Aloha ~ Alegria

September 2, 2010

Melissa Chang,

I’m crossing my fingers and hoping I got the timing of this blog right. The September issue of InsideOut Hawaii should be in people’s mailboxes today or tomorrow, and you can read more about local boy Micah Naruo, one of the fire dancers in Alegria — the latest Cirque du Soleil show slated to come to Hawaii.

Editor Stacy Yuen Hernandez got an in-depth interview with Micah to find out how he got started in fire knife dancing and ended up with Cirque. Little known fact: I used to babysit Micah and his sister, Chrissy, at Nuuanu YMCA’s Childwatch. Oh, the stories I could tell.

Aside from Micah, I’m looking forward to seeing the very detailed costumes in the show. According to Cirque du Soleil’s Senior Artistic Director Michael G. Smith, the show’s unique factor is their handmade costumes, right down to the shoes.

Michael said to look for the angels in white that are seen throughout the show. Their costumes have braiding & feathers, in which every strand is woven by hand, about 50 hours work. That attention to detail elevates a simple costume, to one with texture.

“We can outsource things to China or India, but we are part of the local Montreal economy. We don’t make fabric, we dye it from scratch; we make our own designs, our own silkscreens, everything,” Michael said. “With all the economic crises, there’s never been a suggestion that we cut.”