Review: WAAPA Brings High Kicks & Big Feelings To Dance Nation

I arrived at Subiaco Arts Centre on opening night with little knowledge of what Dance Nation is about. Having only read the blurb, I did not anticipate the absurdity and familiarity that unfolded on stage.

Originally written by Clare Barron and directed by Alexandria Steffensen, Dance Nation fully leans into the satirical, camp and exaggerated expression of the play, capturing the confusion of female adolescence.

Performed by the 3^rd Year Acting students (and a 2nd year and a BPA Hons student) from WAAPA, Dance Nation follows a dance troupe of tween-age girls from Liverpool Dance Works as they pour their hearts and souls into dance competitions in the hopes of making it to nationals.

The play explores the gritty realities of female adolescence and satirises the bleakness of competitive ambition. The audience is left to question, with no obvious answer, whether friendships or winning matter more.

Steffensen’s direction embraces the experience of female adolescence. She clearly understands the material and refuses to sugarcoat the formative, daunting questions and experiences young girls face as they grow into themselves.

Themes of consent, sexual harassment, objectification, desire and fascination with bodily autonomy ran through the play. The crude language lands perfectly, reflecting the boundary-testing nature of being a teenager.

The play reveals the confusion of early girlhood and the experience of developing at different rates. One character is in her bedroom playing with miniature horses while another is masturbating for the first time.

Vignettes of home life, relationships with parents and their own selves are relatable and heart-warming. A lone male student, played by Daniel Hsu, provides comic relief and perhaps offers a connection point for the men in the audience.

Each cast member does an incredible job of capturing the heart of their character with impressive commitment. Every archetype of teenage girlhood is portrayed, and the performers’ expressive acting heightens and satirises the eccentric traits of each one. As the play progresses, the ensemble settles into the storyline, which feels increasingly authentic.

Each of the performers is given the opportunity to show off their talent, emotional range and physical stamina. From vulnerable monologues to energetic dance routines, choreographed by Christabel Joy Ellis, the students act with precision and intention.

Rali Maynard (Sofia) and Sofia Watts (Ashlee) are standouts, both embodying the complexities of their characters seamlessly and consistently.

The humour is dark and unashamed. Tasked with confronting material, the actors did not shy away from their commitment to the part. From simulating masturbating on stage to wiping period blood on their face, to grinding on whatever set piece was closest, the actors perform with poise, guts and humility, allowing the audience to really lean in and laugh.

The set, designed by Ruby Trevor-Mills, is simple and thematic: a Y2K, low-budget American dance studio complete with plastic blinds, pink stars and displays of trophies, medals and photos of only the best students. It effectively captures a Dance Moms-esque aesthetic.

The soundtrack, curated by Eren Hazell, is nostalgic and punctuating, with songs by Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodgrigo and Britney Spears. It is jarring in an intentional manner, which elevates the humour and reinforces the unseriousness of the troupe’s raw ambition.

Motifs are threaded through the performance: mirrors, crowns and wolves. The mirrors are ‘reflective’ of our obsession with our external self-image. Dance Teacher Pat, played by Nicholas Rose, often seen fixing his hair in the mirror, is a representation of a man overcome by the dangers of unchecked ambition and control.

Repeated wolf motifs symbolise the feral rage and unruliness young girls are so often taught to suppress. In the play, the characters are invited to let their inner wolves free.

For all its hilarity, the play is undeniably progressive and profound.

There is so much happening at once, and the energy is electric. The audience oscillated between roaring laughter and soft, sympathetic ‘awws’ as the story unfolded.

Despite the heavy themes, the performers don’t take themselves too seriously. The result is a raucous, heightened reality of teenage girlhood that feels both absurd and strangely familiar.

I’m unsure if there is a moral to the story, or even a tidy resolution. Perhaps the point of WAAPA’s Dance Nation is simply to spotlight female adolescence in all its glory.

If nothing else, it prompts audience members (myself and my guest included) to revisit and share our own experiences of puberty, high school, friendships and the big dreams that have shaped us. And maybe to reconsider what matters most: our relationships, our drive to succeed, or how we balance both.  

Dance Nation is presented by WAAPA’s 3rd Year Acting students and runs to 31 March at the Subiaco Arts Centre. 180 Hamersley Road Subiaco WA 6008.

Tickets: https://boxoffice.waapa.ecu.edu.au/Events

Website: https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/venues/subiaco-arts-centre/whats-on/dance-nation/

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/waapa.ecu/

Photo credits: Stephen Heath Photography