By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
In "3!", threemembers of the company perform energetic,
clever variations -- lifting, catching, rolling over and climbing
on oneanother, while loosely following the lyrics
of a song about the number three.

Local accents spice
delightful ‘Kako‘o’

Melveen's back

By Vivien Lee
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Peter-Rockford Espiritu, founder and artistic director of the Tau Dance Theatre, was named after both his maternal and paternal grandfathers, thus the hyphenated first name. He is proud of the fact that he is the first indigenous Pacific Islander from Hawaii to direct a professional dance company based on a Western dance style, i.e. modern dance. But his company's style, like his name, should be hyphenated, for it is modern dance -- with a local Hawaiian flavor. From the giant orchid and bamboo flower arrangements on either side of the stage, to the opening numbers sung by Melveen Leed (tonight) and Jay Larrin (tomorrow), to the use of local music for the dances, their spring concert"Kako'o" is modern dance with a twist. The full evening's program will be enjoyed by nondancers and veteran dance fans alike. The dancing is very strong, the choreography varied, the messages accessible and the energy high.

In a wonderfully frantic "Beat," by Mark Dendy, dancers Holly Chung, Gregg Lizenbery, Marie Takazawa and Betsy Fisher, in short black unitards and tennis shoes, nearly kill themselves doing the mother of all workouts. They count, groan, jump, swivel and pound the floor like a cross between a fanatic aerobics instructor and an Army sergeant gone berserk.

Four of the program's dances are set to melodies by well-known local musicians such as Henry Kapono and the Brothers Cazimero. The challenge here is to make the choreography match the music, yet not be dominated by the popular tunes. The most successful was Espiritu's "Kahakai," a solo for Lizenbery, which worked with the music by Sonny Chillingworth to subtly capture the feeling of being at the water's edge -- swirling, splashing, tossing, dabbing.

Although all 13 dancers were technically proficient, Takazawa and Espiritu stood out for the sheer joy they expressed. It is worth the ticket price just to see them, but there is so much more, so go see for yourself!

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