Review: FANCY DANCER at The Seattle Rep & Seattle Children's Theatre

Dear Readers, what did you want to be when you grew up?  Firefighter? Doctor? Lawyer? Bathroom attendant?  Dragon?  All worthy goals.  But how many of us made it there?  Currently at the Seattle Rep, in conjunction with Seattle Children’s Theatre, there’s a world premiere play from critically acclaimed playwright Larissa FastHorse, “Fancy Dancer”, that touches on her own struggle with that question.  And while sometimes these shows can end up being someone else’s therapy on stage, something I loathe, here she takes us through such a thrilling journey that I didn’t so much mind the exorcising of some demons.

As the title might suggest, here we look at FastHorse’s own dream of becoming a dancer.  Specifically, a professional ballet dancer, just like her hero Maria Tallchief, the first American prima ballerina and the first Native American to hold that title.  But FastHorse had a few obstacles to overcome.  She was a half Lakota, half white woman, abandoned by per parents, raised in a small, rural town, and to top it all off, born with a physical malady that could have prevented her from the technique required for professional ballet.   But through it all we see how she perseveres and eventually … well I don’t want to give away the ending.  But the journey certainly swelled up my cold dead heart.  Maybe because of her riveting writing and maybe because I could recall my own days as a kid in tap dance classes.

Now, bringing her amazing story to life on the page might be enough for some, but here, in the majority of performances, FastHorse brings this one woman show to life herself, making the evening even more intimate and earnest.  Not to say the other woman tackling the role, Burgandi Trejo Phoenix, isn’t just as amazing.  I’m sure she is.  But in the performance I saw, we heard directly from the author about her own life.  Again, could be even more like therapy, but again, she reveals this history with such talent and heart that we couldn’t help but go along for the ride. 

And beyond just acting chops, throughout the show FastHorse displays her dancing ability to our delight.  Not just ballet, in some wonderful choreography from Price Suddarth, but also with some Native American fancy dances, choreographed by Maxine Alex, and with a wonderful blend of the two by the end of the piece. 

With some wonderful staging from director Chay Yew, and lighting from Geoff Korf and sound from Robertson Witmer, as well as some incredible projections from Caite Hevner and Ann Slote, the play is a feast for the eyes as well as the soul.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give the world premiere of “Fancy Dancer” from the Seattle Rep and Seattle Children’s Theatre an “if only I could still dance like that” YAY.  So, if you can, find your old dream and dust it off.  It may not be too late.