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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center announces the spring 2017 season of performances.

Black Arm Band: Dirtsong

Black Arm Band: Dirtsong

Friday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Black Arm Band is a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are widely acclaimed for their distinctive music theatre performances, and celebration of indigenous culture, language and uniquely powerful visual imagery.

At the heart of Black Arm Band’s ethos is their relationship with the indigenous communities from where their work draws its inspiration.

Wonderheads: Loon

Wonderheads: Loon

Friday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Acclaimed physical theatre company and mask imagineers the Wonderheads bring you a love story that whisks a man to the moon and back. Francis, a lonely janitor who is plagued by isolation and tickled by whispers of childhood imagination, has hit rock bottom and discovers that he has nowhere to go…but up! But will plucking the moon from the sky bring him the love he is searching for?

Loon is performed in full-face mask, a form so magical that the audience will forget their age and marvel in childlike delight. Wordless and whimsical, it has been described by audiences as watching a living cartoon, or live-action Pixar.

Dobet Gnahore

Dobet Gnahore

Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Ivory Coast vocalist and dancer Dobet Gnahoré has garnered a reputation as one of the most vibrant performers in world music. Her extraordinary talents position her to set the course for the genre.

As a child, Gnahoré trained in the music and dance traditions of the Bété people at the urging of her father, a well-known performer and master percussionist in West Africa. Gnahoré’s voice, dancing, charisma and vibrant stage presence is the result of years of theatrical and choreographic work and brings audiences everywhere to their feet. Gnahoré sings in a range of African languages including Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina and Bambara.

In 2010 she shared an award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with India.Arie at the 52nd Grammy Awards and has released several albums, including her latest Na Drê in 2014.

Aparna Ramawamy presents: They Rose At Dawn

They Rose at Dawn

Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Under the direction of Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy, Ragamala Dance Company’s work explores the dynamic tension between the ancestral and the contemporary. They Rose at Dawn is a solo work, depicting women as carriers of ritual, navigating inner and outer worlds, invoking a sense of reverence, of unfolding mystery, of imagination.

A stellar 5 piece Carnatic musical ensemble accompanies Aparna Ramaswamy as she explores the spotaneous interplay between music and movement and the dynamic contours created by the artists onstage.

Compagnie Herve Koubi: What the Day Owes to the Night

What the Day Owes to the Night

Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Hervi Koubi grew up in the South of France where he studied both biology and dance at the University of Aix-en-Provence before graduating as a pharmaceutical doctor. After deciding to concentrate on a dancing career and graduating from the world-renowned Rosella Hightower School of Dance in Cannes, Koubi gained professional experience as a dancer with the Opera de Marseille.

His latest major choreographic work is entitled What the Day Owes to the Night and is inspired by his own personal journey and discovery of his Algerian heritage.

Evita

Evita

Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 9 at 2 p.m.

Lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Jackie Pualani Johnson; music direction by Armando Mendoza, choreography by Celeste Staton

Argentina’s controversial first lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. As an illegitimate 15 year old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at 22, the president’s mistress at 24, first lady at 27 and dead at 33.

Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, Evita creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself.

Spring Trifecta

Spring 2017 Great Leaps Dance Concert, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.

UH Hilo Jazz Orchestra Concert, May 4 at 7:30 p.m.

We Sing the Spring: 35 Years of Jackie!, May 7 at 2 p.m.

To receive the three events for $20, the Spring Trifecta package needs to be purchased by April 29.

Tickets

To view ticket pricing or to purchase tickets visit the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center tickets website.

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