Cheshire Cat Dances to a New Tune with Ballet Hawaii

HONOLULU - July 31, 2015 - PRLog -- What’s the secret behind the Cheshire Cat’s grin? The Washington Ballet’s Luis R. Torres knows, and he promises a few surprises when Ballet Hawaii (http://www.ballethawaii.org/performances.htm) presents Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland) at Blaisdell Concert Hall on August 7, 8 and 9. Produced in collaboration with The Washington Ballet, this fairytale production returns to Honolulu as part of worldwide celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Torres, Washington Ballet’s studio company and trainee ballet master, will dance the roles of The Cheshire Cat and King of Hearts. He performed these roles for the ballet’s 2012 world premiere and is honored to return to Hawaii to restage ALICE (in Wonderland) for Alice’s 150th birthday.

“ALICE (in Wonderland) is unlike anything you’ve seen before—it’s a completely new ballet, with all aspects of the production created from scratch: everything from music to costuming to choreography,” explains Torres, who also teaches in Ballet Hawaii’s Summer Intensive Program. When ALICE goes down the rabbit hole at Blaisdell Concert Hall, students from the Ballet Hawaii’s program will also dance on-stage alongside principal dancers from the Washington, Cincinnati, Eugene and Carolina Ballets.

“As The Cheshire Cat, I dance a duet with Alice—the mesmerizing Maki Onuki—but it’s not what you expect,” said Torres. “Septime Webre created a jazzy, debonair Cheshire Cat who is more playful. He’s still a trickster, but he’s not the one who appears and disappears. He is not the Cheshire Cat you’ve come to expect. He’s surprising and puzzling. You could say he’s a great entertainer.”

According to Torres, part of ALICE (in Wonderland)’s appeal is its pure entertainment value: the ballet is a crossover hit that appeals to a much wider audience than traditional ballet productions. Yet despite the wow factor that resonates equally with both ballet lovers and ballet newcomers, it is still highly relevant to ballet audiences. Bringing the production to Honolulu adds even more to the experience.

“This is my fourth summer teaching in Ballet Hawaii’s Summer Intensive Program, with my first being 2012, when Washington Ballet brought ALICE (in Wonderland) to Honolulu after the world premiere in Washington, D.C.,” explains Torres. “Working together with students and teachers here in the Islands, it’s like we’ve become family. That relationship brings out the best in everyone and it’s magical to see the same students who danced in ALICE in 2012 returning to dance more challenging roles. Once they were the youngest children in ALICE and now they’re flamingoes.”

Unlike many Summer Intensive Programs offered on the mainland, Ballet Hawaii’s program offers students the opportunity to dance in a professional production at the conclusion of the program. In recent seasons, productions have included Septime Webre’s dazzling new ballet Peter Pan, and the magical Cinderella.

Tickets for ALICE (in Wonderland) are on sale now at ticketmaster.com and range from $35 to $99. Ticket and event information is available from the Blaisdell Box Office located at 777 Ward Avenue during regular box office hours; Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com. For more information call (808) 521-8600 or visit ballethawaii.org.

150th Anniversary Special Events

STAGE Restaurant Alice VIP Opening Night Dinner Package
The Alice VIP Opening Night Dinner Package at STAGE Restaurant is Friday, August 7 at 5:15 pm and includes dinner, a VIP performance seat, and reserved parking at NBC. The price is $165. To make reservations, call 521-8600, ext. 4.

About Ballet Hawaii
Ballet Hawaii is currently celebrating 39 years in the community, with two locations on South Hotel Street in Honolulu and in West Oahu, and has been enriching Hawaii’s cultural environment by teaching, promoting, presenting, and producing dance since 1976. Classes are focused on building self-confidence through accomplishment, while its presentations of world-class performances provide the community with the priceless gift of professional quality dance.

In addition to a year-round training program offered at facilities in Honolulu and Waipahu, Ballet Hawaii also offers a three-week Summer Intensive session. Featuring teachers from the international dance community and Washington Ballet, this year’s Summer Intensive culminates with the presentation of Septime Webre’s innovative production of ALICE (in Wonderland). Each year, Ballet Hawaii also stages a magical Nutcracker performance that shines the spotlight on a cast of more than 200 dancers from across Hawaii, as well as mainland companies such as New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Carolina Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.

Ballet Hawaii extends its warmest thanks and aloha to its sponsors Starwood Hotels & Resorts Waikiki and the Honolulu Star Advertiser. Production sponsors include Pasha Hawaii, the Mayor’s Office on Culture and the Arts, and Naish Hawaii, with additional funding provided by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.