First, MI, Last

"First, MI, Last" is an immersive dance theatre production that will be presented at Arts Mission Oak Cliff on November 11th & 12th, 2022. The performances will explore the relationship between abstract concepts of identity and their tangible effects, focusing especially on the identities and experiences of Oak Cliff residents. Several months ago, I began pursuing a legal name change to align my legal identity with the identity I developed as a non-binary, trans-masculine person. Over time, I have socially transitioned with my new name and pronouns among friends. However, the beliefs of my family and policies of public institutions still limit the extent to which I claim certain parts of my identity. My frustration with the lack of control over my name led me to investigate my relationship with identity. While my trans identity is a source of pride, it is also regularly a point of pain, and I know others experience similarly complex emotions about other parts of their identity, such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. To capture these nuanced experiences, the project will consist of a series of biweekly workshops open to the public and a dance theatre production performed by a cast of dancers who identify as LGBTQIA+ and/or people of color. Historically, Oak Cliff is a neighborhood whose residents are working-class people of color. As the area has become a larger hub for the arts, many long-term residents have lost access to local arts or been pushed out of the area due to the higher cost of living. The donation-based workshops will create space for Oak Cliff residents to share their stories and explore their identities through dance and discussions without the financial barrier often present with arts events. Workshop participants will also receive a 50% discount code for tickets to the final performances, further diminishing any financial barriers. With permission, I will record parts of each workshop to document residents’ responses to each prompt. The cast will receive similar prompts and combine their individual experiences with the residents’ contributions to collaboratively create movement which encapsulates the themes among all the responses. Clips of the workshops will also be projected onto large screens during performances, immersing viewers in the perspectives of Oak Cliff residents. Altogether, “First, MI, Last” will empower the community of Oak Cliff and honestly represent their stories to a broad DFW audience.