by ROWENA RICHIE
F1RST THINGS FIRST FIRST THINGS FIRST was a world premier per- formance at the grand opening of a new contem- porary arts venue in Bentonville, Arkansas on February 22, 2020. The Momentary, a former cheese processing plant, is now a culture center of a different kind. We were there. We gathered with groups large and small. We touched others, literally and meta- phorically, and they touched us.
Northwest Arkansas and Benton County roller derby leaguers at the Meet the Momentary festival in Bentonville, Arkansas
FIRST THINGS FIRST: HOW ARE YOU? Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, how can we begin anything, even an essay in a dance publication, without asking this fundamental question? I hope you are Ok. If you’re anything like me, a mover and someone who thrives on physical connection with others, this period of sheltering in place can be excruciating. Even when we’re lucky enough, as I have been so far, to be physically and financially healthy. I have a story to tell about a recent performance that may lift your spirits. I know it con- tinues to lift mine. It’s a story about a performance called First Things First . It’s the last per- formance I co-created before the coronavirus crisis. And while this tale of travel, of touch, of togetherness can seem so far away as to be a fairy tale or mythic fable, it’s helping me imag- ine a hopeful real-world future.
performed by groups of twelve participants, ranging from parishoners at a Presbyterian coffee hour, to patrons at a gay bar. This led to the Momentary commissioning us to present a new performance work for their opening. In conceiving the project, Erika wanted to do something to help the community of North- west Arkansas (NWA) claim the Momentary. A ceremony through which they would define it as their space. A ritual, as Erika put it, “where you spit on the ground and make it your own.” Can you imagine even thinking about spitting in pub- lic spaces now? In the spirit of ribbon-cuttings, ground-breakings and opening day parades we devised First Things First , an episodic inaugura- tion ceremony for and with the Momentary and the NWA community.
We are Rowena Richie, Erika Chong Shuch and Ryan Tacata, a project of the Erika Chong Shuch Performance Project. We call ourselves For You. Our work brings strangers together for shared, intimate encounters. In 2017 we created two day-long adventures inspired by and presented exclusively for twelve audience-collaborators. In 2018 we designed a roving audio-guided folk dance that has been
THIS WAS OUR FIRST TIME working in another state; our first time making work for the general public to attend, and it ended up being the first
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In Dance | May 2014 | dancersgroup.org
u n i f y s t r e n g t h e n amp l i f y u n i f y s t r e n g t h e n a p l i f y
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