Dance Nation
by Clare Barron
Awards & Recognition
Finalist: 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Winner! 2015 Relentless Award Winner! 2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Synopsis
Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world.
And if their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay.
A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all.
Press Reviews
"A blazingly original play... marvel at how close what you see cuts to the bone."
— The New York Times
"If you were ever a 13-year-old girl, Clare Barron’s daring, raw Dance Nation will probably hit you hard [...] It’s a brave, visceral, excitingly off-kilter barbaric yawp of a play. And it gets at something excruciatingly tender: the burden of modesty on young American women."
— New York Magazine
Characters
| Character |
|---|
Amina The star dancer. |
Zuzu Always second best. |
Connie A talented dancer who thinks she should play the role of Gandhi. |
Luke The only male dancer on the competition team. |
Maeve The oldest and least talented dancer on the team. |
Sofia Knows what’s up. |
Ashlee Future president of a post-apocalyptic USA. |
Crumpled Sailor Aka Vanessa Could’ve been a phenomenon. |
The Moms Means well. Grown-up Wendy. Also plays Vanessa. |
Dance Teacher Pat The head of the dance studio. |
Videos
Clare Barron talks Dance Nation
Publication
Dance Nation is a comedy play written by Clare Barron and published by Samuel French (2019).
Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle.
Community Reviews
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Buy Play
Paperback
Samuel French · 2019
Performance Rights
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