FRIDAY

>> State Champs brings that pop punk sound

State Champs brings its alternative pop punk sound to the The Republik Friday.

Formed in 2010 in upstate New York, the band had a hit with debut album “The Finer Things,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart in 2013. That sent them on a tour of Europe and landed them occasional appearances on the Vans Warped Tour in 2014. By 2016, they were full-timers on the Warped Tour, after the release of their second album, “Around the World and Back,” which reached No. 30 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

Consisting of founding members Derek DiScanio (lead vocals) and Tyler Szalkowski (guitar, vocals), along with Tony “Rival” Diaz (rhythm guitar), Ryan Scott Graham (bass) and Evan Ambrosio (drums), they’ve been called “one of the most high-energy, fresh, and respectable pop punk bands of the decade,” by the Rock weekly The Aquarian.

STATE CHAMPS

Presented by BAMP Project

>> Where: The Republik

>> When: 8 p.m. Friday

>> Cost: $27

>> Info: 941-7469, jointherepublik.com

FRIDAY

>> Richard Kaufman guest conducts HSO

Hawaii has been the site of many great movies and television shows, and a lot of great music has been written for them.

The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra will perform some of this music today. You won’t see any of the films, but guest conductor Richard Kaufman said it won’t matter. “If you’ve seen a film and you associate the music with the film, you can associate the music in your mind’s eye while the music is being played by the orchestra,” he said.

The symphony has done many performances featuring music from mostly contemporary movies, but for this concert, Kaufman and symphony executive director Jonathan Parrish went further back. “I found that because of the great wealth of music that you could put together a really good program, with a lot of different genres and composers represented, old films, contemporary films, so it’s very exciting,” Kaufman said.

The program includes music from the 1960’s films “The Caine Mutiny” (music by Max Steiner), “Mutiny on the Bounty” (Bronislau Kaper), and “Hawaii” (Elmer Bernstein), as well as more recent films like “Pearl Harbor,” (Hans Zimmer),” “Midway” “Jurassic Park,” “Hook” (all John Williams) and “South Pacific,” (Rodgers & Hammerstein) which will feature singers. Music from television’s “Lost” (Michael Giacchino) will also be featured, Kaufman said, adding that there are “a few surprises” on the program as well.

There’s no one better to lead this concert than Kaufman, who was the music supervisor at MGM for 18 years. He was also a studio musician for many films, including “Midway,” and won the 1993 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for a recording of “Beauty and the Beast” with the Nuremberg Symphony. He’s also excited to work with Hawaii’s musicians. “This music is not easy to play, in many cases,” he said. “It takes a great orchestra to interpret it both creatively and technically.”

HAWAI’I SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

With special guest conductor Richard Kaufman

>> Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall

>> When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

>> Cost: $27 to $79

>> Info: 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com

SATURDAY

>> Dance competition Honozulu Beast pits local dance squads

Dance fans, get in position for the Honozulu Beast, a dance competition for local school crews.

Now in its sixth year, the competition will pit 15 teams representing local high school clubs against each other for the right to be called the best student urban dance squad in town. Teams will range from “varsity” crews, with between five and 12members, and “mega crews” of 15 and over, said Nicole Kealoha of Diverse Arts Center, the organizer of the event.

With mega crews, “it’s very impactful seeing all those dancers on stage doing the same thing at the same time, so they compete against the same amount of students,” she said, “whereas with the varsity crews you can be a bit more creative.”

Dance competitions has become increasingly popular here, Keoloha said, with dance clubs now being created at the elementary and middle school levels. An elementary school team will appear for a showcase appearance at Honozulu for the first time.

“TV has really helped the dance competitions that are out there,” Kealoha said, speaking about the popularity of urban dance crews, “but also I think Hawaii’s youth are very expressive with music and art. It’s innate within us, and a lot of youth are drawnto it.”

HONOZULU BEAST

Presented by Diverse Arts Center

>> Where: McKinley High School auditorium

>> When: 6 p.m. Saturday

>> Cost: $5 to $15

>> Info: 275-7776, diverseartcenter.org

WEDNESDAY

>> Japan’s ‘sit-down’ style comedy takes the stage

We all know “stand-up” comedy. Now give a chance to rakugo, a “sit-down” style of comedy from Japan.

Rakugo, which literally means “fallen word,” or punchline, involves a single storyteller performing in the traditional kneeling position. Using only a fan and small towel as props, rakugo artists weave long, funny tales, mimicking the characters and theirdialogue in humorous ways. The tradition stems from storytellers who would parody serious, spiritual sermons given by Buddhist priests.

Rakugo performer Katsura Sunshine, pictured, is only the second westerner to become a professional rakugo performer. Originally from Canada, he studied ancient Greek drama, specializing in the works of the comedic playwright Aristophanes, andcreated an acclaimed version of his play “Clouds.” After going to Japan to study Noh and Kabuki, Katsura Sunshine became apprenticed to rakugo master Katsura Bunshi VI, taking three years to complete the training.

Now living part time in Japan, Katsura Sunshine has performed rakugo around the world. His performances often involve telling funny stories about his multicultural experience, like giving his first show in the Osaka dialect in Osaka and getting audiencecomments like “When Sunshine-san begins to speak Osaka dialect, I get a little seasick,” and “The moment Sunshine-san began to speak, I could tell he was not from Osaka.”

RAKUGO

>> Where: Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawaii-Manoa

>> When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

>> Cost: Free; RSVP recommended

>> Info: general.affairs@hl.mofa.go.jp