The program reads “Blue13 – American Dance” and it couldn’t be more apt in its description. This was a beautiful pairing of venue and content in that the Sierra Madre Playhouse Theater is a 100-year-old, 99-seat theater with excellent views of the stage from anywhere in the audience. The stage is set at eyeline height making dance particularly visceral and exciting, simply seating in the seats is an immersive experience for dance performances. The theater opened in 1910 and through many permutations has arrived in its current form as an intimate space for Dance, Film, Theater, Music, and family friendly fare.
This was a brilliant venue for Blue13 as their high energy choreography and fully embodied dancers created a wave of energy which flowed out over the audience as the evening passed. Congratulations to Artistic/Executive Director Matthew Cook for envisioning this old Vaudeville style house hosting dance. And kudos to Blue13 Artistic Director Achinta S. McDaniel for choreographing a very comedic first half of the program which was entirely in keeping with the vaudeville aspect of this theater. It was very savvy of her to recognize what material would work best in the intimate stage setting. Executive Director Brian Elerding and Associate Director Jon Paul were also on hand to facilitate the occasion.
Blue13 Dance Company – Photo by Jordan Strauss
It was also lovely to see so many locals attending as, by a show of hands, fully two-thirds of the audience was from the area, and it was their first Blue13 show. Expanding the audience for dance is a never-ending endeavor, but one wholly worthwhile for performer and attendee alike. The house was sold-out and hopefully that will be the case for the remainder of the season for Sierra Madre Playhouse, which is promoting a varied season of diverse artists and disciplines.
The program consisted of two pieces that couldn’t be more different, highlighting the comedic talents of the performers and then the dramatic aspect of their skills and talent. There were nine dancers in all: Delaney Blume, Alisa Carreras, Kirby Harrell, Presley Hawk, Kaya McAfee, Maiko Okajima, Payal Parida, Felisya Soqui-Garcia, and Bryn Bohannan. All delivered in comedic timing in the first piece, “Formulaic Series of Solos that a Dance Company Does.” And then they showed us a serious side in an excerpt from a larger piece entitled, “100 Seconds To Midnight”, which has to do with the Doomsday clock and how close Humanity is to exterminating itself; current events notwithstanding.
Blue13 Dance Company in “1947” by Achinta S. McDaniel – Photo by Rose Eichenbaum.
The series of solos were just that and each one had s specific take on social media, influencers, TikTok, etc. Much of it was humorous and gave ample opportunity for facial expression which is a hallmark of this company. Faces molded to the emotion en plastique! It was wonderful to see. And speaking of which, I was particularly amazed and appreciative of Payal Parida’s face and movement. She performed the “Requisite Tik-Tok solo for Indian Girl” and was hilarious in the tilt of her head with eye-ography and clean gestures. Her face was extremely expressive, and my eye was constantly drawn to her in every piece. Kaya McAfee was hysterical in her solo which took place during an audition with her number pinned to her leotard. Every time she came across the floor a great group covered her doing the same movement referencing the herd trying to be seen in the front at an audition. It was a hoot. A lovely duet followed, “And sometimes it’s a duet” with Delaney Blume and Bryn Bohannan. This was contemporary movement and showcased the floor work and partnering of the two performers. The first act ended with a rollicking number with brilliant costumes. We were then treated to a short movement lesson from Daniels which included fun port-de-bras as well as some fabulous hand mudras.
Blue 13’s “100 Seconds to Midnight” – photo by Sandra Luis
I saw “100 Seconds To Midnight” in its entirety at the Ford Theatre. This excerpt was from the third and last movement which has to do with a culmination of threats to women throughout history. There is one man in this section who manipulates and moves the women, but they are operating against his influence and struggling to be free to create their own existence. It is a sobering and telling commentary on this aspect of society. A quote by Daniels helps encapsulate the piece, “My new work, 100 Seconds to Midnight traverses three different times, the 16th Century, the year 1947, and present day. It investigates threats to women in particular and goes a step further to interrogate our historic duty to country, to male figures like gods, fathers, and husbands.”
My only caveat for the Theater is the level of the sound system. For some reason, the second Act in the show was much louder than the first. The music was intense, and the levels were a bit high to my ear. It is such an enclosed space that the sound does not need to be very loud to be heard and felt.
To see the full list of dance artists performing at the Sierra Madre Playhouse and to purchase tickets, Please click HERE.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Blue13 Dance Company – Photo by Rose Eichenbaum.
