, very quiet. Even the children did not cry. Silence.”
  –Miss Shibama

Directed by ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Professor , Ghosts of Hiroshima features an ensemble of actors, artistic staff and contributing faculty from the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo , guided by two story tellers who give context and reflection to the facts surrounding the bombings and painful aftermath.

The performing arts department presents this landmark offering as an ode to the times and temperaments found in today’s global landscape. At the heart of the production is the consideration of the human costs of war.

Surviving Hiroshima seeds

After the final matinee on Sunday, November 20, the audience is invited to participate in a discussion session with actors, artistic staff and contributing faculty. The Green Legacy Project will host a ceremony presenting the seeds from trees that survived the bombing at Hiroshima to Norman Arancon of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo , which will become the repository for what will be a world-wide effort to disseminate the seeds to promote peace.

Performance information

Performances dates

• November 17, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.
• November 20 at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices

• $12 General
• $10 Discount
• $5 ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo/Hawaiʻi CC students (with a valid student ID) and children 17 and under.

Seating is open. Tickets are available by calling the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Box Office, Tuesdays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at (808) 932-7490 or .

The and present Martha Redbone in Bone Hill: The Concert. A new musical work for theater, Redbone and a cast of actor-musicians present an epic journey of one woman’s return to her homeland. Inspired by Redbone’s family lineage in the Appalachian Mountains, the piece spans the lives and stories of four generations of women in a Cherokee family. It is a story about the family’s connection to the land—the simplicity and sacredness of that connection and the ruptures that threaten to extinguish it.

• , October 26 at 7:30 p.m.
  Tickets: Call (808) 956-8246 or
• , October 28 at 7:30 p.m.
  Tickets:

The charismatic songstress is celebrated for her tasty gumbo of roots music—the folk and country sounds of her childhood in the Appalachian Mountains and the Kentucky mixed with the eclectic grit of her teenage years in pre-gentrified Brooklyn. With her gospel singing father’s voice and the spirit of her Cherokee/Choctaw mother’s culture, Redbone broadens the boundaries of Americana.

Written by Redbone, Aaron Whitby and Roberto Uno, who directs the piece, with original compositions by Redbone and Whitby, the music is radically wide-ranging, from traditional Cherokee chants and lullabies to bluegrass and blues, country, gospel, jazz, rock and roll, rhythm n’blues and funk.

Beyond reflecting the cultural and aesthetic diversity of today’s music and theater, Bone Hill: The Concert adds diverse missing narratives. It reveals erased, forgotten truths and it does so with humor, pathos and exuberance.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo presents their 2016–2017 season with a variety of performances for the whole family. ����Vlog�ٷ� produces and presents a as part of its mission to provide significant cultural and educational opportunities for the university and Big Island communities.

Special Events:

• September 16—Dance Collective
• September 21 —Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
• March 2 —Hot Club of San Francisco: Meet Me In Paris

This year’s season offerings include:

• September 28—Garry Krinsky: Toying with Science
• October 26—Christopher K. Morgan and Artists: Pohaku
• October 28—Marth Redbone presents Bone Hill—The Concert
• December 11—Holiday Card to Hilo: Christmas Around the World
• January 20—Black Arm Band: Dirtsong
• January 26—Jamie Adkins: Circus Incognitus
• February 3—Wonderheads: Loon
• February 22—Dobet Gnahore
• March 7—Aparna Ramaswamy presents They Rose at Dawn
• March 28—Compagnie Herve Koubi: What the Day Owes to the Night
• April 7–15—Evita

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with the exception of Holiday Card to Hilo and the matinee performance of Evita on April 9.

Ticket information

Tickets for the 2016–17 Season of Events may be purchased online 24/7 at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

—By Aviana Finn

The post ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo 2016-17 season of events first appeared on University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� System News.]]> 49409 /news/2016/01/19/las-cafeteras-performs-in-hawaii/ Tue, 19 Jan 2016 20:14:10 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=41882 Las Cafeteras to perform live in concert at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and the Hawaiʻi Theatre Center

The 2015 Acting Troupe, made up of students from the , will be performing a collection of Chinese fables this month penned by a 98-year-old storyteller with roots in Kaʻū and Hilo. The Dragon Slayer and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom is a delightful compendium of cautionary tales brought to life in a storytelling performance created especially for families and children, on stage November 20-22 at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

About the author

Author Shiho Shinoda Nunes was born in 1917 to Japanese immigrant parents in the plantation village of Hilea, in the Kaʻū district of Hawaiʻi Island. Her family moved to Hilo in 1921. She received her baccalaureate degree and teaching diploma from in 1939, and returned to Hilo to teach through 1959 when she returned to Honolulu. During her long career in education she served as program manager for the Hawaiʻi and as assistant director of the at ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa, retiring in 1977. She now lives in Berkeley, California.

“My mother, who came from Japan, was a treasure house of stories,” writes Nunes on . “I grew up with her folk tales, told in her distinctive, yet universal, voice. Perhaps that foundation explains why I was drawn, at an early age, to the tales and myths of Hawaiʻi, an interest that widened in later years to include stories of other Asian cultures.”

Nunes was in her late seventies when she began to write. Her first book, is a moving tribute to her parents and their students of Japanese embroidery. The budding author followed it with , folk tales not unlike those told to her in childhood by her mother and the inspiration for the upcoming stage production of The Dragon Slayer and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom.

The performance

The ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Acting Troupe will perform the tales amidst clever staging, where wit drives wisdom in hundreds-of-years-old yu-yen, or instructive tales. Jackie Pualani Johnson, professor of drama at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and director of the production, saw The Dragon Slayer as ideal for staging and led the troupe in scripting the works for young children.

“Praise to the 2015 Acting Troupe for their dedication to learning the intricacies of bringing this storytelling performance to life!” says Johnson. “Our class met twice weekly ever since August. Time was taken to get to know each other and uncover the gifts each person would bring to the process. We wallowed in the imagery and clever lessons in the retelling of the age-old fables, talked about the characters, and the means to breathe immediacy into their portrayal.”

The troupe’s actors create stories, do gymnastics, serve as musicians and generally cavort through thirteenth-century China. Performing will be ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo students Sarah Dunaway, Tiffany Erickson, Sky Flores, Yu Hamaoka, Willyam Hodson, Jay Kayhill, Elijah Livingston, Kekoa Morison, Lazareth Sye, Jianxing Tong, Ally Vercruyssen and Ulu Winchester-Sye. Several ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo graduates are also returning for the performance—Alston Albarado and Jessica Takayama Swart, joined by astronomy major Emily Peavy.

Johnson notes the special fortune of having Tong, who is from Beijing. “Listen for the Mandarin he taught us and envision the rich culture that has ensued since emperors ruled and dragons lived in caves,” she says.

The acting troupe explored the process of scripting the stories via improvisation and group work before deeming them ready to be placed in their version of China, 700 years ago.

“A sprinkling of Beijing Opera was added to give the right flair, and thus The Dragon Slayer came to life,” says Johnson. “What a rewarding journey!”

Resident designer, Ariana Bassett created the scenery to capture the beauty of Chinese art and architecture, both in city and rural settings. Michael Marshall, ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo professor of art, and his art students have contributed elements to the show, ranging from a dragon’s lair, to colorful Beijing-opera monkey king masks, and a shimmery bedstead.

Show details

Showings are on Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, November 22, at 2 p.m. at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center.

Ticket prices

• $12 general admission
• $10 discount
• $5 children 17 and under and ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and Hawaiʻi CC students with valid student ID

To purchase tickets, call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (808) 932-7490 or .

—

—By Susan Enright

Max Baca and his Grammy award winning band, , brings a combination of country, rock and conjunto to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on Thursday, October 22 and the on Saturday, October 24. With lyrics that are down to earth and often funny, conjunto ranges from fast-paced polkas (cancion-polca) to slower, Mexican-style country songs (cancion-ranchera).

Los TexManiacs recently were featured on the legendary music television program, Austin City Limits where they performed with Country music legend Dwight Yoakam and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, to induct Flaco Jiménez into The Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.

They combine Tex-Mex conjunto, Texas rock, blues and R&B riffs, to create the Los TexManiacs groove. It is said this is “hip music everyone can relate to.”

More on Los TexManiacs

Los TexManiacs feed the masses with only the best in musical fare. Founded by Max Baca (bajo sexton, vocals), the TexManiacs are a product of his wide-ranging experience touring and recording with groups from his father’s family conjunto, Flaco Jiménez and the original Texas Tornados, Los Super Seven and the Rolling Stones.

Baca is a legend on the bajo sexto, a 12-string guitar like instrument, which customarily provides rhythm accompaniment for the button accordion, thus creating the core of the conjunto sound. He uses the bajo sexto to push the TexManiacs sound to another level of vibrancy altogether and displays a musical virtuosity and blistering guitar riff solo style that is now being emulated by young bajo players internationally. Baca is credited for turning a traditional folk/roots/conjunto instrument hip again, attracting young, new audiences while maintaining his roots in traditional Tex-Mex.

Ticket information

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo performance

To purchase tickets online, visit the .

Hawaiʻi Theatre performance sponsored by

Ticket prices are on sale at .

The 25-piece Jazz Orchestra will perform the musical pieces from the funk genre as part of Funk it Up! at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 7, 7:30 p.m.

Funk pieces to be performed include pieces popularized by artists like George Clinton, Sly Stone and Tower of Power. Joining the ensemble will be special guest vocalists and dancers performing original choreography by Dori Yamada.

“Funk music is basically soul music, but with an emphasis on rhythm,” said Orchestra Director Trever Veilleux. “It is dance music that makes you feel good and makes you want to move. The musicians, singers and dancers have done an amazing job putting this show together and I can’t wait for people to see it!”

Additional information

Ticket prices

• $7 general admission
• $5 discount/students with a valid ID/children 17 and under

Tickets are available for purchase at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo box office, Tuesday-Friday from 9-1 p.m., by calling the box office at (808) 932-7490, or by visiting the .

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—By Susan Enright

More than 150 dancers from the and come together to perform this spring’s production of Great Leaps on Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. with preview on Friday, May 1, 7:30 p.m. at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center.

Two graduating seniors will present heartfelt reflections of their lives as Ashley Terrell honors her late father and Zachary Tman creates an aerial dance that communicates the importance of friendship through bullying as a child.

The dance ensemble will perform three completely different styles.

Kea Kapahua’s jazz class will perform a suite of short dances saluting the musical movie era that ends with a funky modern twist. She has also choreographed a modern piece entitled, One-Song, inspired by astronomical movements and patterns that reflect humanity’s connection and place within that universe.

The concert will also include a pair of aerial dances from Annie Bunker, an exciting dance with an Afro-Celt sound by the Hawaiʻi CC modern jazz class, along with performances from the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo modern dance and ballet classes.

Additional information

Ticket prices

• $7 general admission
• $5 seniors/����Vlog�ٷ� students with a valid student ID/children under 17

Tickets for the May 1 preview are priced at $3. Tickets are available by calling the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo box office at (808) 932-7490 or ordering online at the .

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—By Susan Enright

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo presents the premiere of Hilo: Da Musical, on April 16, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m., and April 19 at 2:00 p.m., at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center.

The musical is written by ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Professor of Drama Jackie Pualani Johnson as a homage to her hometown where “ice shave, hula, orchids, musubi, astronomical adventures, the loco moco, and rain, reign!” Johnson explains.

The show brings over 30 performers from every facet of Hilo’s theater scene to the stage. Giving directions, ordering food, going to the Farmer’s Market, all take on their own flair in an “outa dis world” musical tribute that helps define what it means to be local.

The story centers around Hoku, his sister Leinani, and their best friend “Choke,” college students who go on a search through Hilo’s famous landmarks and activities, exposing life in Hilo, bit by bit. Several characters speak Pidgin English, others speak Hawaiian, and everyone sings about local food and Hilo’s quirks.

An ensemble of singers acts like a local-style Greek chorus, commenting on what they see in Hilo and singing about malasadas and local antics. The show travels to downtown Hilo, across Hilo Bay, and ends with Keaukaha’s familiar beach cruise.

Johnson directs the show, with music direction from student Erin McClure, who will complete requirements for her senior project through her work on the show.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo resident designer, Ariana Bassett, creates the scenery. Kimo Apaka, a graduate of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo performing arts department, joins Darrel Gabonia, a videographer, in adding iconic images that will appear on stage.

Performing arts major Eli Livingston is the sound designer, with Rob Abe as advisor. Stage manager Chanell Crawford and her assistant, Corey Edwards, round out the artistic staff, with manager Lee Dombroski as producer, assisted by Dori Yamada.

Ticket info

Ticket prices (pre-show day purchase):

• $15 general admission
• $10 discount
• $5 ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College students with a valid student ID and children 17 and under

To purchase tickets, visit the or call the box office at (808) 932-7490.

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—By Susan Enright

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa presents , an American roots music group that combines traditional, original and contemporary sounds on fiddle, guitar, bass and recycled percussions. The group is made up of 4 skilled musicians who have been performing together for 14 years.

Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem will perform at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, January 22, 7:30 p.m. and ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s Orvis Auditorium on Sunday, January 25, 4 p.m.

Dubbed by the Boston Herald as one of “America’s most inventive string bands,” Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem draw from the deep well of American roots music and have an adventurous way of mixing things up. A 200-year-old Georgia Sea Island song gets a New Orleans groove; an Irish fiddle tune gets new lyrics and a Peruvian cajon and a Bruce Springsteen piece gets high-octane, bluegrass-style harmonies.

The band’s original songs range from folk to swing to pop and are peopled with characters any audience can relate to–a young man seeking his spiritual path, an elderly rose gardener in New York City, a mother finding her way through breast cancer and much more.

With influences from Doc Watson and Django Reinhardt, from traditional Ghanaian drumming to the funky Meters and from old-time fiddling to Bob Dylan, daisy mayhem celebrates America’s rich musical past and brings it into the present.

Event information

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo concert

Tickets for the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo show are available at the .

Tickets prices

• $25 general admissions
• $20 seniors/����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo faculty and staff
• $12 ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and Hawaiʻi CC students with valid spring 2015 ID/children 17 and under

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa concert

Tickets for the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa show are available online at .

Tickets prices

• $25 general admissions
• $20 seniors/military/non-����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa student/����Vlog�ٷ� Alumni Association/����Vlog�ٷ� faculty and staff
• $10 ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa students with valid spring 2015 ID/children 17 and under