(From left) Taysha Marie Canales,, Brett Ashley Robinson, Justin Jain, Kimberly S. Fairbanks, Campbell O’Hare, Julianna Zinkel, Suli Holum and Kimblery Chatterjee star in the Wilma Theater’s production of “Dance Nation,” on stage until Nov. 10. (Photo by Johanna Austin)[/caption]

by Len Lear

Since Taysha Marie Canales received her B.F.A. in Acting in 2011 from Arcadia University in Glenside, she has been a rising star in theaters throughout the Philadelphia region. She has been seen in leading roles at the Arden Theater, Wilma Theater (as a member of the Wilma’s resident acting company, the Hothouse), People’s Light and Theatre Company, Azuka Theater and Flashpoint Theatre Company. (And a fellowship she received enabled her to travel to Romania in November, 2016, with a group of other performers as cultural ambassadors.)

“The theater program at Arcadia gave me all the tools I needed to work in a professional environment,” Canales said. “We were constantly working with professional artists from the Philadelphia theater community who had years of experience creating theater across the country and around the world. Being the youngest artist in a room with so many seasoned professionals after just graduating was not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Arcadia prepared me for that.

“The best piece of advice I received was to stay in Philadelphia. I figured that I would go back home to the Bronx after graduating, but my professors advised that Philly was a great community for young artists to grow. Over the past six years, Philadelphia has proven that to me. There is so much inspiring art in this city, and it’s truly a blessing to be a part of it.”

Regarding Canales’s experience as a cultural ambassador in Romania, she told us, “I was in Romania during a week-long International Theatre festival in Cluj-Napoca. It was the first time I had ever solo traveled and my first time in a country where I didn't know the language! It was a beautiful experience. The festival featured shows from companies from Croatia, Belgium, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and local companies.

“Most of the shows were in English, to my surprise. There was also a Hungarian show that had live translations in English and Romanian! Being around other artists and being inspired by their work and the risks they take is the fuel that keeps us all committed to the craft. I'm very thankful for the generosity of all those artists and think fondly of my time there. I'm also a big foodie, so I indulged in some amazing goulash and the best fresh baked pretzels I've ever had.”

Canales, who is in her late 20s, was born and raised in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx.

Taysha Marie Canales is seen here with Sean Close in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Arden Theater in March 2017. (Photo by Mark Garvin)[/caption]

“When considering schools my senior year,” she told us last week, “Arcadia invited me to participate in a Fine Arts Challenge for scholarship money. After a brief talk with the Theatre Programs Director Mark Wade, who was also an actor born and raised in New York, I felt that Arcadia's theatre program was right for me.”

And now Canales and a group of other talented young performers are showing how it’s done in “Dance Nation,” a raucous comedy that opened Oct. 22 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. in center city, and will continue through Nov. 10. A 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist, “Dance Nation” follows a troupe of preteen girls played by women of all ages (and one boy) in a competitive dance team on the road to Nationals as they vie for the trophy, discover their bodies and their desires. Every plié and jeté hurdles them towards self-discovery.

Playwright Clare Barron was inspired by the Lifetime reality TV show “Dance Moms,” using it as a jumping-off point for a more complex examination of girlhood. “I wrote this play because I wanted to explore ambition and how that intersects with gender.”

When it played Off-Broadway in 2018, the New York Times hailed “Dance Nation” as a “glorious new work” that “conjures the passionate ambivalence of early adolescence with such sharpness and poignancy that you’re not sure whether to cringe, cry or roar with happiness.”

“Dance Nation” received the 2016-17 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, which recognizes women who have written outstanding works for the English-speaking theater. After every performance, playgoers can have an informal discussion about the production with Wilma artists and staff, held in the Good Karma Café.

HotHouse member Jaylene Clark Owens will host Open Mics based on the themes of Wilma shows in the current season. Participants are encouraged to showcase poetry, artwork or songs inspired by the play. The “Dance Nation” Open Mic will be held on Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at Wilma’s Box Office online or by calling 215-546-7824. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com