IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre Announces DOMINION At Hawaii Theatre Center

IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre (IONA), Hawai'i's premier dance ensemble, today announced the staging of DOMINION, its epic evening-length work about animals, humans and the spirit that binds us. Two performances will take place at the Hawaii Theatre Center, Friday May 11 and Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.

DOMINION is a beautiful and poignant example of how the arts bring awareness to social causes. The work echoes a growing concern we have in today's world over the mistreatment and extinction of animals. The show goes a step further to examine humankind's dominion over the food industry in the use of genetic engineering and the sourcing of new "miracle foods" that promote life.

DOMINION demonstrates, through the bodies of the dancers, the spirit of life we share with the animals who roam our planet and our living rooms, while taking a humorous and sometimes shocking look at the foods we eat.

DOMINION features an expansive cast of 23 dancers, including powerful solo performances by Moses Goods and Malia Yamamoto, as well as fast-paced, heart-pounding group numbers that thrill the senses. The visuals in the show are striking. 20' tall LED panels form the backdrop for the work and feature images of animals and nature as well as digital animations synchronized to the dancers' movements. A 7' long elephant tusk (reproduction) is laid to rest under the full moon; a human-sized golden cage becomes an acrobatic set; eight mechanical poodles take dominion over their owners; and pages from a magical "book of souls" fly - like the show's dark hero, the Raven - up to the sky.

"While DOMINION incorporates some very provocative material, the show is as humorous as it is thought provoking - and stunningly beautiful," said Artistic Director Cheryl Flaharty. "DOMINION is a feast for the eyes and nourishment for the heart."

Shows:

Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m.

Tickets, range from $30 - $75, can be purchased at:

www.hawaiitheatre.com

808.528.0506

The creation and performances of DOMINION are supported by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaii and by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the S. J. Ungar / J. Shapiro Family Foundation.

The show revolves around the Tlingit myth of the animals who preceded humans on earth, and brought the world into being. (The Tlingit are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America.) The myth tells of Raven - an archetype of darkness or prophecy in many cultures - who through his adversity, brings forth all the light in the world - the stars, sun, and moon. In Dominion, the Raven, performed by local actor Moses Goods, becomes the shadow figure whose magnificence is realized in the work's finale.

The dances in DOMINION are symbolic in nature: the breaking of a statue of the Hindu elephant god Ganesha; the release of pages from a "book of souls;" the body of a dancer used as an altar for candles; the train of a red dress signifying the bloodshed of elephants. Twenty-foot tall LED panels form the backdrop for DOMINION and add to the impact of the show's imagery with brilliant photos and animations synchronized to the dancers' movements. The work also features a golden cage that imprisons the "essence of life" (performed brilliantly by Malia Yamamoto), and used acrobatically by the surrounding dancers, and a seven-foot elephant tusk reproduction.

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