Blue13 Dance Will Perform SOLILOQUY in May and June

Soliloquy, a site-specific, immersive dance experience by South Asian American choreographer Achinta S. McDaniel for Blue13 Dance Company, where audiences are transformed into active participants in this roving indoor/outdoor immersive dance experience, traversing the grounds and historic manors of Heritage Square Museum.

With three indoor/outdoor performances on May 31 and June 1 at 8 p.m., and June 2 at 7 p.m., attendees choose their own adventures, immerse themselves in the performance, follow performers while affecting the experience by being able to make choices including selecting the music, shaping the narrative, and choosing who dances the final solo.
Be part of the story as dancers perform in the historic mansions and beautiful private grounds of this iconic landmark. Heritage Square is the living history and open-air architecture museum which includes eight historic structures located beside the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Montecito Heights neighborhood in the southern Arroyo Seco area.
Soliloquy shares individual stories of what it feels like to be shuttered away and disconnected from touch, laughter, and sharing. It also investigates the flattening of human connection to social media and screens. Soliloquy asks how is the curated self in constant negotiation with reality? How does isolating behind a screen deepen our loneliness while simulating connection? This piece relies on the participation of the audience, and one of the goals is to enliven conversation and connection between the strangers who attend.

 

Audiences are integrated into the story, with some sitting for dinner with a quarreling family, selecting the music that plays, or even becoming the focus of the work. Meeting at the intersection of technology, disruption, inclusion, and diaspora, each performance is an exciting and unique adventure, shared in a singular experience by those in attendance. At points during the performance, participants may gather to break bread, toast, and engage in discourse with fellow guests.

Soliloquy is composed of various contemporary solos housed in living rooms, bedrooms, dining areas, and even a chapel – a true glimpse into secrets and private lives of the characters, told through dance, with 18 professional Blue13 dancers. There are several ticketing tiers with a pre-show reception including appetizers and wine for VIP ticket holders, and light bites for Tier 1 guests. To purchase tickets and for more information please visit Blue13Dance.com.
 

The pandemic forced us into loneliness. The sole human connections were through interactions on flat screens. Soliloquy critiques the reification of social media and Zoom as the standard for human interaction, by physically inviting audiences into the homes and lives of strangers. Blue13 seeks to interrogate the ways in which this technological connection, coupled with isolation, have specifically impacted people of the Global Majority.

In 2021, Blue13 premiered an immersive work, Shaadi (wedding in Hindi) at Heritage Square, smack in the middle of the pandemic. Audiences fell in love with the piece, finding connection after so much time locked behind closed doors. The critically acclaimed work roused in us the deep desire to return with a new piece we have been developing for about one and half years. It speaks to humanity's shared isolation and trauma of the pandemic, our simultaneous longing for togetherness and anxiety about the same.

Soliloquy takes place on Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, June 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 (students and 90031 residents); $25 Tier 2 (general admission - limited availability); $50 Tier 2 (includes appetizers); and $100 VIP (includes a pre-show reception with the dancers, special experiences, drinks, and appetizers – Please arrive at 7pm on May 31 and June 1; arrive at 6pm on June 2).

Heritage Square Museum is located at 3800 Horner Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to Blue13Dance.com or call (310) 876-2513.

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