When Island dancer Charlaine Katsuyoshi was cast as the stunning cheetah in Disney's "The Lion King," she knew she had to release her inner animal.

"It's all about the puppet," said Katsuyoshi, chatting recently on a grassy patch near the Blaisdell Concert Hall, where "The Lion King" is playing through Dec. 9.

Hers is one of the most memorable and enticing roles in a production full of remarkable puppet wizardry. And Katsuyoshi is the lone local cast member in the touring company of the popular Broadway musical.

"Because I wear the puppet, it's me blending in with the puppet and making that cat come to life," she said of her oversized toylike costume. "So I went to the zoo — I love cats, I love animals — to observe. To see the quick head movements, which can be relaxed and laid back, and the fast moments."

It was, she admitted, "a different way to artistically interpret the role."

Katsuyoshi is a Kailua native and 1994 'Iolani School graduate with impressive dance credentials. After earning her BFA degree from the University of California-Irvine, Katsuyoshi landed a spot in Momix and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, two highly regarded modern-dance ensembles.

"I love dancing, and I've been enjoying 'The Lion King' because at Momix and Hubbard, we also used a lot of props," she said. "And here again, I'm trying to make the props come to life."

The cheetah demands well-oiled robotic moves that are the focal point of Katsuyoshi's ensemble work; while she is in other dance sequences with numerous costume changes, she is the only cheetah — and she brings a lovely and luminous presence to "The Lion King."

"I do have a lot of freedom with the part," she said. "While there is a set of steps I have to incorporate, the structure is loose; there's some improvising. It can be different, slightly, every night."

On stage, her hair is tucked in a close-cropped wig, connected with wires attached to the head of the cheetah. So when the actor moves her head to the left or right, or simply nods, there is corresponding movement.

She directs the cheetah's other movements, too, again with wire links from her limbs to the puppet's, gliding and maneuvering the critter with grace and eloquence, her legs and arms choreographing the cheetah's prance.

She auditioned for "The Lion King" while she was living in Chicago, but it took a year or so before she got the callback and the part. In between, she had an offer to join "Movin' Out," but declined — "I didn't think it was right for me." She's been with the touring Cheetah Company, as this group is called, for more than a year.

She did take a six-week breather after joining "The Lion King" to return to her contemporary dance roots in a New York project. "And it was wonderful," she said. "I was doing what I normally do as a dancer — go into the studio, work with the choreographer, creating the work, performing the piece.

"But at the end of the process, I was craving this consistency. Our show ('The Lion King') is like clockwork; it's live theater, and if stuff goes wrong and new stuff happens, our tech crew keeps us right on schedule."

"The Lion King" well may be Katsuyoshi's swan song, however, with rumors of the tour's end in March. At 30, with 11 years of professional dancing, she senses she'll hang up her dance shoes over the next five years.

"It would sort of be a nice way to close my dance career," she said. "Exploring a Broadway show, after a career in contemporary dance and doing film and TV, would be a great end to the cycle." Then she could teach.

The biggest thrill is that "The Lion King" has brought her back home, so she can strut in front of the hometowners.

"I can't live on the road the rest of my life," Katsuyoshi said. "Coming home, and for this long (a 12-week run), has been a real blessing.

"I'm a nomad at heart: I'm not even staying at home (in Kailua); I'm staying at my cousin's place, two blocks away, since she's away."

Katsuyoshi, granddaughter of the late restaurateur Helen Chock of the notable and popular family-owned Helena's Hawaiian Food restaurant in Kalihi, has taken her "Lion King" cohorts to sample the eatery's James Beard Award-winning cuisine.

"These guys adore soul food; and Hawaiian food is soul food, too.

"My brother Craig (who has taken over the business since the death of founder Chock), wanted to start 'em out with chicken long rice, and I told him they can handle it all — so we've had laulau, lu'au squid, poke, the works," she said.

She's brought groups of six to 10 on regular dining expeditions, commonly serving and bussing tables, too.

"It's where I get to see my family and friends," she said of the restaurant at 1240 N. School St. "It's still a mom-and-pop operation, with my brother and my mom carrying on. And with the folks from the show streaming in, maybe we should have the table marked 'The Lion King.' "

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.