Take a trip to Hollywood on May 9, as Kauai Dance Theater performs its 29th spring concert themed “Aloha, Hollywood!” Dancers aged 4 to 18 will take your breath away, as they perform classical ballet, contemporary dance, tap dance, novelty
Take a trip to Hollywood on May 9, as Kauai Dance Theater performs its 29th spring concert themed “Aloha, Hollywood!”
Dancers aged 4 to 18 will take your breath away, as they perform classical ballet, contemporary dance, tap dance, novelty and comedy dance. Each performance will feature familiar music made famous from the movies and provides the perfect accompaniment for a variety of dance styles.
Kauai Dance Theatre director, teacher and choreographer Janie Crane enjoys teaching various dance styles and the music of “Aloha, Hollywood!” provides a perfect opportunity to showcase that variety.
“I have studied dance since age 11 and have always enjoyed being a part of dance groups. In my 20s I performed with a regional ballet company for six years and also taught dance along the way,” Crane said in an email.
After moving to Kauai in the 1980s, one of Crane’s teachers, Marion Walmar Cozad, retired and asked Crane to fill in.
“The timing was right for me to switch gears and in 1986 Kauai Dance Theatre was established,” Crane said.
Kauai Dance Theatre students range in age from 4 years old to adults. This concert will be a first-time stage experience for some and others have been dancing and performing for 10 years or longer.
Personalities range from the enthusiastic “ballerina-wannabe” to the realistic “this is hard work but I love it” accomplished dancers, Crane added.
Students have been rehearsing day in and day out to get their dances down.
Choreography for this performance has been in the works for months, but many students have been preparing by studying dance for years.
“They will appreciate the fresh enthusiasm of the preschool students as well as the grace and poise of teen students who have been polishing their craft for a number of years,” Crane said on what the audience can expect.
The hard work and practice pays off when dancers get the chance to dress up in costume and show off their talent.
“Dance is a performing art so a concert provides the opportunity for students dancing, their ‘art,’ to be viewed and appreciated. Choreography is based on the steps, movements and artistry that dancers study during the process of progressive improvement and advancement. Rehearsing for a concert allows students to practice these movements repeatedly to improve the quality of their dancing.” Crane said.
The concert is set for two shows, 2 and 5 p.m. at Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall.
Tickets are $10 at the door; ages 3 and younger are free.
Proceeds benefit the YWCA Women’s Shelter and Kauai Dance Theatre’s scholarship program.
“I would like audience members to leave the theater with a sense of joy after watching all of the enthusiastic dancers perform — from the youngest aspiring ballerinas to the more accomplished teen students,” Crane said.
Info: Janie Crane 332-9737 or visit www.KauaiDanceTheatre.com
