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KHEL! A Bollywood Bedtime Story for Young and Old
By Jonathan Weichsel
KHEL! is a Bollywood Bedtime Story recently performed at the Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood with choreography by Achinta S. McDaniel and an original score by Tej Gill.
Blue13's work is spiced with all the flavors of India, but there is much in KHEL that appeals to a mainstream American audience. The music, all original, combines traditional Bollywood music, electronic dance music, hip-hop, swing, techno, and ballet into something original and entirely unique. The production truly makes you want to get up and start dancing in the aisles! Achinta McDaniel's choreography, like Tej Gill's score, combines modern and classical styles from India, Europe, and the United States, creating an entirely new style of dance that is fun, fluid, and full of energy and life.
KHEL! is a story about bedtime, and the dreams that follow. We all remember what it was like to go to sleep as a child. It is very different from going to sleep when you are an adult. A child does not entirely know what to expect when slumbering off to dreamland. Some children treat going to bed as an adventure, an expedition into the unknown. Other children confront bedtime with apprehension, fearful of what they might find on the other side of sleep. KHEL! covers the full spectrum of childhood dreams, from the fanciful to the fantastic, from the frightful to the sublime.
The dancers burst onto stage right at the top of the show colorfully dressed in children's pajamas. They run around playing games, and chasing each other all around the stage. The girls tease the boys, the boys tease the girls, the girls chase the boys, and the boys run. Then it is time for bed.
The children all yawn and fall asleep, and the dreams begin. The exuberance of the opening dance piece gives way to something more mystical and earthy as the children encounter their dreams first with a sense of wonder, and then of discovery. Slowly the dreams turn into surreal nightmares. But the children are not entirely scared. They treat the nightmares as challenges, confronting the demons of their slumber with all the bravery of Dorothy.
The children all wake up from their dreams, but there is one little girl who liked dreaming so much that she tries to get everybody to go back to sleep so they can dream again. Amazingly, it works! The nightmares come into the playroom, and this time the children confront them in an epic battle. The children win the fight, and once again wake up. They immediately revert to their exuberant games, with the girls teasing the boys, the boys teasing the girls, the girls chasing the boys, and the boys running. Then, they all disappear beneath a parachute.
The adult dancers all do a great job playing the role of children. The dancers are assisted by the extraordinary choreography, which captures the spirit of childhood. The dancers who personified the nightmares and dreams were particularly believable.
The audience added to the exuberance of the evening as it was mixed ethnically, with Indians as well as mainstream Americans, but music and dance are both such universal languages, and the original scenario by Achinta S. McDaniel was so diverse and moving, that anyone who has the opportunity to see this performance will have an endless night of dreams.
The score by Tej Gill deserves special notice. Gill is a club DJ as well as a composer. The music of KHEL! has all the infectiousness and groves one would expect from club music. But it also has the lushness of a ballet, and swings like contemporary dance music. And, it is distinctly Indian.
KHEL! is a real spectacle, with over 25 Blue13 dancers on a stage decorated with live trees. It is a beautiful performance with moods that range from a joyous party-atmosphere to a children's romper-room, infinitely mysterious dreams to challenging nightmares. If you are looking for a fun, exciting night at the theater, look no further.
You can learn more about Blue13 Dance Company and watch videos of their work at:
http://www.blue13dance.com
The KHEL! after-party at the Roxy Theater featured New York's DJ Rehka. Her fans like to call her the "Ambassador of Bhangra." The music was extremely ecstatic, and everybody was jumping, shimmying, and having a great time. Be sure to check out DJ Rehka next time she is in LA.