Blue13 Dance Company
The Celebrated Contemporary Dance Ensemble Presents a
New Program Inspired by the Doomsday Clock
100 Seconds to Midnight
One Night Only – The Ford, September 28, 2024, 8 p.m.
WHAT:
Blue13 blends contemporary and traditional dance forms with everything from hip-hop to Bollywood and ballet, challenging perceptions of South Asian American dance. In 100 Seconds to Midnight, a new contemporary dance project choreographed by Achinta S. McDaniel, the company delves deep into the complexities of the human experience, drawing inspiration from the infamous Doomsday Clock. Made famous by J. Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and other concerned scientists, the clock measures how close the planet is to global catastrophe, marked as midnight. McDaniel turns the metaphor inward to examine the notion of “doom” as it pertains to South Asian communities. Repeatedly erased but resilient, these communities often grapple with cyclical trauma and the unrelenting anxiety of impending loss. Through a triptych of movements, 100 Seconds to Midnight confronts misogyny, unpacks the generational effects of colonization, and scrutinizes the expectations placed upon women regarding duty, tradition, and assimilation.
WHO:
Blue13 Dance Company presents American dance through performance, outreach, and education. For over 20 years, Blue13 has connected audiences through the power of live, aesthetically and culturally daring dance, performing in the U.S. and abroad in its highly energetic and theatrical modern dance style that is inspired in part by the classical and cultural art forms of the Indian subcontinent.
A first-generation South Asian American, Blue13’s Artistic director, Achinta S. McDaniel pulls precision, humor, and deep emotion from her ensemble to create work as rebellious and unconventional as its architect. Storytelling through dance is central to the company, as is a continual exploration of technique with its cast of dancers of many backgrounds. The work is moody, rhythmic, and charged, presenting the audience with an intelligent experience of performance that turns the cultural stereotype of Indian dance on its head.
A pioneer of contemporary Indian dance in the United States, a prolific choreographer, performer, and instructor, McDaniel’s powerful and fresh style draws from diverse techniques including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip hop, Bhangra, Kathak, and Bollywood, to create spectacular and theatrical dance. She is known for her experimentation with international styles and for inventive staging of her signature contemporary Indian forms. Her choreography is highly dramatic and a real reflection of her upbringing: Eastern and Western, exotic, mysterious, wild, rebellious and unconventional. McDaniel’s work is fearless and inventive, ever exploring the boundaries of contemporary dance as a first-generation Indian woman. McDaniel is also a Professor at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California. Achinta has expanded Blue13 for over fifteen years, creating one of the country’s first professional contemporary Indian dance theatre ensembles and touring on stages around the world. McDaniel also lectures and teaches contemporary Indian, Bollywood, and Bhangra styles internationally, and works as a choreographer in the film and television industry when not touring with Blue13.
About The Ford
The Ford is one of the oldest performing arts venues in Los Angeles, with an outdoor 1,200-seat amphitheater and a rich history dating back to 1920. Situated in a 32-acre park and under the stewardship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and Los Angeles County Department of Parks & Recreation, The Ford presents an eclectic summer season of music, dance, film, and family events that are reflective of the communities that comprise Los Angeles.
WHEN: Saturday, September 28, 2024 @8 p.m.
WHERE: The Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068
(just off the 101, between Hollywood and Universal Studios in the Cahuenga Pass)
TICKETS:
Reserved seating: $10 – $65
To learn about discounts for groups of 10 or more call 323-850-2050 or visit theford.com.
PARKING:
A FREE shuttle to The Ford picks up at Hollywood & Highland from Orange Court, 1736 N Orange Dr, Los Angeles 90028 and Universal City/Studio City Metro Station from the “kiss and ride” area, 3913 Lankershim Blvd, Studio City 91604. Parking fees may apply. Shuttle service starts two hours before show time and runs approximately every 20 minutes, ending once the show begins. The shuttle does not run throughout the show. When the show is over, catch the shuttle at the front gates; follow signs and staff directions.
HOW:
• https://www.theford.com or (323) 850-2000
• https://www.Blue13Dance.com
• info@Blue13Dance.com
• facebook.com/Blue13Dance
• Video Trailer from 100 Seconds to Midnight Movement II – 1947: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjI2dQcJ7d4&t=38s
• https://www.YouTube.com/@Blue13DanceCompany
OTHER:
Dress warmly for outdoor seating
