Part 2 

We dive into the role of dance and its spiritual and holistic implications within their individual and collective lives. 

Rodney Simpson, Jr. and Jessica Newman

Rodney Simpson, Jr.: In terms of mindfulness, I’m trying to become more aware of the micro things in my life and my well being. What habits or rituals do I have in my day that contribute to my need and desire, not just to rest my body, but also to rest my mind? I’ve been more aware, around like, “okay, well, what is this doing for my body and my mind,” and trying to find ways or implement practices. Whether that be not going anywhere for a day, or taking a vacation and being somewhere by myself for you know, a week. [It’s about] being open and honest with myself around what I need. In terms of finding rest within practice right now, I can just tell you that the work of movement, and the work of dance has felt like a lot of work. And so, I think getting back to where I was when I’m in movement, when time stops and everything stands still,that is the practice where I want to get back to, because that is where I feel the most safe, the most rested. 

Jessica Newman: I’ve been thinking deeply about Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky.” Especially when she talks about going through all these kinds of coping mechanisms, you find yourself coming back home to yourself. It’s like we’re dancing before we get on the stage. It takes the mind, it takes the body, it takes us, so it also takes devotion. I’ve seen dancers dance who aren’t connected to their body. On the other end of the spectrum, when they are connected to it, they intuitively think oh, let me bring what I felt today through this dance piece. And that requires reflection of those micro moments, which is the work to get to the larger movement, or the dance piece. And I don’t think people like to see that. They don’t see that work. They just see how we move in response to it. 

This brings me back to my own experiences with dance, how there were times when I could feel the disconnect between my mind and body, and see this manifest in others as well. I thought about how mindfulness mended those moments for me and the other fellow dancers. We share a moment of reflection on the ironic impact of influencer culture in regards to the performance and optics of mindfulness, healing work, and emotional development. 

J: You can tell when people are forcing it. Yes, especially on social media, people are forcing their lives and how they present it. 

R: Like you’re recording and videotaping your rest. How is that resting? Do you meditate, and if so, how are you really meditating outside the gaze? Got a whole ring light in the middle. (Laughs) 

Our conversation leads to the role of Threewalls in the facilitation of their growth and artistic development during their respective time as program fellows, specifically in regards to the importance of text and community-based research. Rodney shares their recent discovery and deep appreciation for the work of Alexis DeVeaux, who intricately weaves together themes of queer identity, past, present, and future, in her writings. 

R: The text connects to something I’ve been diving into, just that exploration of like, I am not the first of my name. I am not the first of my lineage, to exist in a queer body, to exist in queer identity. Just the expansiveness of DeVeaux’ work really empowers me to honor my ancestors in that way. 

When somebody picks up my journal, right, and I’m getting chills thinking about that, but 50 years from now, 100 years from now, somebody in my lineage will pick up my journal and be like, oh my gosh. This is them doing a queer prayer or exploring pleasure for them and what that looks like. Like wow, this is a whole human being that existed before me and was doing the work. I am encouraged by the life that they were living — the possibility of that really blows my mind.

This expansiveness found within DeVeaux’ work empowered Rodney to honor and envision his own role as an ancestor in the future. During their time at Threewalls, Rodney and Jessica took this a step further in expressing a deep desire to leave behind a legacy of healing, knowledge cultivation, and exploration of pleasure, hoping that future generations in their lineage will find inspiration and empowerment because of this journey. 

In reflection of the importance of engaging in today’s healing work, it’s important to note that even when it’s challenging or doesn’t look glamorous, emphasizing that, is a form of love and care. Rodney adds that he finds comfort and motivation in the idea that their actions today will reverberate through time, impacting future generations within their lineage in profound ways.

J: Yeah, I love how you talked about the past, present and future, because that’s why I really love sci-fi and historical fiction. I think when I first picked up an Octavia Butler book, I was captivated, especially Kindred. I just didn’t know that it was possible for us to blur the lines in time and still have some sentiments of ourselves, our ancestors and be able to decide what a new future can look like. Kindred did all those things for me. So I’m really into all of science fiction, and especially the new writers. With African mythology coming in alongside science fiction you kind of see the sentiments of racism in America and African colonialism come together. Lineage pieces about ancestral-ship, and how our paths are guided by our ancestors, and how we also move forward in a future sense. That question of what kind of Ancestor would you be to your future generation? 

I think that’s why we chose to pull from the text Lovecraft Country, because of the way it speaks to all the glory of Blackness, the glory of queerness, ancestral religion and spirituality. We saw the series Lovecraft Country, and in this rendition, it created a whole new world on top of worlds. I just love that in its science fiction within the historical context there is also rendering and bringing some reconciliation for Black people in essence, like—Oh you angry? I’m gonna show you what anger looks like. You sad? I’m gonna show you how sadness appears. 

It just gives you so many emotions to deal with the monsters but also to explore what a new form of beauty could look like for yourself. Especially, you know growing up in the hood, growing up in Englewood, it’s not something that you have to be thinking about. You think about death, and then it’s gone, and you keep on moving. But you don’t think about it as this cycle and space in time that you traverse, your Ancestors traverse. So you are never really alone. And I think that site—historical science fiction—especially written by Black women, men, whomever, situate themselves in this intersection of the impossible. That’s why I think we chose Lovecraft Country, because it’s something that people thought was impossible. 

As we close out our discussion I reflect on the ways the expansiveness of Blackness is explored. Sitting with the words of Rodney and Jessica, and their creative offerings received while at Threewalls, it’s evident that they believe in the procession and advancement of what has been deemed “impossible” to attain. Whether it’s the basic needs of cultural workers and artists alike in the cultivation of artistic innovation, the conjuring of communal resources through care, or the ancestral touch of encouragement, possibility and imagination to pull us towards the future, there is nothing we can’t achieve when we collectively dream.

Related Links:

Alexis DeVeaux website and interview with Black Women Radicals

Kindred by Octavia Butler 

Lovecraft Country TV series

Video: “Cranes in the Sky” by Solange

Related Links

• Alexis DeVeaux website and interview with Black Women Radicals
• Kindred by Octavia Butler
• Lovecraft Country TV series
• Video: “Cranes in the Sky” by Solange