Cirque Du Soleil Launches Permanent Show in Hawaii Inspired by the Big Island Sunset — and Children's Books

Cirque Du Soleil, the famed circus company whose shows often combine acrobats and storytelling, launched a new production in Waikiki, Hawaii earlier this month.

Dubbed ‘Auana, which means to wander or drift, the show blends Hawaiian culture and language with hula, juggling and impressive aerial displays, and the show's creators noted how important it was to highlight Hawaiian traditions.

Neil Dorward, who's the director of the show, tells PEOPLE that he leaned on the creative team — who are native to the area — and admitted that he began reading Hawaiian children’s books to get a sense of the culture.

“It had to be authentic, and it had to tell the right stories. The stories are very complicated,” he said. “So when I learned it all, I went back to the basics. I said, ‘I'm just going to go and buy some kids’ books about the stories.’”

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In Hawaiian culture, there are often multiple versions of the same story, which the director found challenging. But children’s books helped untangle the stories, he explains.

“It's an introduction. It's the language. It's an introduction to hula,” Dorward said. “For some people, it's an introduction to the stories and things that if you go, ‘Oh, that's an interesting story, I want to know more.’ You send people out. So then it's another journey to get started.”

He added, “It’s Cirque Du Soleil. We've got acrobats, we've got dancers. This is a visual show, so how am I going to tell that story with an acrobat? It's got to be digestible. It's got to be from a visual perspective. So that's when I said, I'm just going to go and get the kids' books because it's too confusing. And I just bought them all, and they were still wrong. The kids' book were different to what [the show’s creative team] had said.”

Although the theater company is headquartered in Montreal and has a significant presence in Las Vegas, the idea for Cirque actually came when founder Guy Laliberté sat on a beach in Hawaii watching the sunset from the Big Island.

Dwayne Johnson, who attended the opening, describes the new show as "the aloha."

"It's good to be back home during this time and bring the little ones here too," he told PEOPLE.

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