Three years ago at the gala opening of Seabury Hall’s ‘A’ali’ikuhonua Creative Arts Center, I witnessed the debut of Maui’s Adaptations Dance Theater. Hallie Hunt, Vanessa Cerrito and Amelia Couture choreographed and presented a magnificent dance piece set to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” arranged and performed by Toby Couture. Their performance was the equal of a small contemporary dance company from a city like New York or Chicago. Over the past three years, ADT has expanded to a troupe of more than 20 dancers.

From January to June of this year, 11 separate dance companies were in performance on Maui, eight of them locally based, and that’s not counting halau. There is certainly some crossover between Maui’s dance troupes, which led to the concept of Dance Maui. Producers Adaptations Dance Theater with Dancewear Maui hope to create an annual dance festival dedicated to bringing together the many dance organizations of Maui as one dance community.

I asked ADT dancer Nicole Humphrey, formerly of the Boston Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, how the idea for a festival came about.

“We were all sitting around, brainstorming and dreaming of ADT’s future on Maui,” said Humphrey. “We were thinking, how can we really outreach to the community and accomplish this goal, other than through ADT performances and our apprentice program – what had inspired us personally in the past? That’s when we thought of a dance festival. Maui, a central hub for culture and diversity, is the perfect place to host a dance festival. Two years ago, it was just a dream and idea, but we knew if we kept at our goals, then the right timing would come along for a dance festival.”

In addition to ADT, this weekend’s Dance Maui will feature Cristina Lucio, Halau Kamaluokaleihulu and Kumu Hula Kahulu Maluo, Na Keiki and Na ‘Opio of Halau Hula Kauluokala, Alexander Academy of Performing Arts, Ampersand Dance Company, Darshan Dance Project, Guru Shiri Vishnu Tattva Das, Maui Academy of Performing Arts, PureMotionZ/ S.T.O. Productionz and the Seabury Hall Dance Ensemble.

Headliner Lucio, known as “La Tigresa,” is a Los Angeles-based flamenco dancer. She began her flamenco puro training with Linda Andrade, founder of the Sakai Flamenco Company, and continued her studies in Seville, Spain, with legendary gypsy flamenco dancer Carmelilla Montoya. She has also toured with the show “Battle of the Dance,” which is performed seasonally at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Currently, she tours with “Benise,” which was in performance at the Maui Theatre in 2013, but Dance Maui will be Lucio’s debut performance in Hawaii.

I wondered how Maui can sustain so many dance troupes amounting to hundreds of dancers.

“There is an incredible amount of love and dedication to arts and culture on Maui,” said Humphrey. “I believe it all starts with the educators. There is a deep commitment to providing an education for our Maui youth, one that is surrounded by the arts. Because of this acceptance of and drive to sustain art, I believe that dance is thriving on Maui. Dance can connect to all people, from all walks of life because what it really comes down to is we all love to move, people are born to move. At its core, that’s what dance is.”

ALSO THIS WEEK

At the time of his death, Tim Kelly was called by Playbill the “most prolific playwright in American history” with more than 300 comedies, dramas, one-acts, mysteries, melodramas, children’s shows and musicals.

While a dramatic critic in Phoenix, Ariz., he determined after witnessing several youth productions that there were not enough plays suited for teenagers and began writing plays specifically to be produced at the high school level.

“He’s one of our favorites,” says Chris Kepler, King Kekaulike High School dramatic instructor.

He’s also a favorite of the Baldwin Theatre Guild. That’s because Kelly used four additional pseudonyms including Vera Morris, J. Moriarty, Robert Swift and Keith Jackson. Two years ago, Kepler directed “Lady Dracula” by Kelly the same month that Baldwin’s Linda Carnevale directed “Cinderella’s Glass Slipper,” by Morris. This year, just in time for Halloween, King Kekaulike will present Kelly’s “Cry of the Banshee.”

” ‘Banshee’ is an interesting show with some very intense moments but some fun comic relief, too,” says Kepler. “The biggest challenge was blending and balancing the drama and comedy Tim Kelly wrote. It could get really, really hokey if you wanted it to. The suspense is character-driven, but there are some eyeball rolling moments.”

The play is based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, and Kelly’s script was later adapted into a film starring Vincent Price. If you’re familiar with campy, low-budget B-movies you’ll know what Kepler means by “eyeball rolling moments.”

A banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology, considered an omen of impending death and known for its chilling screech. According to folklore, a banshee can take on many forms ranging from an ugly, frightening hag, a stunningly beautiful woman or an animal associated with witchcraft.

Set in 16th-century Ireland, a cruel Lord Edward Whitman seeks to destroy the banshee cult of a powerful witch named Oona, who eventually puts a curse on his family. Generations later, Whitman Manor has been moved stone by stone to America, and the last of the family, a young brother and sister, seek to escape the curse. Stalking the house is an ancient banshee, or sidhe in Celtic, that has taken on a human form. On the anniversary of the curse, Oona’s descendant arrives at the house and commands the sidhe to begin its evil.

n King Kekaulike Drama presents “Cry of the Banshee” by Tim Kelly, directed by Chris Kepler. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday, and at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and 24 and at 3 p.m. Oct. 25 in the cafetorium on the King Kekaulike campus in Pukalani. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and are available at the door 30 minutes before show times.

MINIREVIEW

Last weekend’s Seabury Hall production of “The World Goes ‘Round: The Songs of Kander and Ebb” was exactly what Seabury does best: great dancing, fun choreography, wonderful costumes, beautiful lighting and charming performances by the talented teen cast.

This small cast, by musical standards, starred Kylie Gentile, Ka’ilihiwa Greig, Zander Medrano, Kaimana Neil, Karsen Owens, Lily Pickering, Tatiana Ringsby, Kela Rothstein and Tess Temple. An early highlight, “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup,” originally from the 1971 musical “70, Girls, 70,” is still an incredibly relevant commentary on impatience with great lyrics like “No one waits a minute in a restaurant, no one wants a waitress passing pleasantries.”

“Colored Lights” from “The Rink” provided Rothstein with a superb solo opportunity. Last summer, her exceptional Bob Fosse-style dancing impressed me in MAPA’s “Pippin,” but Rothstein has now evolved into a true triple threat with leading lady potential, especially in comical numbers.

Equally suited for musical comedy is Neil with “Sara Lee,” an ode to baked goods, from “The Act.” In addition to his strong singing voice, Neil has become a strong dancer as well, showcasing a few Tommy Tune-like kicks on “Sara Lee.” Medrano’s “Mr. Cellophane” from “Chicago” was another Act 1 highlight, as was his portrayal of a sadomasochistic choreographer in “Pain,” perhaps a tongue-in-cheek reference to Fosse.

Pickering’s “Ring Them Bells,” which opens Act 2, was highly amusing and well-suited for her and Gentile’s “Quiet Thing” was a marvelously performed ballad. “The Grass is Always Greener” from “Woman of the Year” was the funniest number of the night, well-performed by both Grieg and the animated Rothstein. “Trio,” which featured Neil, Pickering and Gentile, singing three separate Kander and Ebb songs rearranged as one, was the most powerful exhibition of vocal skill of the evening.

“Money,” from “Cabaret,” with its special effects and clever lighting within the cast’s top hats, was the biggest crowd pleaser of “The World Goes ‘Round.” Another performer of note was chorus member Ringsby, cleverly placed in front of the large dance numbers on many occasions. Ringsby already exhibits the type of dance skill needed for dance-heavy adult productions on Maui.

Although “The World Goes ‘Round” was a one-weekend-only production, director and choreographer David Ward made it just as entertaining as past large-scale Seabury musicals.