(L-R) Tash Hawkins, Marcus King, Barbara Madison Hauck, Eesha Gupta, Meghan Stanton Ziccardi, Laura Malkus, and Danielle Sumaryo. Photo by Shealyn Jae Photography.
Clare Barron’s acclaimed “Dance Nation,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist, isn’t afraid to tackle some heavy subjects, exposing the rawness and, at times savagery, and the brutal honesty of what life can be like for a 13-year-old girl. Capitalizing on the cutthroat world of pre-teen dance, brought to light, in part, through a number of reality TV shows, “Dance Nation” contextualizes being a teenager through a lens of do-or-die competition. These girls fight, laugh, explore, and venture into some dangerous territory, all within the universe of the dance.
The acting is superb…Highly recommended.
Dance Teacher Pat (played to delightful perfection by J. Purnell Hargrove) leads an Ohio-based troupe that, in the midst of some angst-ridden developmental milestones, is also prepping for a competition that will hopefully lead them to the finals in Tampa. That they are 13-year-olds doesn’t matter. That they are from a relatively unknown town in Ohio doesn’t matter. That many of them are yet to hit puberty doesn’t matter. What matters for them is dance—period. Some are driven by overbearing mothers (Courtney Proctor plays all of “The Moms” in this production to wonderful effect), while others are driven by the dreams they think they have for themselves, though the line between their own wants and the expectations handed down to them gets a bit fuzzy at times.
Amina is the star pupil. The others are just trying to crawl out of her shadow. When Dance Teacher Pat introduces a new routine based around the theme of Gandhi, the claws (and the teeth) come out. Who will get the solo? Who will be the titular Gandhi? These questions consume their lives and, as a result, relationships start to unravel as some of the girls just about lose their minds.
The most riveting part of the play is the embedded tableau of what 13 looks like. There is one moment during which director Genevieve de Mahy presents three separate phases of this particular life stage in such an endearing and poignant way that you cannot help but wonder how some young people actually do manage to cope given the pressure, the inevitable physical changes, and all of the “noise”—outwardly and within their own heads—impacting their everyday. It is a truly beautiful moment that wonderfully encapsulates much of what this play has to say.
The acting is superb. With an unconventional approach to casting, FPCT’s production puts the attention sharply on the content and the words these actors so authentically speak. As Amina, Danielle Sumaryo is the high-achieving, has-it-all wunderkind who silently struggles with compartmentalizing fact and fiction. Tash Hawkins’ ZuZu brilliantly struggles with being “second best” as her mother consistently pushes for more. Meghan Stanton Ziccardi’s Maeve is a voice of reason-ish, as much as this age group can have any sort of presiding rationale presence. Barbara Hauck as Ashlee takes some huge risks, and they certainly pay off. Her monologue is a memorable one. Laura Malkus offers some explosive moments as the hapless Sofia, whom you can’t help but want to hug. Marcus King as Luke and Eesha Gupta as Connie bring a quieter presence to a pretty chaotic party. Choreographer Mari-Andrea Travis makes some very smart and strategic decisions that help infuse life into this bittersweet tableau.
Genevieve de Mahy makes excellent use of the stage space. With multiple scene changes, mood changes, and experiential changes, she navigates the teenage chaos with a keen mixture of style, ferocity, and hilarity. It all works quite well. Michael Vincent’s set and lighting design seem to pull from deep inside the mind of a pre-pubescent girl for an impactful effect, while Charlie Viola’s sound hits the perfect notes for this style production.
Categorizing this play is somewhat difficult. Barron seems to deliberately want audiences floundering about a bit in the confusion of not knowing what exactly this is. We are right there with this dance troupe as they navigate a world that is both too much for them and not quite ready for them. Highly recommended.
Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
Advisory: Best suited to adult audiences and contains explicit material, brief nudity and content that may be triggering. To request a full content warning, please email support@fpct.org.
“Dance Nation” runs through March 8, 2026 at Fells Point Corner Theatre, 251 S. Ann Street, Baltimore, MD 21231. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
