At 7 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, Prince Dance Theatre will present “Perspektives,” a theatrical dance performance at Kahilu Theatre.
Directed by Prince Dance Theatre and Institute Artistic Director Angel Prince and written by Prince Dance Institute Managing Director Noelani Anderson, the show features over 100 students from PDI.
Anderson said the show is all about “navigating the tricky waters of conflict resolution told through performance art.”
“This performance-based narrative tells the story of Jacob and Claire, two teens — now bound together through their parents’ re-marriage — spiraling through conflicts that touch their inner self, their friends and family, their home environment and their school context,” said Anderson. “Theirs is the story of working through real-world conflicts.”
The plot of “Perspektives” incorporates the four elements of peacebuilding (according to John Paul Lederach, professor of international peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame) with the overarching theme that conflict can be complicated and is not necessarily always resolved. Through the show’s characters, Jacob and Claire, their peers, and the relationships around them — seen and unseen — the story follows conflict as a journey versus a contained experience.
“We partnered up with West Hawaii Mediation Center, and their executive director, Eric Paul, came in for a series of workshops to help guide the students and teachers through what conflict resolution means,” says Prince. “We focused on how conflicts arise, the types of conflicts we encounter, and how (on a grand scale) they can escalate and how to effectively manage them. It was very enlightening.”
In addition to the storyline, “Perspektives” includes contemporary dance, acting, trapeze, musical theatre, aerial silks, and hip-hop and breakdancing and features new choreography by Angel Prince, Elizabeth McDonald, Kat Reuss, Kalena Zindric, Mana Ho‘opai, and original pieces by Candie Duggan and Noelani Anderson.
Doors open at 6 p.m. for the performance on Saturday and at 3 p.m. for the Sunday performance. There will be snacks and beverages available for sale at the Kahilu Theatre bar.
Tickets for “Perspektives” are $48 / $38 / $28 / $15 and are available for purchase online at kahilutheatre.org, by calling 885-6868, or in person from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday at the Kahilu Theatre box office, located at 67-1186 Lindsey Road, Waimea.
“Perspektives” was created in partnership with West Hawaii Mediation Center and is a family-friendly performance.
