We then went to a luau where we were able to eat many authentic foods from the islands while we were entertained by dancers and other performers. Having had a day filled with Pacific culture and actually being there as part of the setting, we were treated to the play,
Ha: BREATH OF LIFE.
This is a Pacific isle saga with themes of birth and death, triumph and tragedy, and love and family. As it was night time, the special effects of animation, blazing fire knives and fire were especially compelling. The animation was woven into the live play as flashbacks, and was intended to tell us what had happened previously.
The costumes, songs and dances were designed to captivate the audience and create a connection with the performers. Narration accompanied by music took the audience on a young man's life journey beginning with his birth and ending with his death.
As we see the joy of his parents and extended family reacting to his birth, and then through his youth, exposition is working on us because we really care about this young boy and his family. We gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Polynesian culture as we are fully immersed in it. We are drawn into the horror and tragedy of war with special effects such as fire, thunder and lightening are measured out. We are joyous when love and family are portrayed and we are sad when death occurs.
This is a story of passion, and the performers want for us to "Come, breathe it in."
The spectacle sounds very different from minimalist Greek theater, but the bringing together of a community doesn't.
ReplyDeleteGreat observation. It was spectacular and full of emotion for both the performers as well as the audience.
DeleteI think it's really important and enlightening for us to experience theatre on a community level in addition to the widely accessible. Learning about other cultures is always interesting!
ReplyDeleteI take it from your explanation that you enjoyed the performance. I think I'm the only person in the whole world who was disappointed after seeing Ha Breath of Life. I loved the fire dancing and the Tahitian dancers but I was expecting more of a story. To me it just felt like they put random aspects of a story that wasn't especially clear to me inside of a performance of dancers. It didn't seem connected. But I'm glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteI felt similarly. Not as passionately in the negative, but I did feel like there was kind of a disconnect. However, I think it's important to remember that they were mostly trying to entertain, not to story-tell. I went for the authentic hula dancing, and I got it. Sweet.
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