Alonzo King has come a long way since 1976 when he came to O'ahu to join the then newly formed Honolulu City Ballet.

That fledgling company has since morphed into today's Ballet Hawaii. King, meanwhile, has morphed into one of ballet's most celebrated choreographers.

His latest work, the LINES Ballet of San Francisco, will be on display Saturday night at the Hawai'i Theatre for one show only.

LINES has been described in recent reviews as "raw," "powerful," and "spiritual," and King himself was described as a "treasure embodying the best of San Francisco and the diverse culture of this city," by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

King has indeed come a long way since 1976, a start he spoke fondly of during a recent phone interview.

"It was young and ambitious and fun," King said.

After his short stay on O'ahu, King returned to the Mainland and danced in a variety of companies before forming his own group in 1982 and concentrating on choreography.

LINES has been growing in popularity and acclaim ever since.

Last year, Jacob's Pillow presented King with its Creativity Award in recognition of his contribution to "moving ballet in a very 21st century direction."

The Los Angeles Times called his choreography "the most sophisticated modernism in classical dance."

King traces his artistic creativity to his parents. Raised mainly in California, the son of a prominent African-American family, he began his dance training there.

His professional studies took him to New York, where he trained with the best teachers available. Although focusing on ballet, he also took classes at the Alvin Ailey school.

Even while he danced, he said he knew choreography was his calling.

"I knew all along," he said. "Before I even began formal training, I was choreographing. It was always a natural part of the work."

King calls his dancers his most important assets.

"They are extraordinary. If the dancers trust you, they can surrender and open up to their true character," he said. "We're working daily on our greatness and magnanimity. Once you join the company, you have to be willing to change. It's always about 'more' and 'better.' "

King's more spiritual and global approach to dance is reflected in his collaborations, which have included legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and actor Danny Glover.

For one piece, King brought Pygmy musicians and dancers from Central Africa, and recently he created a work for his company and 16 Shaolin monks that intertwines martial arts and dance.

His choreographic output has been enormous. This year alone, he will create four to five new works and his ballets can be seen in dozens of companies around the world.

"The goal is to do as much as you can before you leave this earth," he said.