The world premiere of “Project Love” will be at the Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center.
“A story of love through a child’s eyes” features Kauai keiki and adults from Waimea to Kapaa.
The shows are 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16.
Matt Del Rosario, founder and artistic director of Flow Kakou Inc. and a world-renown dancer, has created this project to foster deeper community conversation about the concept of love. He says he wants to get people asking questions about the characteristics and definition of love itself, about self-love and about how to best love others.
Using local dancers, Del Rosario will take the audience through all the emotions of love as they flow through their performance, with emphasis on both the good and bad emotions felt through the expression of love and healing.
He says he hopes the show will inspire an “aha moment,” and bring people together to create a stronger community.
Del Rosario said it’s also an opportunity to “look at life from a different lens so we can see the opportunities instead of the barriers.”
Del Rosario has firsthand experience finding different perspectives on life. Dyslexia has been a constant companion of the dancer. At a young age, Del Rosario learned to embrace the learning disability and refused to accept the judgments from others who said he was just a humbug boy.
It was a book called “Proust and the Squid” by Maryanne Wolf that was a source of inspiration for the young Del Rosario, and that set him on the path to become a paid dancer, taking lessons from experts around the world.
Now, Del Rosario aims to inspire others, specifically through dance performance and teaching, which he’s now doing throughout the state.
It was an encounter with an Oahu keiki that convinced Del Rosario to bring his talents back home.
“I remember teaching on Oahu and a little boy stared at me, so I stared back at him,” Del Rosario said. “He said: ‘you look like me.’ I said: ‘yes, and you can become anything you want to become, as I did.’ That inspired me to come back home and teach our keiki.”
“Project Love” also features other professional performers from around the world, like Rosie Herrera, Nile Russell, Eriko Jimbo, Mike Tyus and Jordan Kriston. A special guest appearance is by students of Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha public charter school, who will be performing a number that shares the pains and obstacles of being a victim of bullying.
Tickets are $20 to $30, available for advance purchase through any performer or at the door.
This story has been edited to reflect accuracy.
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Stephanie Shinno, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
