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Experimental dance festival has familiar kumu hula in NYC

Vicky Holt Takamine, kumu hula of Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima halau, has invited Robert Cazimero and Keo Woolford to join her in "The Power of Hula," a workshop today at La Mama in New York. "It’ll be fun; I’ve been teaching workshops in New York City for the past few years and decided to start a halau," said Takamine, who has 10 students in the Big Apple. Her dancing son Jeff also is involved.

La Mama Moves Dance Festival is experimental, suiting the mana and vision of La Mama (www.lamama.org), and surely expands the reach of hula elsewhere.

Cazimero, kumu of Halau Na Kamalei, led a workshop yesterday, and his one-time pupil Woolford is a solo dance force combining traditional elements on a contemporary palate — yep, the same Woolford who starred in London’s "The King and I." …

Takamine’s collaboration with Cazimero continues at 4 p.m. July 11 at the Hawaii Theatre when they present "’Ahihi Lehua (For the Love of Hula)," with a hui comprising the likes of kumu hula Michael Pili Pang, Mapuana de Silva, Maelia Loebenstein and Manu Boyd. Burton White, kumu of the Hawaii, will produce. …

BAY WATCH: Pat Sajak and Joe Moore, Army buddies who now are TV icons co-starring in "The Boys of Autumn" Wednesday through Sunday at the Hawaii Theatre, got phone calls from Vicki Bush, a San Francisco theater producer formerly from the Islands, to inquire about a run in the City by the Bay following Honolulu. "I told her our schedules make that unlikely, but we’d discuss the possibility," Moore said. "Nice to be asked even if we’re not able to work it out." He’s the KHON2 anchor, playing Huck Finn; Sajak is the "Wheel of Fortune" host, playing Tom Sawyer. The play is about two buddies meeting up 50 years after childhood.

Director Glenn Cannon has been rehearsing the pair at the Channel 2 studios, far more fruitful than the Skype sessions the past few weeks. …

ITEMIZATIONS: Jim Nabors had quite an 80th-birthday luncheon soiree, aboard NCL’s Pride of America, hosted by ex-Gov. Ben Cayetano, his wife Vicky and her sister Ginny Tiu, with celeb pals Carol Burnett and Lynda Robb in attendance. Nabors’ Christmas spectacle regulars Emma Veary, Jimmy Borges and Karen Keawehawai’i performed. Haouli la hanau and a big gollee! …

A "first"? Three members of the same ohana played in the Royal Hawaiian Band in the recent Kamehameha Day parade: trumpeter Stanton Haugen, a 20-year vet, and recent sign-on sons Whitney and Spencer. …

SHOW BITS: Tidbits from my Show and Tell Hawaii blog — Erika Kauffman, winding up as publicity honcho at the Halekulani hotel, is the local unit publicist for CBS’ "Hawaii Five-0," filming here. …

Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez will co-star here together for the first time since their divorce in a pair of political fundraisers for gubernatorial hopeful Mufi Hannemann — from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 1 at Maui Tropical Plantation and the same time in Honolulu at the Farrington High School auditorium. Augie T shares the Maui spotlight; at Farrington, look for A Touch of Gold and 808 Breakers. …

And that’s "Show Biz." …

Wayne Harada’s "Show Biz," a fixture for more than four decades in the Honolulu Advertiser, joins the Honolulu Star-Advertiser family today; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at staradvertiser.com. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.

 

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