In 2023, Larissa FastHorse became the first Native woman to have a play produced on Broadway with
The Thanksgiving Play. But before that, she was a professional ballerina. The story of how this half Native, half White woman from a small town in South Dakota went on this unlikely trajectory is a fascinating one, which she tells herself in her solo play
Fancy Dancer, receiving its second production right here at History Theatre in St. Paul (it was originally commissioned by Children's Theatre Company, and after several rounds of workshopping premiered in Seattle last year).
Fancy Dancer feels like one of those great Fringe solo storytelling shows in which an artist tells you their life story in a way that is engaging, relatable, moving, and entertaining. Larissa is an incredible storyteller, whether through dancing, or writing, or performing in this show. While this play is unusual for the History Theater in that it wasn't commissioned and developed here, it absolutely fits the model of telling true stories from history (albeit fairly recent history), primarily in the Midwest. Minnesota has its own tragic history with the Lakota people, and this play is not about that, but it is about the Lakota community and one Lakota woman who overcame hardships to follow her dream of being a professional ballet dancer, which is no easy dream for anyone to accomplish. It's a story that'll make you laugh and cry and feel all the feelings in between!
See it at History Theatre in downtown St. Paul now through October 4.
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| Larissa FastHorse (photo by Rick Spaulding) |
Dressed in simple black athleisure wear, Larissa (or Lara as she was called in her youth) tell us her story more or less chronologically. Abandoned first by her White mother and then by her Lakota father, she's raised by her adoptive White parents, who put her in ballet lessons to correct a condition called tibial torsion that she was born with, causing her toes to turn inward. They promised her that if she worked hard, she could get out of the ugly orthopedic shoes! This little tomboy (that's what we called sporty girls back in the 1900s) still wasn't convince that ballet was for her, until she read about the prima ballerina
Maria Tallchief, who was also half Native and half White (an example of the power of representation). Inspired by Maria, she progresses quickly through her classes and finds comfort and solace on the stage, despite some pretty severe bullying (why are teenage girls so mean?). She dances with heart and emotion, even if her toes still won't turn out quite as much as proper ballet technique requires. Lara encounters horrible teachers and wonderful teachers on her path to her dream; sometimes it just takes one person to believe in you, and convince you to believe in yourself. But this play isn't just about dancing, it's also about identity, as Lara eventually reconnects with her Lakota community, heritage, and family.
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| Lara dances with Maria Tallchief (photo by Rick Spaulding) |
What elevates this play from a Fringe show is the gorgeous design that really makes the storytelling come alive. The set is a simple ballet studio, with a door and ballet barre on one side, windows on another. Throughout the show, videos and images are projected onto these walls in a subtle way, like watercolors, that show us the landscape, or the buildings, or most affecting, Lara's dance partner and mentor as she dances "with" him. A recurring theme in this well-constructed show is storms, which seem to accompany all the major moments in Lara's life, and we hear, see, and feel those storms through the design. (Scenic design by Junghyun Georgia Lee, lighting design by Geoff Korf, sound design by Robertson Witmer, projection design by Caite Hevner and Ann Slote.)
Directed by Chay Yew, this solo storytelling show feels dynamic and epic, with Lara using all parts of the stage, and really taking us on her journey with her. As she talks about dancing, she just casually does a few dance moves to illustrate it, and when she talks about her performances, she performs the moves like the ballet dancer she is. When she learns the traditional Lakota "fancy dance" as a teenager, we feel her joy and freedom as she performs it. It's hard to believe that she retired from her ballet career 25 years ago. In a Q&A she talks about training for a year before last year's premiere, and the doctors and trainers that helped her, calling it her "sneaky perimenopause fitness plan" (as a runner over 50, I resonate with this!). This play really is a combination of the beautiful, funny, moving script, Lara's graceful dancing, and the technical elements to tie everything together. (Ballet choreography by Price Suddarth, fancy dance choreography by Maxine Alex.)
Fancy Dancer is one person's history, expertly told by the person who lived (and danced) it, enhanced by technical elements, resulting in an incredibly moving and inspiring play.
