Dance Nation traces vulnerability and narcissism of preteen competitive dancers, November 13 to 23
The Search Party’s hilariously offbeat theatre production gets a remount at the Anvil Theatre
Dance Nation
Anvil Theatre presents The Search Party’s Dance Nation from November 13 to 23
IN CLARE BARRON’S play Dance Nation, adults of all ages portray a group of preteen competitive dancers training to win a national title in Tampa, Florida. That contrast alone gives the theatre production great comedic effect. But add to that the fact that none of the performers are trained dancers—and the emphasis is suddenly taken off of technique and put onto interpersonal relationships.
Barron’s script captures the full gamut of adolescent emotions and personality traits, from vulnerability to narcissism, while the dancers navigate rehearsing and performing as best friends. When Stir reviewed Dance Nation’s premiere at the York Theatre this spring, produced by The Search Party as part of The Cultch’s inaugural Warrior Festival, we described how several moments “often feel like listening in on a sleepover conversation where the seeds of adult social dynamics are already there, tangled up with the offbeat logic of being a kid, and where confidence and self-doubt live side by side.”
The Search Party is now remounting the theatre production, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, at the Anvil Theatre from November 13 to 23.
Stir also spoke to two of the production’s actors. Amanda Sum, who plays Zuzu, the second-best dancer in the troupe, said that Dance Nation “leans into the idea that 13-year-old problems are just human problems…. And it just makes you have a lot of space in your heart for these kids who are going through the exact same things that we as adults have socialized and figured out how to work through now.”
Sum will reprise her role for this upcoming run; so too will Eileen Barrett, who plays Maeve, the oldest and least talented of the bunch. “She is one of those kids who’s just really happy to be there,” Barrett said of Maeve.
When the stage lights snap on, expect everything from backstage group huddles full of love and support to an appalling acro-lyrical number about Gandhi’s legacy. It’ll be a rollercoaster, for sure. 
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