"First, MI, Last" is an immersive dance theatre production that explores our complex relationships with identity. This project will be directed by Rai Barnard and hosted through the Arts Mission Oak Cliff Artist-in-Residence program in Dallas, TX.

Rai Barnard is a non-binary, queer movement artist. Their dance-theatre and performance art pieces explore questions about identity, connection, and social and cultural phenomena. Through collaborative and improvisational processes, they strive to amplify marginalized voices and create interactive, multimedia experiences that are both provocative and playful. Rai graduated from UT Dallas in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. They have over 15 years of training in a variety of dance styles, including ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, and house. They have performed throughout DFW in productions by Prism Movement Theater, Stage West, Vena Cava Productions,  and Very Good Dance Theatre. Rai has also choreographed multiple shows in Dallas, including performances for Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase 2020, Dallas Ambient Music Night 2021, Oak Cliff Film Festival 2022, Agora Artists, and UT Dallas School of Arts & Humanities.

Several months ago, Rai 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, they have socially transitioned with a new name and pronouns among friends. However, the beliefs of their family and the policies of public institutions still limit the extent to which Rai can claim certain parts of their identity. Rai's frustration with the lack of control over their name led them to investigate their relationship with identity deeper. While their trans identity is a source of pride, it is also a regular point of pain. They know others experience similarly complex emotions about other parts of their identity, such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. 

To continue this investigation of identity, the project will consist of a series of weekly workshops open to the public and a dance theatre production performed by dancers who identify as LGBTQIA+ and/or people of color. The series of 4 free workshops will run mid-September through mid-October. Through guided dance improvisation and group discussions, we will explore how age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and other cultural identifiers influence our self-perception and self-agency. Workshop participants will also contribute nametags to a large mural that will be used within the show. The cast will incorporate the sentiments and movements generated during these workshops to collaboratively create the show's choreography over an 8-week period. Recordings of the workshops, the nametag mural, and the cast's choreography will come together for two public performances at Arts Mission Oak Cliff on November 11th and 12th, 2022.

Throuhg this project, Oak Cliff residents will get to both explore their identities in a welcoming workshop environment and see their stories represented on stage. By devoting time and resources to sharing residents’ perspectives in an artistic production, their stories and existence are validated as valuable, impactful parts of their community. “First, MI, Last” will empower residents to continue sharing their experiences and building a strong community through the arts. 

To help bring this project to life, we need your support! Donate to our Fractured Atlas campaign to help us pay our hard-working creative team and create a sustainable arts ecosystem in DFW. If you live near Dallas, join us for a workshop or performance (tickets available through artsmissionoc.org)! Share this campaign page with friends and family to spread the word! #FirstMILast #AMOCAiR

For more information about the show and Rai Barnard's work, visit https://www.raibarnardmovement.com/