Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 4, 1 April 2000 — Hawaiian flying high [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian flying high

By Paula Durbln

AS FOUNDER, director, choreographer and featured artist of Tau Dance Theater, Peter Rockford Espiritu is the only Hawaiian heading a modern dance company anywhere. "I really reach for the stars." he explained, "and if I don't reach a star, fme. 1*11 reach a cloud." This season, that's cloud nine. Thanks to a $98,000 grant from the Lila Wallaee Reader's Digest Fund and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to the University of Hawai'i's Outreach College, Espirim and his 1 1 -member company are on public display during Apnl at various locations around O'ahu. UH's Tim Slaughter, in partnership with other community organizations, drafted fhe snrressfii1 (7rant nrnnnsa1 He hnnes

to increase the loeal audience for modern

dance by exposing the eo: munity to Tau's constant "Hawai'i connection" in local-friendly works on island themes. The project finale is a May 5-6 concert at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Espiritu first trained as a dancer with Moloka'i*s John Ka'imikaua who taught him strict kahiko and

ancient chants, both among the sources to whieh he retums today. Then as a Leeward College student he became completely caught up in classi eal ballet. Evenmal-

ly, he accepted a scholarship from the School of Ameiiean Ballet in New York.

but the classical world, he found out, wanted its heroes in the European mold

"When I finally eame to the realization that I wasn't

going to wear the white tights * and be the piinee, I had to assess what I was doing and why," he recalled. And, after six

years of doing character roles, he left. Did he feel let down? "Not at all," he answered. "The only way I could pry myself away from home and go to New York in the first plaee was by understanding how mueh I loved Hawai'i and my heritage. It was in my heart, even when I was doing ballet." Onee back here, Espiritu discovered the barefoot dance technique of Mexican pioneer Josē Limon

could embrace the culture he had grown up with. "1 founded my company as a

small package in 1992," he said. The name is a derivative of his Samoan middle name, Ututau. Tau has a full repertoire of fusions on loeal themes ranging from the intentionally ridiculous to the

sublime. C'Hula Blues' lis a spoof of

tourist-trade stereotypes to a 1940s steel guitar; "U Bette," a suite of the Divine Miss M's songs in

motion. On the serious side, there's "Petroglyphs," perhaps Espiritu's most artistically successful work. Ron Perry's original score, based on original chants by hula legends Nona Beamer and Pua Kanahele, serves as the backdrop against whieh four couples sculpt themselves into three dimensional renditions of ancient Hawaiian rock drawings. "E Lili'u Ē," using some of the Queen's best , known songs to chronicle the overthrow, e premiered last year with " Riee ," a frolic

through the islands' Asian heritage to Kenny Endo's taiko drums. Espiritu's recent "Kālā 'au" is "Stomp" for kahiko sticks. The choreographer set the introduction to the dance to Chant's unadulterated " Hawaiian War Chant," " originally a love song, and he costumed the pieee in ti leaf skirts and tapa malos -

^ but the I dancers also

P sport punk hairdos and combat boots. Somehow there's no vio-

ia#'" lenee to tradition. "l'm a modW ernist, but I understand my base and I have great respect for my eulture," he explained. " I am always

8r very clear about the boundaries. If 1 f feel I'm about to cross the line, I go to the kūpuna who hold the values together and ask for help."

for the upcoming concert, Espiritu is rehearsing "The Wave Project," based on Hawaiian water lore, from raindrop to tsunami, and "Tau Does Jazz ," set to the contemporary sounds of Hula Joe and the Hutjumpers. June 3, Tau performs with Nā Leo Pilimehana at the Allianee for Arts Education's ceremony honoring Irmgard Aluli. Espiritu's season finale will take plaee June 16 in " Men Dancing." He'll do his signature pieee "Ku 'u Home o Kahalu 'u," a choreography by the late Ernest Morgan of Volcano, to Jerry Santos' hit song, and he hopes Santos will join the performance. If Santos does, he'll be seeing for the first time the achingly beautiful pieee whose message has moved many kama'āina to tears. "I know I've raised some eyebrows. Someone who doesn't know might think it's hula. There are some percussive moments and a little ku'i here and there but there's really not one hula step in the dance. It's not hula; it's the hula spirit. When I perform it, I do tribute to every hula dancer, to everyone in Hawai'i. It's a prayer for the future of Hawai'i and the past," Espiritu said." ■

W Peter Rockford Espiritu, pictured left in a trademark leap. premiers his new choreography "The Wave Project' May 5 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Above are company members Kamakoa Page. Holly Chung and Ouinn Allen. photo: miohael harada,- courtes\ tim slaughter, outreach colleg

MnW // / B^IHHHBI^HHMHHMHHHHHKi^ll«MHi «5 Espiritu and Chung in a pose from "Kālā'au" - before Espiritu added combat boots to the costume. photo courtesy: tau dance theater 2