Dance Moms

by Ying Ying Li

It’s heady times for the Slotted Spoons, a dance troupe of four middle-aged moms. The mayor’s retirement celebration will be the biggest show of their lives, but the moms need a new choreographer, and they need one fast. Fortune upon fortunes, their fearless leader, Jenny Hu, has secured the services of an exquisitely, hauntingly, unconventional young woman named India (no relation to the country) who soon has...

It’s heady times for the Slotted Spoons, a dance troupe of four middle-aged moms. The mayor’s retirement celebration will be the biggest show of their lives, but the moms need a new choreographer, and they need one fast. Fortune upon fortunes, their fearless leader, Jenny Hu, has secured the services of an exquisitely, hauntingly, unconventional young woman named India (no relation to the country) who soon has the Spoons whipped up into some kind of a… a… well, it’s not a dance, exactly? There’s a lot of soul-baring. Maybe too much. And a huge bag of what they’re told is just sweet, sweet, candy.

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Dance Moms

Recommended by

  • Jan Rosenberg: Dance Moms by Ying Ying Li
    “

    Loved this play about a bunch of Moms putting their all into dance while covering up the darkness inside all of them. Made me laugh, surprised me, educated me. I was really moved by all of these women. It's mystical and hilarious.

    Loved this play about a bunch of Moms putting their all into dance while covering up the darkness inside all of them. Made me laugh, surprised me, educated me. I was really moved by all of these women. It's mystical and hilarious.

    ”
  • Premiere Stages at Kean University: Dance Moms by Ying Ying Li
    “

    Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “Dance Moms” by Ying Ying Li as a semifinalist for the 2020 Premiere Play Festival. “Dance Moms” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 26 semifinalists out of 939 submissions. The panel finds Ying Ying’s writing to be laugh-out-loud funny until it's devastating, and is particularly impressed by the inherent theatricality of the dance scenes. Our congratulations and thanks to Ying Ying.

    Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “Dance Moms” by Ying Ying Li as a semifinalist for the 2020 Premiere Play Festival. “Dance Moms” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 26 semifinalists out of 939 submissions. The panel finds Ying Ying’s writing to be laugh-out-loud funny until it's devastating, and is particularly impressed by the inherent theatricality of the dance scenes. Our congratulations and thanks to Ying Ying.

    ”
  • Milan Levy: Dance Moms by Ying Ying Li
    “

    Dance Moms is hilarious, eye-opening and heartfelt. Ying Ying Li does a great job of showcasing what is hidden underneath what is interpreted from the surface. Through humor and sarcasm, the audience does not notice the deeper meaning until it is directly reveal which makes the piece filled with exciting turns and unpredictability. Li also is able to touch on topics of cultural appropriation, mental health and death. Definitely a fun and beautiful piece!

    Dance Moms is hilarious, eye-opening and heartfelt. Ying Ying Li does a great job of showcasing what is hidden underneath what is interpreted from the surface. Through humor and sarcasm, the audience does not notice the deeper meaning until it is directly reveal which makes the piece filled with exciting turns and unpredictability. Li also is able to touch on topics of cultural appropriation, mental health and death. Definitely a fun and beautiful piece!

    ”

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