![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DSC_3606.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Kevin Parry, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
And that\u2019s sort-of my feeling on this one. Blue13 Dance Company put on a good enough show over the week-end, but I never uttered even one little \u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. X pointed-out that a lot of my dance affection has been colored by the works of Sir Matthew Bourne\u2014nothing in that arena can compare to his<\/em> choreographer and dancers, so every other company falls short.<\/p>\n That being said, I still love to see dance in any and all forms. I appreciate the work and having my horizons broadened.<\/p>\n So, even though this<\/em> performance was not one of my favorites of all time, seeing Blue13\u2019s Bollywood program was still enjoyable. It wasn\u2019t exactly the full-on Indian dance that I\u2019m used to; the many influences of contemporary dance made it more like Indian-adjacent<\/em>. It was all pretty interesting. I didn\u2019t love<\/em> this show, but I far from hated it, which is always a positive. And the dancers themselves were excellent.<\/p>\n I have to admit that I couldn’t enjoy it full-out because I had read somewhere that hip-hop would be a major part of the program, so when there was zero<\/em> hip-hop in the trio of numbers presented, I was beyond disappointed. Towards the end, as part of one of the numbers, a sign came up on the backdrop reading, \u201cThis is not what you think.\u201d My thoughts at that point exactly. If I had been expecting just<\/em> Indian dance, I think I would have admired the show more.<\/p>\n Now let\u2019s get to the specifics. It began with a powerful opening tableau, featuring smoke and silence. That number, which has the lamentable title, F**k Fusion<\/em>, was lovely. At the time, I really appreciated the musical bells around their ankles, (which are called \u201cghunghroos,\u201d hence the overall title of this production,) especially because they reminded me of an old pal who wore them occasionally, when she wanted to make a lot of noise. But as the evening wore on, it was enough of that sound already.<\/p>\n Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n The second number, Diya aur Toofan<\/em>, was by far the best. Part of that fabulousness was due to a trio of live North Indian Drummers, (a sister and her two very handsome brothers, who go by the moniker, Dhol Nation,) who accompanied the dancers right on stage with them, in the middle of all the action! That entire dance was joyous and colorful and rhythmic and varied and tons of fun. It brought the entire assemblage into intermission in the most upbeat way, which is always a bonus.<\/p>\n Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n The entire second half was comprised of one act, Terpsichore in Ghungroos<\/em>, (that last word meaning there would be another plethora of ankle bells.) The program listed three \u201cchapters\u201d of it, but there were four<\/em>, so that confused me a bit. (But come on\u2014these are accomplished artists<\/em>\u2014you can\u2019t expect them to be math whizzes, as well!) I had no idea what all the angst-filled action was about, but it was the most musically<\/em> enjoyable part of the evening because there were live musicians (on cello, violin, and drums,) for the last three-quarters of it. And Dhol Nation joined them at the end.<\/p>\n Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n The dancers of Blue13 Dance Company were all excellent. But on the night I saw them, one of the males was behind the beat by a nano-second so much of the night that it drove me a bit batty. I never mind staggered moves, which are actually quite lovely, but this was not that. At first, I got a kick out of his efforts to catch-up, and found his attempts to save the shaky positions endearing, but it became a tad distracting after awhile.<\/p>\n All of it made me realize just how much I\u2019m craving to see some classical ballet right about now, which there is quite the dearth of in this town. (And on TV!) So, please Wallis, bring us that next!<\/p>\n Still, I love that Indian dance is being brought to the masses. It\u2019s so different from what most of us Angelenos are used to.<\/p>\n Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n Lest you think that basic Indian culture is something that is far from our Los Angeles consciousness, let me tell you this one little personal story. When I was running hip-hop dance clubs almost two decades ago, my group of peeps was comprised of a wonderful mix of ethnicities. We were a microcosm of the way the world should always<\/em> be. There was one gorgeous Indian girl, Pria, who showed-up a lot, and I only ever saw her with just one or two girlfriends. She asked me to throw her a birthday party at one of my clubs, and I asked her how many people she thought she\u2019d have, expecting her to say something like fifty to eighty, as everyone else did. She answered, without even being triumphant about it, \u201cAbout a thousand.\u201d She told me they were all her Indian friends. I was shocked to hear that because in her age group, which would be between twenty-one and thirty tops, (because all<\/em> my clubbers were in that age range,) I had seen only those three<\/em> people from India in all those few years. But you know what? That\u2019s how many people showed-up! Everyone was gorgeous and well-dressed and well-behaved, (a lot better than my club regulars<\/em>!) It just goes to show how many Indian people in Los Angeles we could each know, if we just knew where to look! (The same can be said for so many different population groups; this one episode opened my eyes to all<\/em> of it!)<\/p>\n Okay, now here\u2019s one dance program note that came up that night, when several of my surrounding audience members asked me what was happening. There is a difference between \u201cintermission\u201d and \u201cpause,\u201d the latter of which occurs often in dance presentations. Between numbers in each half, there is often a pause, during which the lights come up. But do not get up<\/em> because there\u2019s not enough time to run to the restroom, (unless you really<\/em> have to go\u2014then there\u2019s always<\/em> time,) or get a drink, or anything else. The purpose of that pause is for the dancers to change, or just take a breath. (I<\/em> would need to be on oxygen for that period, if I had just performed like they had!) Theaters bring-up the house lights then, so people don\u2019t have to sit there in the dark. If the program contains an explanation of the numbers in the show, you can take this time to read it, so it will be fresh in your mind. So stay seated and chat or read. This is also the only time in a theatre presentation where it\u2019s acceptable to check your phone. But do that at no other time<\/em>, please!<\/p>\n But do<\/em> check them right now, just to be in the know about all<\/em> the happenings at the Wallis. You can do that right here: www.thewallis.org<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BLUE13 DANCE COMPANY AT THE WALLIS First of all, the Wallis is the best place in Los Angeles to see dance. Dot, dash, end of story. The seats are the most comfortable ever, all the sightlines are wonderful, and the sound system is great! And they bring us more of that art than any other<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>