A Windward Oʻahu ballet instructor wants to reshape the art of ballet and make it accessible to her community.
Carolyn Feher is the owner and director of Kailua Dance Academy. She opened the space in 2017 by renting out a martial arts studio.
Feher is training her students for the upcoming performance, "Vivaldi’s Seasons." The show boasts an integration of music and movement inspired by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi.
Ballet has a reputation for being strict, but Feher says times are changing. Her studio prides itself on incorporating classical ballet techniques — such as reputation and imitation — with contemporary movements.
"Contemporary dance, most people can agree, is a fusion between the major genres of ballet technique, modern dance technique and jazz technique. And we have a lot of dancers who tend to train some dancers are trained in all three disciplines," Feher told HPR.
"But many dancers will be trained in specifically one of the three. And what happens when we blend these together is we get this great world of potential, because you can draw from these three techniques."
The studio's upcoming performance takes place Sept. 15, with two shows at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Palikū Theatre in Kāneohe.
Tickets are $40. There is also a virtual performance option, viewable on Sept. 21 for $12.
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