Cicada Dance is a musical play that explores the innocence of young love, the complexities of human sexuality, and the mating habits of insects. With the life cycle of the periodical cicada as a backdrop, the play follows the lives of Danni and Denny in episodes framed at 17-year intervals. After falling in love as adolescents in 1968, they are abruptly torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. We see them living separate lives in 1985, she as a dancer, he as an entomology professor. They are each searching for fulfillment as adults, but are hindered by unresolved issues from childhood. They reconnect in 2002, and try to pick up where they left off in 1968. As the cicadas emerge after 17 years underground, buried memories, emotions, and trauma also re-emerge. The anticipation of their reunion forces them to confront and share some difficult truths from the past. Cicada Dance speaks to the human experience of love, loss, and healing, and to the powerful ways in which reproductive mating instincts shape the lives of all living things.