IONA CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS
PAINT BY NUMBER 2008
IONA brings color to Hawaii this Spring

HONOLULU, HI - IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre has fused together dance movement, human paint brushes, live music and themes of cultural acceptance to reinvent one of its most popular shows, Paint by Number, for its 2008 Spring series. The restaged Paint by Number will run for two weekends in May at the Cupola in the Honolulu Design Center.

Award winning choreographer and founder of IONA, Cheryl Flaharty, said, "Paint by Number 2008 will appeal to a broad spectrum of audiences. The performance takes dance out of the proscenium theatre to an interactive space. The piece is intimate and feeds the inner child in audience members while simultaneously engaging them in themes of diversity and the expression of the human condition."

The performance begins in a still white void. An upbeat score of music by a local experimental jazz-fusion group, The Quadraphonix, fuels movement from the dancers. Dancers representing emotions and themes of humanity such as peace, jealousy, union, chaos, difference, contrast and war are introduced. The dancers begin to develop relationships through movement, swipes, splashes, and strokes of paint that fill the white space. As the relationships and themes develop, the white space becomes a spectacular canvas filled with layers of color that evoke the duality and meshing of Paint by Number's themes.

Supported by the State Foundation on Culture and Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of Hawaii or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the 2008 Paint by Number is one of two performance series that will serve as a tool to reach out to an international market. In addition, to assisting IONA in broadening it's audience from local to international Paint by Number will enhance the companies artistic development as well as provide free performances for orphaned and at-risk children in Hawaii and in the countries the show is performed.

IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre is dedicated to the creation and performance of innovative dance/ theatre works that provide transformational imagery and messages. IONA's mission is to effect a positive change in the community while providing opportunities for artists to evolve. IONA aspires to create high quality work that inspires social, personal and spiritual growth, bridges cultural experiences, and provides a greater understanding of how the arts affect all of our lives.

Paint by Number will be held Friday, May 9th - Sunday, May 11th and Friday, May 16th - Sunday, May 18th at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Hawaii Box Office. Tickets in the interactive/ splash zone are $35; $40 for side stage seating; $45 for center stage seating. For additional ticketing information, call 528-0506 or visit www.hawaiitheatre.com.

For information on IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre, please visit http://www.iona360.com/, call Cheryl Flaharty at (808) 262-0110 or email info@iona360.com.