IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre's 'Paint By Number' March 18, 2005

What do Jackson Pollock and IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre have in common?


HONOLULU, HI- IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre explores a whole new level of movement and magic with the Quadraphonix in ?Paint By Number?, the second performance of IONA?s new Salon Series, scheduled for March 18 and 19 on the 4th floor of the NIKETOWN building (King Kalakaua Plaza). Valet parking is available as well as underground, self-parking. Tickets can be purchased from the Hawaii Theatre Center Box office at www.hawaiitheatre.com or call 528-0506; tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door.

Throughout ?Paint By Number? IONA dancers animate a blank canvas with movement saturated in . . . you guessed it- paint! Combining influences of Japanese Butoh and contemporary dance, IONA creates a world of expression where visual art meets performing art to a fascinating effect. In this installation, dancers leave behind a record of their movement in a colorful map of lines and loops.

Inventively, ?Paint By Number? transforms IONA dancers into human paintbrushes. This, combined with the free-form music of the Quadraphonix, offers audiences a different experience at each performance. Merging themes of peace, sexuality, and passion, the IONA dancers? masterpiece will fluctuate drastically each nigh; as well, the Quadraphonix?s music progresses and transforms, ranging from sacred fusion beats to psychedelic explorations, evoking different emotions into which the dancers dip themselves and captivatingly ?paint?.

Cheryl Flaharty, an award-winning choreographer, draws on her strengths as a fusion artist in the Company?s new Salon Series. The Series takes the creative process of dance, theatre and visual arts out of the theatre and into the interactive salon environment. ?Performing arts are rapidly moving out of the traditional proscenium and are being made more accessible to the public through raw spaces like this, allowing for an intimate experience for both the performers and audience members? says Flaharty, IONA founder and Artistic Director. IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre kicked off their premiere Salon Series with ?La Madonna? at Studio 1, last August and was met with rave reviews. This Series is sure to bring audiences an artistic smorgasbord as it connects painting, dance, and music.