Dancers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are bringing their art global. This April, faculty, lecturers and graduate students from UH Mānoa’s Department of Theatre and Dance will tour London and France with their original world premiere dance production, EchoEight. They’ll perform and lead workshops at The Place, a major center for dance in London, and at Festival À Corps in Paris and Poitiers.
Directed by dance faculty Kara Jhalak Miller and lecturer Sami L.A. Akuna, EchoEight is described as a “vibrational sensory live performance.” The piece explores human connection and our relationship with the planet through eight rings of movement and sound.
- Related UH News story: Dance Fusion: Tongan to hip-hop hits UH Mānoa stage, January 7, 2025
“The opportunity for our dance graduate students to perform internationally is incredible,” said Miller. “The chance to share artistic craft, train with choreographers and dance companies from Asia, the Pacific, and Europe, engage in creative processes from different cultures, and build global networks, opens doors for future collaborations and jobs.”
Judo to hip hop
The cast features spring 2025 Master of Fine Arts dance candidates Hannah Archer, Nani Marcos, Stephen Isi Tuifua Kolokihakaufisi, Anna Quijano and Jonathan Clarke Sypert. Each dancer will also present original movement research through performances and workshops.
The workshops draw on combining everything from Tongan dance and judo to African jazz, hip hop, contemporary dance and Filipino storytelling. These include “Painted People” (Archer) “Koloa” (Kolokihakaufisi), “-apo: by Marcos,” “Act and React” (Quijano) and “Beige: An Afro Ballet” (Sypert).
“I hope our international audiences will feel and appreciate our collective artistry and passion,” said Sypert.
Marcos looks forward to showcasing diverse movement qualities and styles.
“Especially as a locally trained dancer, I want to emphasize the rooted talent the islands have to offer,” she said. “Travelling internationally, I am also excited to reignite our relationships with the broader international dance community and learn from my peers.”
LGBTQ+, contemporary dance
Faculty will share their award-winning research: Miller with yoga in contemporary dance, and Akuna with LGBTQ+ and MVPFAFF (an acronym that represents identities within the Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ community: Māhū, Vaka sa lewa lewa, Palopa, Fa’afafine, Akava’ine, Fakaleiti, and Fakafifine) queer dance.
The invited tour continues a longtime collaboration with Intercultural Roots in London and Université de Poitiers in France. Together, they explore eco-somatic movement and cultural exchange through dance.
The UH Mānoa Department of Theatre and Dance is housed in the College of Arts, Languages and Letters.
