Hawaii’s first Cirque du Soleil resident production opens in Waikiki

HONOLULU — Hawaii’s first Cirque du Soleil resident production, ʻAuana, is opening Thursday at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel’s 784-seat, newly renovated theater. 

Unlike Cirque du Soleil productions in Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, Berlin, Quebec, or those on tour, ʻAuana is a “Hawaii-inspired production,” which includes hula dancers, along with the unusual acrobats, comedians, musicians and singers.

Spectrum News Hawaii attended a media preview Wednesday for the new Cirque du Soleil show, which included a panel discussion and two performances from ʻAuana. 

The question that was never asked directly, but seemed to twirl about the panel discussion, was: Can an iconic contemporary circus company from Montreal create a show that is authentic to Hawaii or to Native Hawaiians? 

The production was certainly putting an effort towards achieving this authenticity by including a quartet of Native Hawaiian cultural advisors and artisans in the creative team: Cultural Creative Producer Aaron J. Salā, Costume Designer Carrington Manaola Yap, Choreographer Kumu Hula Hiwa Vaughan, and Linguist R. Keao NeSmith. At Wednesday’s panel, they were joined on stage by Director Neil Dorward and Composer Evan Duffy. 

When asked about the name of the show, Salā said the Hawaiian word ʻauana means “to wander, to potentially veer off the beaten path.” 

Usually, he said, ‘auana is associated with “hula ‘auana,” which was a distinct departure from Kahiko, the traditional-style of hula, where “you would dance in a particular spot and not move too much. (Hula) ‘auana was the integration of modern Western instruments, the Western diatonic scale, and it allowed people to move across the stage.”

“It offered us an opportunity to stay grounded in the world that is Hawaii, but to wander beyond what that journey looked like,” Salā continued. He described being influenced by the moʻolelo (stories) “of Waikiki, of Queen Emma, of our akua,” but said the goal was for their work to exist in the “that liminal threshold between reality and fantasy that is at the pole of the Cirque du Soleil brand.” 

Salā said the meaning behind ‘auana was further represented by Yap’s circular design, which is incorporated into the stage lighting and adorns many costumes in the show, and emphasizes “that people can wander, but they have to come back.”

“Hina” is one number included in ʻAuana. (Spectrum News/Michelle Broder Van Dyke)

Vaughan, the choreographer, described combining hula and the acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil as natural. “My effort in the choreography is to remain rooted, while allowing myself to be innovative,” she said. 

Duffy worked closely with everyone on the panel, especially NeSmith, the linguist, and other local artists, such as Taimane Gardner, an ukulele virtuoso, who performed on the soundtrack. “I got probably one of the most unique educations in Hawaiian music and culture, maybe that anybody has ever experienced,” he said. 

NeSmith developed the lyrics for the soundtrack, which are exclusively in Hawaiian. “Words are flowers on a lei, and they’re strung together, and they’re intended to embrace all of you who hear these chants with protection, with love. The intention is to transport you and me together to another level.” 

At the end of the panel, Salā said: “We all collectively come to the table knowing that Hawaii can absolutely heal the world, and attaching ourselves to a project like this, that brings us to the mainstream, is one step in the direction that we need in order to heal the world.”

“Golden age of tourism” is one number included in ʻAuana. (Spectrum News/Michelle Broder Van Dyke)

On Wednesday, two segments from ‘Auana were performed. “Golden age of tourism” included hula, acrobats who used their bodies to perform intricate flips, a juggler, an ukulele player, and a comedic ending involving balloons, while “Hina” was an homage to the moon goddess, represented with an aerial hoop act, a group of dancers and a singer.  

ʻAuana performs Wednesday through Sunday at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The show is about 80 minutes with no intermission. Ticket prices vary from $69 to $195, depending on seat selection and performance day. Discounts are available for kamaʻaina, children, military members, and groups of 10 or more.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.