Arts & Communications: Multi-disciplined Artist
Arts & Communications
Multi-disciplined Artist: Willow Chang
By Don Acuaman • Photo by Scott T. Kubo
For Willow Chang, founder and CEO of Passport Productions, a career in the arts was never really an option. “I’ve always been an artistically inclined person; it doesn’t feel like a choice, but a part of my emotional DNA. It’s who I am. It’s what I was born to do.”
The story of her success as a producer, teacher and Renaissance woman began with support at home. “My mom knew that it was not enough to have drive, interest or innate talent,” Willow recalls. “Those are wonderful seeds of potential, but they’re not enough to bank on. You have to develop your craft.” Whether it was creating homespun “performances” with her brother, voice lessons, choir or dancing hula, Willow nurtured the seeds of potential. In return, they blossomed into a multi-dimensional career in the arts. She professionally dances, sings, writes, choreographs, teaches, produces, designs costumes and more.
To high school students who are interested in a career in the arts but feel constrained by resources, Willow advises perseverance. “There are always options in life,” Willow says. “If you don’t have the funds or the means, let your teachers know. They can see if there are scholarships, or they might be willing to trade lessons for help sweeping up or doing other labor—or look into fundraising. It might seem radical or out of your comfort zone, but there’s always a way to make things happen.”
Another lesson Willow wishes to impart: ‘Making it happen’ is possible right here in Hawai‘i, which isn’t as impoverished of opportunities as many people think.
“In the ’90s I went to New York convinced that it was the heart of the action,” Willow says. “At the time, everything in Hawai‘i was about the brain-drain; everybody was leaving and they weren’t coming back.” Willow learned from experience that it doesn’t have to be that way.
After a two-year romp in New York and a six-month performance tour in Egypt and Syria, she returned to her Island home.
“I don’t think people recognize how cosmopolitan we are here in Hawai‘i. People have been led to believe that what we do here might be second rate or not as good, or almost as good as L.A., and I think that’s a bunch of bull. We have a lot of amazing things, from athletic greats like Duke Kahanamoku [and Bryan Clay] to biodegradable Styrofoam replacement, there’s a lot of innovation here. I never bought into the idea that Hawai‘i’s inferior.”
Fortunately, Willow sees the brain-drain mentality fading. “Now I think people are more open to the idea that you can be innovative and creative here; you don’t have to leave. We have resources right here. Look at the major dance groups such as Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre, Ballet Hawai‘i, Tau Dance Theater and Samadhi Dance Co. Then we’ve got the HIFF Film Festival, Hawai‘i Opera Theatre, our rich hula community, the H2A Dancing to Save Lives Program, Peking Opera and Noh, downtown’s First Friday and the Fashion Incubator. Artists include Grammy-winning Jeff Peterson, Betty Lou Taylor, Halifu Osumare, Elsha Bonhert, Cade Roster, Jason Teraoka, John Koga, Ester Shimazu, Shuezo Uemoto … the list goes on!”
Willow’s success is another great example of how Hawai‘i’s cultural diversity offers resources you wouldn’t find in, say, Idaho.
Even though she works in many arts, Willow acknowledges, “I have notoriety for being a belly dancer. I’m fine with that because, in the land of hula, it’s great to have first-name recognition as a dancer.”