Courtesy of Sean Elliot
What do Gandhi, sailors, and fang-adorned baby sexy robots have in common? All, apparently, are fair game to place in the interpretative hands of a thirteen-year-old girl.
On November 22, 23, and 24, the Connecticut College Theater Department presented Clare Barron’s play “Dance Nation,” bringing a world of competition, fantasy, and puberty to a primary audience a mere few years past the rollercoaster of early teenage years. Directed by faculty members David Jaffe and Rachel Boggia, the production stars a small student cast of a dance teacher, several moms, and a group of would-be dancers, roles played by Jo Duckett ‘25, Allie Ziegler ‘27, Sitara Effat Ahangari ‘25, Nell Hamilton ‘26, Ariel Mayer ‘26, Lauren McCoy ‘27, Spencer McLaughlin ‘27, Aida Sherwani ‘27, and Julia Toyer ‘27, respectively. Each member captures what they feel to be the essence of girlhood in their own unique way, harkening viewers back to the awkward childhood-to-adolescence transition of the middle school years.
Scene one opens with a dramatic exhibit of performance gone awry, portraying a comedic sailor dance filled with tapping, cartwheeling, and a career-ending fall. Viewers are then transported into an onslaught of serious dialogue, quickly coming to learn the minor dance team is preparing to fight for a spot in the coveted national championship in Tampa, FL. Our young movers begin this process of crawling to reach the top through vying for a featured role in an all-new Gandhi dance reminiscent of many “Dance Moms” lyrical numbers—and fans will no doubt draw many comparisons between “Dance Nation’s” characters, and real-life mom, daughter, and instruction figures on the controversial reality television program. Duckett particularly shines in the role of Dance Teacher Pat, putting forward an emotionally closed off yet inexplicably charismatic persona that lends a degree of lightness to otherwise somber themes.
Later scenes showcase the inner complexities of the play’s teenage girls; reckoning with awakening sexuality, disparity between patriarchal expectations and intrinsic feeling, and what it means feminine through an outside gaze. Actors take turns sharing character stories in long, passionate monologues, speaking to curation of images in order to fit in (“Math makes you cool!” exclaims Ashley, acted by Mayer) and passing imagination of childhood (“One day, I’ll forget I ever used to fly,” confesses Toyer in the role of Maeve). No one role can be called the ‘lead,’ but special focus is placed on the journey of Amina, a competitor whose desire to win without hurting teammates threads scenes together in the greater plotline until lights at last fade out.
For all of its downtrodden dialogue, “Dance Nation” also holds a fair share of shock value, disquieting audiences with unexpected antics and laughably blunt statements. Just prior to the play’s climatic dance competition, for example, Sophia (brought to life by Hamilton) begins her first menstrual cycle. With only two minutes left before curtain call, she simply reaches down into her pants and smears (fake) blood across her cheeks, akin to a warrior adorning herself with the facepaint of battle. Intermittent hissing throughout the plot adds a layer of bizarre humor in times of fierceness, present at the start and end of play as well as a defining feature of the hilarious, daring, and frankly feral “Baby Sexy Robot” movement number. Other faux competition works include a sailor-themed tap dance in addition to an “acro-lyrical” routine loosely based on the life of Gandhi.
Casting faith in ensemble ability to convey wider play themes, director Jaffe chose a production with controversial content with vision in socially relevant undertones of individual vulnerability. “I think what struck me most about working on this piece is the bravery and sensitivity of the students working on it. This is very challenging material, and speaks to them in very particular ways—and they feel very strongly about sharing that with their community,” Jaffe remarked to The College Voice.
Of course, it goes without saying that much of what the Conn community saw on stage is thanks to the workings of the script itself. “I think what Claire Barron has to say about taking agency in our own power…and perhaps even fighting against the cultural currency that minimizes…others who are perceived as lesser than,” commented Jaffe.
When asked to choose a favorite part, however, Jaffe came up blank. “I don’t have a favorite part…the whole f***kin show is awesome.”
