Hawaii's Iona Dance brings ocean-inspired 'Electric Blue' to the mainland

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http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/28/entertainment/theater/9_40_104_25_07.txt

Last modified Wednesday, April 25, 2007 11:29 AM PDT

Hawaii's Iona Dance brings ocean-inspired 'Electric Blue' to the mainland

By: PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer

Five years ago, the members of Hawaii's Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre gathered on an Oahu beach to memorialize a troupe member's grandmother and sprinkle a few of her ashes into the wind and sea. From those ashes, "Electric Blue" was born.

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"It's about the spirit of 'Aloha,' which is largely about our soul and its connection to the universe," Brewe said. "People in Hawaii live near the beaches, so they're intimately aware of the interconnectivity between humans and the environment. A lot of the myths connected with the sea grew out of this interconnectedness, and 'Electric Blue' examines those myths."

The five-scene dance piece, performed with an intermission, includes segments devoted to sea myths, including the Sirens, who lured sailors to their deaths in ancient Greek mythology; the Selkies, the sea creatures who disguised themselves in sealskins to dance for humans on the seashore in Scottish mythology; and the enduring legend of mermaids. The sea as the birthplace of life is the inspiration for a company dance around a bed and a lighthearted striptease in UV light. "Electric Blue" is suited for all ages.

Iona Blue was started in 1990 by Flaharty, with the concept of combining modern dance elements with the ritualistic discipline of Japanese Butoh dance, which Flaharty studied under choreographer Poppo Shiraishi. Butoh was born in the late 1940s from the ashes of Nagasaki and Hiroshima to physically express the horror of the atomic blasts. While Flaharty loved how Butoh physicalized emotion in improvisational, ritual movement, she wanted to portray a different mood in her Butoh-inspired choreography, Brewe said.

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Iona Dance's multimedia work 'Electric Blue' incorporates video that feature dancers filmed underwater in Hawaii.


A love-themed athletic dance scene in 'Electric Blue' centers around a bed.


With the ocean as a main focus in 'Electric Blue,' the arts center stage floor will be covered with 10 tons of sand.

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1. Looks interesting...