Dance Nation
by Clare Barron

Name: Dance Nation
Brand: Clare Barron
SKU: 9780573707605
Rating: 4.17 (23 reviews)

Dance Nation Book Cover — Dance Nation Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

105 mins Unit Set/Multiple Settings Comedy

Awards & Recognition

Pulitzer Prize

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	Gender	Age	Description
Amina The star dancer.	—	—	The star dancer.
Zuzu Always second best.	—	—	Always second best.
Connie A talented dancer who thinks she should play the role of Gandhi.	female	—	A talented dancer who thinks she should play the role of Gandhi.
Luke The only male dancer on the competition team.	male	—	The only male dancer on the competition team.
Maeve The oldest and least talented dancer on the team.	—	—	The oldest and least talented dancer on the team.
Sofia Knows what’s up.	—	—	Knows what’s up.
Ashlee Future president of a post-apocalyptic USA.	—	—	Future president of a post-apocalyptic USA.
Crumpled Sailor Aka Vanessa Could’ve been a phenomenon.	—	—	Could’ve been a phenomenon.
The Moms Means well. Grown-up Wendy. Also plays Vanessa.	—	—	Means well. Grown-up Wendy. Also plays Vanessa.
Dance Teacher Pat The head of the dance studio.	—	—	The head of the dance studio.