By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
David DeBlieck wraps himself around Cyrus Choy
in a move from the dance "to dream...perchance to fly."
By Nadine Kam
Assistant Features EditorSome of the greatest dancers are men -- Vaslav Nijinksky, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor. Talk about men dancing, though, and people -- especially men -- might raise an eyebrow.
So ask Tau Dance Theater director Peter Rockford Espiritu why stage a dance concert with men only, and he answers with another question, "Why not?"
"A lot of time, especially with the ballet, people tend to think of the dancer as a woman. Men -- except in the cases of a Baryshnikov or Nureyev -- are the support, they're in the background. Showcasing men makes you see the other side of it."
The inspiration for Tau Dance Theater's presentation of "Men Dancing" is modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn, who in the 1930s formed an all-male dance company that toured the United States.
"I love to see a beautiful, strong, lyrical female dancer," Espiritu said, "but there's something about a male dancer's strength of movement that is different from anything else.
"You can see it when you watch the Merrie Monarch competitions. When the men come out, you can feel a hush over the audience. With a strong male dancer, there is power, strength and a grace that you almost don't expect."
"Men Dancing" has a roster that includes WillieDean Ige, co-founder of Ballet Theatre for Youth; Gregg Lizenberry, director of dance at the University of Hawaii Department of Theater and Dance; Sami Akuna, assistant director of the Iona Pear Dance Theater; choreographer David DeBlieck; and choreographer Marcelo Pacleb and his men of 24-VII.
The concert also marks a homecoming for Simeon Den, who returns from two years with the National Touring Company of "The King and I"; and Greg Zane, a former Hawaii Ballet Theatre principal dancer who is appearing in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of "The King & I."
The program will feature something for everyone, with dancers versed in ballet, modern, jazz, tap dance and more.
As Espiritu assembled his who's who of Hawaii dancers for the program, no one turned down the rare opportunity for so many men to gather on one stage. "I'm really grateful to them," he said, "because they are all great in their own right and all have their own lives.
"It's still really difficult to find great male dancers," Espiritu said. "Women are better because they start earlier, they're brought up with it.
"To this day it's hard to encourage boys to dance. Parents don't say, 'I think my son's going to be a ballet dancer.' But the rise of MTV, that kind of awareness, is changing things."
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Quinn Allen holds Peter Rockford Espiritu aloft in a
dance number they share with Cyrus Choy,
left, and David DeBlieck.
"Men Dancing" will feature the world premieres of "Wayfarer," choreographed by Peter Schabel and danced by Zane, and of Espiritu's original work, "to dream ... perchance to fly." In the latter work, running and repetitive motions against a stark backdrop capture life's struggle. Those hard movements are interspersed with fleeting languid moments in which human beings soar.Espiritu has enjoyed his share of those moments, having led a charmed career here and in the '80s in New York, where he performed with the New York Theater Ballet, Ralph Lemon Dance Company, Svi Gotheimer and Dancers, Elise Morris and Dalton-Hartel Dance.
Espiritu, now 35, considers himself a late starter, taking dance seriously only when he got to high school. He was certainly familiar with dance, though.
As a boy of Samoan, Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino, Spanish and Caucasian ancestry, he was introduced to hula kahiko at a young age, and loved to choreograph the movements of his playground pals.
"I didn't realize it was choreography at the time, but it was. I remember putting together programs with hula hoops and poi balls."
These days, any piece of music could trigger visions of movement in his head. "I don't know how it happens, it just happens, like ESP. I just start channeling movement.
"I could be lying down or sleeping at 2 a.m. or whatever, and I'll get up and move a little bit or write it down, 'cause I don't always remember, and when it's gone, it's gone."
Espiritu said he heard a symphonic piece -- "very driving, with lots of strings, cello and bass" -- in Colorado about 20 years ago. "I haven't found it yet, but I still see movement for it. It's maddening!"
It is something he will be able to ponder long after his days as a dancer are over. "While I'm able and I'm at my peak I want to experience all I can, but choreography is something I can fall back on."
Not that he's holding himself to one particular dream.
"My whole life has been a constant improvisation. I just kind of go with it and after a while, I just say, 'Oh, I'm doing this.'
"I want to eventually do an album. I always thought I would be a singer. I was on the first 'Brown Bags to Stardom' album, so who knows?"
Men Dancing
On stage: 8 p.m. tomorrow and Satur-day
