Spectrum Hawaii; The Kona Coast; Taiko Drums, Finis Jhung, Bikel

The following program is a production of k h e t in Honolulu Hawaii Public Television the following program has been funded in part by the Hawaii State foundation on culture and the arts and by grants from the people of Chevron of Hawaii and from the Daveys charitable trust the big island of Hawaii is in continual creation.

Its lofty horizon having emerged from the sea owes its origin to unceasing terrain far below its vast surface. The storms milk and squeezes the fires boiling oysters and when cool and dry this formula of inner earth

hardens into a sculpted landscape. Smoke and snow is an unlikely combination and found only at extreme altitudes with deep heat of Earth mingles with the frigid rings among some black cinder cones like the smoking barrel of a gun have finished their task but they have sent forth a constructive element. Fertile ground I tell you all right.

It's a young island. The youngest in the Hawaiian archipelago. Allegedly the big island of Hawaii was the first landfall for the early Polynesians on their voyage northward. Valuable traces of their residence exist throughout the island. The king's highway is one of them down this stone road walk the Hawai'ian King was born. Here comes the first. The petroglyphs is a symbol carved in stone. These symbols were carved by Hawaiians leaving an imprint of memory. Such brief symbols denote items of fundamental significance to the community. Sometimes a picture glyph portrays an object that also reveals an event. In this case an event of intense and spectacular interest the arrival of the Europeans sailing ship and early

Hawaiian description called it a floating island with trees on it. The emergence of Captain Koch and later European explorers began and accelerated the pace of change in a the surprise of the 18th century was quickened into the new desires of the 90s a desire for the stately trappings of monarchy the palace was a frequent residence of what is last king David Clarke Cooper new conceptions of rank and dignity rooms as well as belief ancient authority the beacon of order was undermined and unwillingly made way for other forms of command. But in this flux where does tradition then live by all forms of order come and go. The arts remain

one enduring form of artistic tradition is the dance language of the way it tells an old story human dimension. What is the meaning of a place a place where many feet and round drums were often beaten here before it is the place of refuge. No no. Also a national park here the vanquished and the law breaker would escape punishment and death. Today George now perpetuates a heritage by his chapter and discussion. Dancer Laura Roy honors ancestral tradition with her performance because the word is the language of the

heart and therefore the heart of the people. These are the words of King David. All right. That's why it always has to come. That's oh yeah yeah yeah. Well

the artist Kathy long is a recent immigrant to Hawaii. She was brought to the Big Island a pronounced curiosity of Hawaiian culture and a keen ability to hide the details of her subject giving her life like emphasis. I worked a lot in color and still enjoyed doing it but I never liked drawing. For one thing it's a very easy medium you can always take with you no matter where you are. You can be sitting in your living room at home or you can be out on a rock you don't have to bring a lot of things with you. Are ready to go. Well you know what.

JAFFE observes how the dancing's influences the body. It does not deformed the body it only makes people more graceful It makes them more fluid and even though they work I would assume almost as much. You can always tell a ballet dancer. They look like a dancer and you wonder why. It's because the muscles get in a certain way that makes a good dancer. Some of the dancers hula you take them out of their costume and they could be anybody on the street but they always want a certain amount of grace and that's what pulls me toward the Weston is a target for international media is

a prince or an exhibit in contemporary museums on both sides of the Pacific and the Atlantic as much as I can. Here he explains to fellow photographer Boone Morrison why he is chosen what he killed on the Gold Coast as one of his own. Careening down the Westin is a photographer who relies on natural light exclusively for his work. This subject matter as much as the light. Both are equally important but without the proper beautiful life one is helpless you do a thing beautiful life. It can eliminate it and make it exciting. Wish I didn't believe in making himself available to the moment the moment that contains his picture. It's rather an

unconscious intuitive thing. My eyes are Stingley always seek and always looking. You know here's my portfolio I'll have a look. Oh I see it. Read some of the best workers here. This is all white. All the work from all over the Hawaiian islands in all the central islands that's in the comical Coast area. I think one is born with some kind of strange vision or genius you have and you don't. But I think 90 percent is environment. I think we can get out today. Let's do it after a drink. Good idea. I tend to like people philosophize about their photographs. It's not a verbal thing it's a visual

thing. I just don't like to talk about it. I can enlighten students tactically but you can't explain the imagery. I mean the composition is the strongest way of seeing if my hair stands on end. I get excited that I somehow know it's right. There's not an intellectual thing with me just a very spontaneous reaction to beauty or form design. Anyway there are no rules of this because I'm not fond of somebody else. You with somebody else who rules would be a work. So other articles are bunk. Good for techniques art schools. That's all. As far as I'm concerned if they really have it they'll go through hell or high water to discontinue it. Well I did go for a star for 40 years like you've done almost no commercial where I couldn't compromise.

God and all that kind of a person. I just have to do my thing you know. Many photographs of me taken back I probably made 50000 things would be acceptable in books or whatever. Maybe 500 knockouts. That sounds egotistical but I think there are probably five of them maybe that. But I would just say well this is it like this. You know we hear so much these days about so-and-so is negative going to this museum and so on. Not mine. I'll tell you exactly why born because I don't want you or anybody else to put my negatives if I let someone else put my negatives as their work or it's not normal in my work. So you feel that the your hands on that sheet of paper when it's wet your judgment under that in a large order and that's it. Of course obviously you know the photographic negative

is a very personal thing. After all the years don't you get tired of working. No. It's a continual excitement enthusiasm me. How long has it been over 50 years yet. Boone is going on over 60 years. I'm always God is you know I'm close. It's so beautiful how credible what you do a ball is playing around with the wind in this Bush it's dancing for me. What is electrified. It's a better recognition. This comes with experience going on. Or maybe you just bored or receptive. Some people are most people are not. I think the artists are pay the recession for a lifetime job you know supposedly otherwise warm things down if you do this and that the other

thing. Bret Weston is the son of famed photographer Edward West. They're like brothers no rivalry a competition as far as I was concerned. We have heard different versions. We were both influenced by Stieglitz by other people by painters but for all employees Picasso was then you add your own little thing whatever it is. If you had all influence what is part of history and you know part of the continuation among its early settlers Cona attracted the resourceful and the self-reliant early settlers came coming to look for a place to live and made their living out of what they found. Sherwood greenmail is a third generation descendant of an early Cornish

settlement. There were no ties that brought them here. There were no businesses that brought people. They came here because they wanted to come here because the historical society was created in 1975 to protect symbols of the past. One of the problems of the past was that no one saved Greenwell encourages the historical sense of preservation. Even in those moments just the past twenty five years the boy has a place in early life and the old days they used to say. If you wanted to hire someone you can depend upon and you always got it for the person because it was hard working. Life

has long been known for its coffee coffee can only be growing in one place. It was first planted here in 1850. Growing up to an industry by 1870. Today it thrives to share with Greenwell a life in Kona speaks to him from this soil that has supported his forebears. The most important thing in my life is the land that we live on. My father spoke of the land being not just a piece of soil but a member of the family. And so every day I'm reminded of my past because of the land that I live living in this prison walls. The past is aroused by family encouragement but Scuse me also illuminates the hidden pathways of history instruction in the ancient skills such as chanting

here Monaca Kocherry and Dyana can impart their knowledge of living history to youngsters. Play the words through you. Paul Now now la la la la. Chant was very important to the point people because it's is the it told of events important events that have occurred in families and genealogies in the early E-Class home. Now now now now. E k. The values of these chance at a school is to have a better understanding of what what it was like over the centuries even before coming out this time. Chi chi chi

try it now. OK. The chant was composed by Diana a key to render the children's environment vivid. I am at home now now and see the road of KRIV filled with beautiful sly bubbling waters of life

as visitors visit a place of refuge. Returning to the land of me I tell the story of my love for now. In honor of the children of.

Oh no no. To some. The present moment of the past is always with us to others along the coast. The immense spectacle of the present calls out for treatment and interpretation that brings the wild fringe of creation within an intimate sphere into a lustrous possession that comes a little closer to home is home to Wulfric the Amazon Coney's where the vastness and the forces of nature inspire his style of glassblower the blacks and oranges. I think the strongest part of nature is learning his art through the University of Hawaii at my return to his

native practices as a child I remember looking for because I didn't know it back then that made some long hours of tedious. It is about the best way to get to a whole new stage and forget all about mathematics forget about English. Forget about a lot of things and learn about myself and my environment. Learning more about the environment and ourselves is a significant part of the artistic process. In a little corner town called a local law 20 years ago Bob and Carol Rogers left the

university life of the mainland behind. We started with this idea of dream building when they were offered the old Mona care of coffee mill for their dream of an art workshop. The decision was made as soon as we opened the old building. People started to become involved in arts and crafts and I think people are definitely more conscious of art forms where they were before now they realize that there is a green screen but there are many greens and that you know once a month we have Hawaiian crap we have

enlarged heart teaching and our education program. Consequently many people can participate in many areas. Another immigrant to the corner coast is Jorge the basket weaver. I had to do this by a long time ago. That's what we do in El Salvador. I'm proud we make that Cornhill specializes in baskets of a rare design woven from Banyan room and aromatic pine needles. Nature is an inexhaustible source to this perceptive artist. So much beauty you see beauty everywhere and not only things but also the people the corner arts center. It was the fulfillment of a dream for Bob and Carol Rogers

this year. You're not the for you had with a nice step forward for lunch. Look at our beautiful table as the day dibbles. Another element break Diana. She is joined by members of her family in a hospitable city where art and personal expression found a home on the corner of course. You gave me. Whoa whoa whoa

whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa oh oh. Spectrum was funded in part by grants from the Davies charitable trust

and from the people of Chevron in Hawaii by the Hawaii State foundation on culture and the arts. The following program is a production of key h e t in Honolulu Hawaii

Public Television the following program has been funded in part by grants from the White state foundation on culture in the arts and the people who Chevron in Hawaii on Tuesday on spectrum. We watch a renowned ballet instructor. We're a native of Honolulu. Mr. finace young returns from New York to conduct two master classes in ballet next celebrated actor and folk theater CO is interviewed by University of what a drama professor Terence that first we witness a unique performance by so to show you where we take a group from what you were

once a week in the afternoons. Students traveled to the wall here with a real sense of mission. Here they attend another type of school where traditions of their Japanese ancestry is perpetuated. They learn the language. They play the title. The Tyco is a large wooden drum usually founded ceremonies and festivals particularly the Bone Dance. Its tradition originates in the Buddhist temples of Japan. Pipeful is used as an instrument to communicate among the people who live in the humble without talking to each other. We can by listening to the sounds

of Tycho and how it's kept. We know exactly what's happening or what is to be expected. That goal is also the sound of Dharma. The Buddha's teaching we kids call to our youngsters. We want them to know that piece of pipe should come when they are feeling to others. So I'd call to that could be instruments through words that can communicate with others. Vekoma God as assemble students and an assortment of drums to perform visitable drumming known as Matsuri. I tell people that I am not a teacher. I like to play. But since there's no one around. I waited several years and no one has come around offered to teach so I can just share what I

know. In the beginning there was no need. A way in which we write down our music for a job is not standardized the way I learned is the use of words like dong dong dong for hitting the rim of the drum with the word cough cough cough. It's a good way to learn good coordination and to listen to one another in play. We don't use music. We have to listen to the other players in order to be able to play together. We have to practice a lot of self-discipline discipline the performance is

part of the training. Another result is cultural. I've heard children say I'm Japanese but I don't like Japanese things when they're not even aware of the fact that the food some of the traditions they have at home is Japanese parentage. So by those kids come into play time on the field become more aware and older. There are many things that they can contribute to the civil society as far as the Japanese being able to share in

the right way. All right. It never goes

stomack it just stops. All. You can find us. He is the founder and artistic director of chamber ballet USA of a new York based dance company born in Honolulu and a graduate of Roosevelt High School to master classes like four local dances during his ballet companies engage. OK. Are your go for these bounces now you know what we did facing the bar. You have to use this and you have to use this up to your chest through your eyes. Also you're always have to be on one foot or the other. I mean we can't float in the air. So you have to let that weight get the arms of that foot you want to be sure that you're not letting that happen to you you're standing for it. And when that happens I mean your body's too much on your heel. You have to move more. I like to move I love to teach people who move I love to see people learning to move. And I love to people moving on the stage and I

think that's what moves people in the audience to in his professional career they may find us young has danced before numerous audiences for the San Francisco Ballet Geoffrey ballet and the hotness ballet companies. You know teachers in his own dance studio in New York City stretch back and then all way up to your head right straight up feel that center of your body close the out. We do that four times right facing the right. I'm a Buddhist right. Ready personally and I practice a system of belief that says that we are one with the universe and that there is a basic flow of energy that is always there and that we are all part of this energy not stretch to the side. All my friends are straight with that

square hips whereas it's just more more more stretch stretch or use the center of the body literally. It's from which is energy. And that in fact the idea of balance is that energy is equal and opposite from the center of the body. What goes through your legs goes in your arms goes up to your head all your eyes and as long as you have this constant flow of energy you are about because so much again of dancing the Western concerts just throw yourself around. You're fighting the elements you're fighting and you're fighting and you know that life is a struggle and that is much I don't believe it is but it's learning to be yourself too. To use what you have within you and to let that come out. Keep this style of dance synthesizes in strong control hips and legs and classical ballet the fluid upper torso of modern dance watch athletes swimming faster jump higher run faster. So

why hasn't that happened to dance. Why does that have to balance one less squeaky Dolly in a traditional mall. And I think that we have to keep belly alive by making it something of our time. Taller taller such structure. OK. OK. Yes. Also I think the history of ballet. I don't think anyone has lost the leg in a know what I'm seeing some of you do it like you feel this leg will never come with you. If you go so you quickly move it. You know why don't you just leave it there. If it is attached to the hip it will come up but it has to pay off. I teach people that they must use the floor and feel their

weight with the floor. And that is what Baryshnikov does. And everyone who is a great dancer does this. They may not say they do it but they do. They use the floor and that's why they stand there and why they keep turning when everybody else is falling down. OK look in your eye your eyes aren't set yet. Concentrate you're going to do it. There you go. OK. Yeah. You have to it's like hip. You have to hit the I'm going to do it. You know you have to look you've got to look at it. He began dancing at the age of six through the early years. He found it to be lonely most of his time. I mean I never could talk about dancing with anybody. I mean how could I. First of all I couldn't even tell anyone I was dancing. I had to say I was going to visit my aunt. And secondly I mean even my own family I couldn't talk to my dads him because what did they know about it. I mean there was very a

ballet in Hawaii at that time. And but I just want I'd love to dance. I think that was the main thing is I just love to put on music at home and I would dance I would just dance around the house. And it seemed perfectly natural to me to do that one step by step straight step an hour. OK. Right leg. Now really delight in seeing someone just learn to do what I can and just look at people working at the exercises in the bar and they have such an intense look in their face they're so thoroughly absorbed in what they're doing. And I think that is really gratifying. How many moments we have in my life that

are just so pure in the sense of which is doing something that we're not aware of time we're not aware of any feelings just of what we're doing. What I have said that it get them in just a pair double talk OK. So you can relax. The University of Iowa drama professor Terence Knapp joined spectrum in a rare

conversation with fellow actors Theodore bicho. Mr. Mackell was in Honolulu to perform at the Kahala Hilton benefit dinner for the American Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This outspoken actor of international reputation offers his views on art culture history and the United States. And in a curious sort of way Mr. KELLER You are a very internationally minded man aren't you. I suppose so. By dint of the fact I guess that I I speak quite a few languages but also because I am perhaps in the truest sense an international list. I I find that the interaction between human beings. You start being curious about other human beings you stop learning their language or learning that song and you have in a sense give them the pay them respect by finding out about them or trying to emulate what they do. Once you do that and you allow them

to come into your backyard or into your parlor and learn yours you'll stop shouting at each other or shooting it. Was this prompted in you by example and upbringing was it family inspiration enthusiasm. What was it. The example of your mother and father. How much of this is an inherited delight in things other than the purely local impro. Well it wasn't we had a sort of a polyglot household to begin with and with one stipulation that I wasn't allowed to mix up languages if I started the sentence in one language I had to finish that language because both your mother and father and my grandfather would go would go from one language to another. Yes but the my father especially very Catholic kept them apart. And did they also lead you into the excitements of say drama through literature. Yes and my father would get us together in the living room every Tuesday and read a play.

This is a particular delight for me because I first saw you and pain at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and got a ball while I was still a graduate student at the academy and I think he'll be brought back as a special entertainer. Because already you're starting to make your name and at the same time you must have it again. Peter Ustinov was great social and political comedy the love for kernel's with you as the Russian commissar an absolutely lovely performance sparkling with satire. It had to be. And then your life changed in the sense that you left England and you came to the United States and began a whole new career. Well I was brought to New York to do a play and it was thought it was going to be a guest shot. I was going to come and do the play and then go back. But something funny happened on my way to the farm. I fell in love with New York and I fell

in love with the notion that it's a full barrel of stuff that you could reach into it with both hands and come up with something. Not everything salutary but enough to keep you happy for the rest of your life. Did you find yourself at that time on the edge or what I might call a folk song explosion folk was a very narrow field when when I arrived in this country there were only a few people who did it. And some of them weren't even doing it because they were blacklisted. And it then came about that I started to give concerts and it was basically people like Pete Seeger and myself who later became with George Wein the three of us the founders of the Newport Folk Festival. But that's quite extraordinary isn't it. I mean you were intending to be a fully fleshed classical stage actor and you find yourself becoming a communicator with a handheld guitar. I always played I played in England too but in England I did it strictly as

an avocation but you see America as the kind of country that won't tolerate you doing anything well without forcing you to accept money for it. So I suddenly found a brand new additional curry on my hands because I was doing it well it seems to me that you are a man of overt and well-defined humanitarian concerns and intention in the light of what I've heard about you in the past hour or so your history good history will tell you yes of course it will be the proof of the pudding will be in the eventual meeting right here. But you have been involved in for example President Carter's concerns about the arts. Is that correct. Yes I was Carter's first arts appointment as a matter of fact Council on the arts and that to me you see normally you come from a discipline. People serve on the National Council on the arts writers sculptors architects producers directors. You come from a narrow discipline but you find that you

have to almost overnight become an instant Sage. And because you have to pronounce yourself with authority and with more than a modicum of knowledge about a variety of subjects in the arts with which you are less We're less than familiar I came to the council knowing a lot about theater and quite a bit about film and television knowing quite a lot about folklore and folk music. But I didn't know about museums about visual lots of other and intelligent human beings or goes to galleries about literature and poetry again in terms of of value judgments. And then you suddenly called upon to try to determine who should live and who shall die who will get $2000 to go and write a volume of poetry based on the past on his or her past work. So you have to really learn a lot. Sure you can rely on your colleagues. I mean I sat on the council with I am PE and when something in architecture came about I said hey

come tell me about this as he would come to me and ask me about something to do with it. But by and large it's it's an extraordinary learning experience was that there was no empty gesture. That's all I know. That's what you are. In fact you became greatly involved in the political and economic and sociological aspects of performing and all that. And also I was. I mean I am to this day more and more convinced that we the artist who makes these decisions I have an important role to fulfill because if we didn't make those decisions it would be left to the politicians to make them. And that would be death. In your opinion is this the sort of thing that happens only in the United States. I mean in America. Do you agree to this degree. I would say so yes. Also we have this extraordinary demographic spread geographical spread and demographic which is unheard of. I mean we have to be able to look

at Hawaii with the same. Kind of care and nurturing as we do in New York City or Washington or Chicago. Mr. Beckel from where you are sitting now. What would you suggest to us should be our priorities our concerns here in Hawaii in Honolulu to bring about the flowering of aspirations and hopes in the arts. Well what should we do. How do we begin with that. It's a question of self evaluation of self image and self-esteem. Being remote. Must never spell being provincial. And a lot of people including Hawaiians think of themselves as provincial because they are remote. And it doesn't have to be so. And it should not be so. And if the Hawaiians would stop thinking of themselves that way the rest of the country would follow suit and especially those in a position of power and of decision making would follow suit.

Hawaii is a special case admittedly. Perhaps Alaska is in a similar situation that you have to traverse an incredible distance from the nearest point on the mainland order to get to it. But there now is almost instant communication. There are other computers and there are satellites and there's the instant television I remember. I was working here in Hawaii when when yesterday's news would be played on television tomorrow. That no longer is true. And so Hawaii is part of the rest of the country has become so what should it do in order to stimulate its arts. Is to first of all look look to its own natural resources. I know this is an island that don't know what it has to import most of the things that it consumes but it doesn't have to be true of the arts either. Nor does it have to be true of agriculture you can grow your own as well and in most

instances. Agriculture and culture are not that much different. One from the other. You can grow your own. Do you think in this rapidly shrinking world of ours that is in fact a place for an individual such as the Polynesian in terms of his expression his artistic fulfillment. But has everything got to be homogenized and become. You're not you're now touching my source but I've been on the warpath. Against. The phrase melting pot for a long time. The melting pot is a pernicious notion. I think it was Spiro Agnew over promoted it for me. You remember him. I've heard but I remember where he went ultimately. Well deserved. Now. The melting pot makes everybody a sort of a gray indistinct no shape no no nothing mass. Undefined. If America is meant to be anything at all is meant to be a kaleidoscope. Each particle is clearly

delineated all contributing to the beauty of the whole. Do you think there's any place in this wicked world of ours for what is known as the amateur. I mean I'm thinking of the sense of Schubert playing and singing with his friends in Vienna on a summer's evening. Do you accept the distinction of some good profitable clouting from that. If amateur is mistaken in its literal sense and that is from the Latin somebody that does something because he or she loves it. That I think of course is the best of all worlds. But you can be an amateur in that sense and be a professional and be a professional in the other sense I would say. No its not a good thing. I do not like militant Islam and I wouldnt like an amateur surgeon to mess around my gall bladder. If I had that kind of problem anymore

then I would want an amateur artist to mess around with my soul. And then of course on the other hand as the what I would call the Reader's Digest approach where if you have a blueprint and anything is possible but in fact nothing creative and personal or spiritual can be born from it. Everybody thinking maybe that is possible through the dissemination of television. Sure. So I know for sure if people think it's possible that it's just plainly is not really talking about a delicate balance to find the edge of awareness here and following one's nose in terms of what the artistic attempt may produce whatever it might be. You have to follow also follow some body of knowledge. It's not it's not a phoenix like thing that sprung up out of the desert and says. You could say here I am no parentage no yesterday no history you can't nobody here who cannot know or acknowledge yesterday is entitled to it

tomorrow. And I'll never forget the story of the Shakespearean actor who was being accosted by a lady the lady of the evening who inquires whether he would be interested in coming home with her and he looked at her and then he nodded and he said look at you. And look at me. I Natchitoches you a prostitute. The two noblest professions in the world. Both spoiled by amateurs. Thank you very much Mr. bicho for being with us today on spectrum Hawaii. It's a great joy. The. Spectrum was funded in part by grants from the people of Chevron in

Hawaii and the Hawaii State foundation on culture and the arts