FRIDAY-SUNDAY
Interactive festival emphasizes yoga
Yogis, music lovers, foodies and environmentalists, head over to the North Shore this weekend for Optimysstique, which bills itself as an “interactive renaissance festival” showcasing yoga, food, music, eco-art and lifestyle.
But first, get a taste of the weekend offerings in town tonight with a Chinatown concert featuring renowned British reggae artist Pato Banton, pictured. His 1985 debut album, “Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton,” is considered a classic and launched a series of chart-topping albums and singles in the U.K. and around the world, culminating with the Grammy-nominated “Life Is a Miracle” in 1999. He also had a top hit in “Baby Come Back” with UB40 members Robin and Ali Campbell. He’ll be appearing at Nextdoor along with Maacho, Echo Trip and other artists.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Hawaii Polo Club plays host for the rest of the festival, which features two days of yoga. Experts in a variety of yoga styles, from hatha to kundalini, will be leading classes. After all that stretching, you can cool down at sunset at a gong meditation on both days.
If you prefer more active movement, check out the zouk and kizomba dance session at 8 p.m. Saturday. Zouk is a social dance from the French Antilles, while kizomba originated in Angola.
Other entertainment will be diverse and worldly as well, with Saturday’s offerings including Hawaii island singer-songwriter Robert Saverly taking the stage at 12:30 p.m., blues/slack-key/reggae artist Tommy Osuna at 4 p.m. and the Funk Fellowship at 9 p.m. Osuna performs Sunday at noon, too, with Brazilian music closing out the day at 6 p.m. Agriculture-related offerings include seed and plant sales, and gardening workshops, including a session on holistic beekeeping at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Optimysstique, now in its 10th year, was organized by North Shore massage therapist and organic chef Cab Spates to integrate the concepts of wellness into health, the environment and business.
Where and when: Pato Banton, 9 p.m. today, Nextdoor, 43 N. Hotel St. Festival events, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Hawaii Polo Club, 68-411 Farrington Highway, Mokuleia
Cost: Pato Benton $16.37-$31.74. Festival $5-$15.
Info: eventbrite.com for Pato Banton; optimysstique.com or 637-2117 for festival events
SUNDAY
Soul singers gather to honor Amy Winehouse
Some of Hawaii’s best female soul singers will gather Sunday to commemorate English jazz and soul singer Amy Winehouse, whose 2006 album “Back to Black” earned five Grammy Awards. Winehouse died in 2011.
Among the singers will be Paula Fuga, Yoza, Melodie Soul, Big Mox, Erin Smith, Candy Diaz, Jenna Kealiikuli and Maryanne Ito. Also featured are Erika Elona, pictured above from left, Kahnma K. and Melanie Ilana. They’ll be backed up by a 10-piece band, similar to the Dap Kings that toured with Winehouse during her heyday, directed by Mark Lindberg, and they’ll be belting out Winehouse’s hits such as “Rehab,” “Back to Black,” and “You Know I’m No Good.”
Also performing that night will be indie-soul artist Jennifer Hall, pictured left, who’s been blowing through Chicago’s top music venues like a storm off Lake Michigan. “Hall writes music that combines youthful exuberance with old-fashioned sincerity,” said Sarah Terez-Rosenblum of the Chicago Sun Times, while her voice was praised as able to “be loud or … soft and tender, but her delivery is always exceptionally passionate” by Steve J. Crowley at Little Village magazine in Iowa City. After releasing her critically praised EP “Jennifer Hall” last year, the band immediately went on tour while sharing stages with both Eddie Vedder and Tom Morrello.
Joining in on the fun will be Hawaii’s own Kings of Spade, the blues-rockers who enjoyed a successful mainland tour last year.
Where: The Republik, 1349 Kapiolani Blvd.
When: 9 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $20-$30
Info: flavorus.com or 855-235-2867
SUNDAY
The Honolulu Classical Ballet offers a fresh take on a well-known Tchaikovsky work
For many people in Honolulu, ballet means enjoying “The Nutcracker” in the Blaisdell Concert Hall each December, but there is, of course, much more to ballet. On Sunday, RomiBeppu and Honolulu Classical Ballet present “Tchaikovsky’s Beauties,” an original reworking of another Tchaikovsky ballet, “Sleeping Beauty,” at Mamiya Theatre. Almost 80 ofBeppu’s students are performing.
“We wanted to honor the music, themes and traditional choreography associated with the original ballet while also creating some innovative pieces of our own,” Beppu said. Theballet was designed to showcase well-known themes, passages and characters, including “sleeping beauty” Aurora’s coming of age, the dancer’s Rose Adagio set piece, and fairytale characters Puss in Boots and the White Cat.
“We chose to highlight the coming-of-age theme, as we want the audience to see the evolution, maturity, growth and beauty of our dancers,” Beppu said. “The coming-of-agetheme is the focal point, and where I feel we currently are as a studio.”
Beppu, known as the first dancer from Hawaii to be named a principal dancer with a major company, was named to that position with the Boston Ballet in 2005. As Aurora shedanced the Rose Adagio with the Boston Ballet in that year. She launched the Honolulu Classical Ballet in 2012.
Tchaikovsky’s ballet version of the well-known story of an enchanted princess was performed for the first time in 1890. The Russian choreographer was Marius Petipa, whomBeppu describes as the “father of classical ballet.”
“We felt it was important to showcase the original Petipa choreography,” Beppu said. “At the same time we wanted to show a fresh, modern take on the original ballet, and that iswhy we chose to do a non-narrative performance. … We’ve stripped the original ballet of its dense narrative and lavish costumes, and instead present a neoclassical version thatallows the audience to focus on the purity of the music and beauty of the dancing.”
“There will also be two new pieces on the program that are composed by Tchaikovsky,” Beppu revealed. “I’ll leave those as surprises.”
Where: Mamiya Theatre, 3214 Waialae Ave.
When: 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $20-$25
Info: hcballet.com or 421-7201
