Content warning: this article includes mention of sex and blood — some of the more triggering moments from the show have been left out, but there is still mention and description of at least one scene readers may find upsetting.

As a stage light comes careening down from the catwalks, the audience is launched into the whirlwind of pop music, dancing, deep conversations and self-discovery that is Clare Barron’s “Dance Nation,” the Brandeis Theater Department’s first play of the season. The show starts bright and fun, with the cast in over-the-top sailor costumes, dramatic moving lights and choreography that takes full advantage of the blackbox-style theater, as actors come right up to the audience while posing. However, the play quickly reminds you that it is unquestionably a dramedy, as one of the dancers (Nina Lokshin ’26) gets a leg injury and everything freezes as she cries for help, but none of the dancers give her assistance. “Dance Nation” has an uncanny ability to transition very quickly, and occasionally jarringly, from comedic to serious. There were many occasions where the audience would be laughing at a scene that began with preteens discussing their naive understanding of sex, and abruptly transitioned into a dramatic monologue that could range from the character describing how they’ve only ever had one dream and they don’t think they can achieve it, to another character describing how they could never bring themselves to accept a compliment if someone called them beautiful or smart. Every time the show seemed to relax into comedy again, a new moment of intense seriousness was not far behind.

“Dance Nation” is about a pre-adolescent dance troupe as the dancers begin the transition from children to teenagers. It follows the seven dancers Zuzu (LaRue Vigil ’26 ), Connie (Anmol Virani ’25), Amina (Manning Zhang ’26), Sofia (Mimi Hinbrand ’27), Maeve (Triona Suiter ’27), Ashlee (Erin Klein ’28) and Luke (Simon Link ’28) on their journey to try and win the national championship in Tampa Bay, Florida, while navigating the conflicts that arise between competitive dancers entering adolescence. The first conflict arises when Amina, the best dancer of the troupe, is not chosen for the dance solo, and instead it goes to Zuzu, whose passion for dance exceeds her technical ability. For most of the show, Amina is confused and frustrated, even going to dance teacher Pat (Jordan Li ’27) and asking if he was mad at her. When Zuzu does mess up during the competition, Amina wastes no time in taking the spotlight — winning the competition, but killing any confidence that Zuzu had left. The rest of the troupe takes Zuzu’s side, even when Amina tries explaining herself. The champion was finally taken down a peg.

Although the overarching goal of the show is focused on making it to Tampa, much of the runtime is spent getting to know the characters better. The audience listens to private conversations in the dressing room, or when each character gets a moment to freeze the scene and break the fourth wall while monologuing from an older perspective than the pre-adolescent that they are in every other scene. These monologues are filled with wants, wishes, regrets, sorrow and questions. They contain the deepest thoughts of the characters on stage, and only the audience can hear them. The locker room conversations, on the other hand, could get blatantly sexual very quickly. I found that the director, Michelle M. Aguillon, and actors did an excellent job of transforming what could have been only vulgar content into shocking emotional moments. Reactions to this style were divisive among audience members, however. Several people loved the script, feeling that it accurately portrayed the conversations that would be had in hushed whispers and giggles in changing rooms, while others felt that it was still hard to watch due to the crude content. One of the most controversial scenes was when Sofia gets her period for the first time backstage before the competition, and in their frenzy to hype each other up before the show, some of the dancers smear the blood on their faces. The scene ended quickly, but the intense shock and unease could be felt throughout the entire audience on opening night. 

“Dance Nation” was a production filled with hilarious scenes and very dark themes, where it was impossible to tell what the next scene would say or do. The entire production team and cast did an amazing job bringing the show together in just over a month, with a beautiful set, incredible choreography, outstanding costumes, phenomenal lighting and amazing acting. The one thing attendees agreed on was that even if the content of the story was uncomfortable, the performance was wonderful. Congratulations to everyone involved for a great start to the 2025-26 department show season!