Contagion commemorates the devastating 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that spread globally during the final year of the First World War. The massive movements of soldiers in 1918 amplified the effects of the virus, which killed up to five percent of the world’s citizens and infected one-third of the world’s population – taking more life than the First World War itself – between 50 to 100 million deceased.

The loose narrative arc of Contagion is inspired by the mass mourning of those who survived the flu, followed by the nature and spread of the flu virus, leading to the delirium before perishing, and culminating with the humane nursing scene in which the 8 female dancers quite heroically nurse the sick while risking their own life.