On Saturday, Oct. 18, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see the Brandeis Theater Department’s production of “Dance Nation,” Clare Barron’s 2019 Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, directed by Michelle M. Aguillon. I went into the show with very little insight as to what it was about, but with the feeling that it would be a unique, nearly philosophical play, as a few department productions I have seen in the past were. Needless to say, I was right, and left a little confused, yet delighted with the show I had just seen.
I want to give the warning that this show covers some pretty heavy themes, notably sexual assault, self-harm and sexual themes/language. It also featured many depictions of blood, explicit language and violence. That is the root of truly the only issue I had with the show, as I went into it aware that some of these things would be covered, but not to the extent that it was. I am a firm believer that sexual themes need to be separated from more intense, related warnings. It is simply too vague of a label, and more of a “heads-up” on the topics covered in this show is not only wanted, but needed. Therefore, please proceed with the rest of this review with caution.
“Dance Nation” is overall a commentary on puberty and growing up, as it focuses around a group of tween dancers who aim to get to and win the National Championship like many teams from their studio before them. They face immense pressure from their dance teacher and parents while dealing with their own issues, and their relationships grow and wane as a result. What’s real and what’s not is occasionally unclear, but that’s all part of the magic. Did the dancers really sprout vampire fangs? Can one of them really fly? These are some of the questions the audience was allowed to decide the answer to.
As a self-described “techie,” I always keep an eye out for lighting design in a show, and SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal’s work was remarkable. Not only was the color mixing incredible, but the syncing of the lights with the music and usage of lighting to isolate characters elevated every other aspect of the performance. Frankly, all of the technical elements were incredibly well done, including the costuming, set design, props work and sound design. All of the characters’ personalities shined through what they wore, notably the character of Maeve (Triona Suiter ’27). Throughout the show, Maeve talked about her love of wolves, and in the final bows, she was wearing a shirt with a wolf on it. Everything was thought out in immense detail, and it showed.
The acting from every member of the cast was phenomenal, with everyone truly working as an ensemble instead of one character taking the stage most of the time. Nearly every character had a moment where they could just monologue, with the most impactful and memorable being from Ashlee (Erin Klein ’28). She gave a speech both empowering and deprecating herself, before diving into waters discussing sexual harassment her character didn’t explicitly realize she faced, and ultimately cemented herself as a deeper person than the other characters truly got to see. The brewing feud between the near-perfect Amina (Manning Zhang GRAD) and hard-working Zuzu (LaRue Vigil ’26) was so accurate to teenage arguments and drama, with Luke’s (Simon Link ’28) crush on Zuzu also being representative of middle-school love lives. The pressure from parental figures (Nina Lokshin ’26) and Dance Teacher Pat (Jordan Li ’27) on the children aligns heavily with the youth dance world, and Sofia’s (Mimi Hilnbrand ’27) struggles with puberty are reflective of very real experiences. Connie (Anmol Virani ’25) and Maeve were representative of tween friendships and dynamics, and, overall, everyone involved in the fictional dance studio felt like an incredibly real person. The ensemble portrayed all of their roles wonderfully, and their skill was my favorite part of the production.
While there wasn’t a single thing that happened in “Dance Nation” that was predictable, that was honestly part of the show’s charm. With elements of magical realism layered throughout, even if some parts were perplexing, the commentary on teenage life, relationships and puberty was effective and meaningful. I haven’t ever before seen a show like “Dance Nation,” and I doubt I ever will in the future, but I’ll be thinking about its message for many days to come.
