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Fine Dancing Opens at the Oceania Centre

A new play titled ‘Fine Dancing’ will open at the Visual and Performing Arts Pavilion, Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies (OCACPS) at the University of the South Pacific on 1st December, 2011.

Written and directed by Professor Vilsoni Hereniko, Director of OCACPS, this fantasy for adults explores a month in the life of a tired wife in Honolulu, Hawaii, who abandons her children for a rendezvous with the Polynesian Moon Goddess who teaches her how to ‘fine dance’ with her abusive husband and his lover. 

Starring Allan Alo, Ateca Ravuvu, Glen Lord and Sadrishan Velaidan, this strictly adults only play will take audiences on an emotional journey into the world of domestic violence and of course dance as a metaphor for life itself.  It is not all dark, however, and like life itself, there are plenty of lighter moments which are sure to see audiences laughing even as the tears roll down their faces. 

With a cast made up of professional dancers, it is not surprising that dance is a powerful element in Fine Dancing and Peter Espiritu, the new Artistic Director for the Oceania Dance Theatre, has done a superb job of choreography with the actors and supporting dancers quite literally scaling new heights.

Opening with a Gala Cocktail function on Thursday, 1st December, the show will also run on December 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th and 10th, with a special half price for university students only show on Wednesday, 7th December.

Tickets are on sale from the Oceania Centre, USP Book Centre, Kahawa Cafe, Guava Cafe and Holiday Inn.  Tickets for regular shows are $20 each, while the university students night is $10 with a valid university student ID. The tickets for the Gala Opening Night Cocktail are $50 per person.

Opening of the Visual and Performing Arts Pavilion

On Saturday evening, 15th October, the Director of the Oceania Centre Professor Vilsoni Hereniko, staff & creative artists welcomed guests to the celebration of the launching of their new Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture. An impressive new performance space extension to what was the original Oceania dance building, now called the Visual and Performing Arts Pavilion.

This is exciting news for the arts community, as this will mean a definite increase in creative initiatives from Director Prof Hereniko and his highly renowned staff/artists, newest staff member arriving just two days prior, highly respected Hawaiian choreographer Peter Espiritu ‘hit the ground running’ by taking up his new role as Artistic Director instantly.

Professor Hereniko thanked all those who contributed to the renovation & extension, namely Vice-Chancellor Professor Rajesh Chandra, staff, architects and building contractors.

The guests were then presented a wonderful mini-production, created by Peter Espiritu, Prof Hereniko & Composer/Conductor Igelese Ete, and performed by their talented resident performing ensembles - Oceania Dance Theatre and Pasifika Voices.

It was a moving performance, performing arts with meaning & passion, proudly signifying the unity & creativity of pacific contemporary, traditional, fusion, operatic, gospel. Boldly claiming their solidarity under the initial vision of the Late Professor Epeli Hau’ofa  & literally showing how the torch has being passed on to Professor Hereniko. A sign of the exciting wonderful things to come from the Oceania Centre for Arts Culture & Pacific Studies at USP.

Images (top to bottom): Igelese Ete conducting Pasifika Voices; Oceania Dance Theatre choreographed by Peter Espiritu; Dr Akanisi Kedrayate (Dean FAL) with Professor Vilsoni Hereniko (Director OCACPS) and Professor Rajesh Chandra (Vice-Chancellor USP).