Mission Statement
Blue13 Dance Company's mission is to drive a substantive shift in the perception and practice of American dance through performance, outreach, and education. The company seeks to augment the visibility and status of the multi-faceted Indian diaspora in the western dance world, compelling recognition of our multiplicity, our artistic excellence, and our value to the arts as a whole. Blue13 continues to honor, and depart from, the folk, pop-cultural, and classical dance forms of India, and to challenge inherited notions of contemporary dance, concert dance, and dance education. As such, Blue13 seeks to create lasting societal contributions, to dispel stereotypes and monolith mythology, and to connect diverse constituents through inclusive, cross-genre live performances, dance classes, and community activities that encourage and value curiosity, inclusion, respect, and belonging.
Description
Blue13 Dance Company presents the audience with an intelligent performance experience that shifts perceptions of Americanness, and turns the cultural stereotype of Indian dance on its head. For over 15 years, Blue13 has performed it’s contemporary American dance style inspired by art forms of the Indian subcontinent, performing on stages from Paris and Morocco to Cal Poly Arts, The Music Center, and University of North Carolina. In February 2020, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts premiered Blue13’s Terpsichore in Ghungroos.
A first-generation born Indian American, Artistic Director, Achinta S. McDaniel creates dance rife with precision, rebellion and unconventional architecture. Storytelling through dance is central to the work, ranging from one joyous, quintessentially "Bollywood" high, to a to a rhythmic footwork assault performed by dancers clad in ankle bells. Blue13 embodies the bridge between American dance and Indian diaspora, connecting diverse audiences through the power of aesthetically and culturally daring dance.
Blue13 deeply values community access and education, offering direct participation through interactive dance events and Indian dance workshops. To translate dance into lasting societal contributions is in Blue13’s very DNA, as is the mission to empower, unite, and spread equity and understanding through our work. www.blue13dance.com or follow us @blue13dance.
