The play tells the story of a young Chicano from Chicago, lured to the East Coast by an Ivy League scholarship. As he tries to make a life there, he neglects family relationships and deep cultural roots established throughout generations. It takes his mother’s nearly fatal heart attack, help from a Jewish therapist, and the visitation of the spirits of his long dead relatives (and of his historical idol, Pancho Villa) to help him realize what he’s lost, and how to get it back.
Written by John and Gabriel Fraire, Who Will Dance with Pancho Villa? is a work originally written in 2008. As part of the Raven Players’ new works program, ScripTease, the playwrights updated the story with the introduction of the Ballet Folklórico Legado de Mi Alegría de Cloverdale Ca. The dancing spirits, who are intertwined throughout the play, help remind “Chicano” of the joy in dancing, especially when dancing is much more than dancing.