BLUE13 DANCE COMPANY AT THE SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE

This was a mostly delightful dance show; Sierra Madre Playhouse and the dance company Blue13 were a great combo.

The Sierra Madre Playhouse.

I was already a fan of both the Blue13 Dance Company and the Sierra Madre Playhouse, (and of the entire adorable town that it’s located in,) so it was a no-brainer for me to attend this one-night-only show recently. I had a feeling that it would be interesting to see a dance company in such an intimate setting, and I was correct. It was a unique experience that I really enjoyed. I had not seen dancers this close-up ever in my life except in my own dance classes!

And just to tell you a bit more about the Playhouse’s schedule, they’ve been doing things differently in the past year or so. Most of their programs are only one or two nights (or days) now, as opposed to how they used to do things, which was four or five projects/year that each lasted for about a month. As far as the dance schedule goes, I’m happy to see that there are several more programs on offer for the rest of the year. They all look pretty interesting, and this venue features the least costly, by far, good programs in the entire city!!! (Tickets to many shows are only $12., which is even much less expensive than the prices of a movie!) So I suggest you check-out their site at the end of this article.

Now let’s get to my review of Blue13’s actual presentation. This was the third time that I’ve seen this company, and each program has been different from the others; I really appreciate the variety they proffer. The company’s new Executive Director, Brian Eldering, spoke for a bit during an appropriate pause in the first half, and asked, “How do we put [this] into a genre?” That’s just what I had been thinking when he said it! He labels their style as simply “American dance.”

This is from that second half number, (as I believe the picture at the top of this review is,) but performed elsewhere. I don’t have any pix from the Blue13 show at SMP, so this is the best I can do for this review.

Now, the reason I say this was only “mostly” a delightful show is that the first half was fabulous, (I’ll get to it in a minute,) while my friend and I were not fans of the one long number that comprised the second act. (It was actually an excerpt from a longer work of theirs, 100 Seconds to Midnight.) The dancing was up to its usual excellence, but the odd choreography in that one was a little head-scratching. After such a happy and clever first half, I was not expecting the second half unhappiness. (At least I think that’s what it was supposed to be.)

Parts of that piece were just annoying, such as one girl walking down into the audience, dripping with sweat, and rubbing her hair and hands, and telling us to shush. What was that even supposed to mean? Plus, I don’t need to see strangers in their underwear, unless it’s Hugh Jackman.

And worse than anything was the supposed music that was so painful to our ears that my friend had to leave in the middle of the number. I’m no quitter so I stuck it out. Before the show, we had noticed that there was a basket of earplugs for patrons to take in the lobby, and I wondered why there would be earplugs for a dance show. But we understood why as soon as that noise started. I swear, I can’t even classify it as music; it was simply noise. I don’t understand a choreographer choosing it, especially after all the perfect selections in the first half, including the popular-again 2001 hit, Murder on the Dancefloor, which I’ve been happily hearing in my head ever since I saw the show!

But the first half was so entertaining that I forgive them for the second half. It included something really unique that I have never seen in a dance show anywhere else. And it would only work at a venue such as the ninety-nine-seat Sierra Madre Playhouse. (I can’t picture the company doing the same thing at the Wallis, for example, even though they had sent the audience instructions for a flash mob the last time I saw them there, but then it never came to fruition there.) What that specialness was is that Blue13 Founding Artistic Director, Achinta S. McDaniel, came out on stage, said a few words, and then told us that she was going to teach us a little bit of Bollywood dance. So she asked everyone who was able to get up, and felt like participating, to stand up, which most everyone did. And then, to really upbeat and hip music, she ran us through several classic Bollywood moves, and then put them all together into a short routine.

This is also not from Blue13’s performance at SMP, but the style they’re showing here is representative of their work.

I was having a back issue that night, so I stayed in my seat, and I’ve been regretting missing-out ever since. But I have tried-out some of her lessons at home, and they’re really fun. She had the rest of the crowd really going, and they were having a blast. (Achinta should really put that lesson into a YouTube video!)

Before and immediately after that bit of frivolity, the first half that I enjoyed so much was a mix of the Bollywood that the company is known for, plus some contemporary dance and even a little bit of hip-hop. And there was a bit of humorous chitchat from time to time. It was all sooo enjoyable.

And on a semi-shallow note, this particular Blue13 troupe of eight girls and one guy, (it appears to me that they have a much bigger ensemble, in general,) was perhaps the most attractive group of dancers I’ve ever seen.

Whether you’re a fan of dance, music, theatre, and even old films, I suggest you check-out the entire schedule of the Sierra Madre Playhouse, which is the most affordable entertainment experience in all of SoCal! Just click right here: www.sierramadreplayhouse.org.