Title: Elizabeth Nguyen

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Ritual – American
• Elizabeth Nguyen
• Student, Vietnamese
• English
• Portland, Oregon
• May 14, 2019

Text:

This pre-performance ritual is a whispering cheer performed by all members of the Dartmouth Rockapellas acapella group before a singing show. During the ritual, all of the members of the group stand in a circle and put their hands in the middle of the huddle. Everyone at once in the group looks around and says, “Three, two, one…Spicy and delicious!” Simultaneously, everyone brings their hands up from the middle of the circle.

Context:

The Dartmouth Rockapellas are a gender inclusive social justice acapella group that was created in 1989. Elizabeth has performed this pre-performance ritual with other Dartmouth students in the Dartmouth Rockapellas since her freshman year. She has been performing this ritual since, and therefore has performed it from 2016-2019, yet she mentions the ritual has been performed for decades and she does not know when it originated. The ritual is performed two to ten minutes before a performance backstage wherever the performance may be. She mentions that regardless of how big or small of an audience, the ritual is performed.

Elizabeth explains that she thinks the ritual is related to the Hop fries being “spicy and delicious.” However, she notes that the fries aren’t very spicy currently, making her think that they must have been spicier in previous generations.

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant):

Elizabeth sees the “spicy and delicious” aspect of the cheer as showing that the group was excited about something they all loved to share together, Hop fries. For Elizabeth, the incorporation of fries into the cheer makes sense because it is “fun, cute, and easy.” She also notes that whispering is important in the cheer although she does not know why.

Elizabeth compares the ritual to a “big sports huddle,” and she mentioned to me that the ritual is important to unite the group as a whole. She thinks that it not only unites the current group of Rockapellas, but generations of “Rocks” before her. She says it makes her feel like part of a unit, and as though she is connected in a bigger thing that the group is performing for.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

I think that this chant carries significance for the group because it not only relaxes the group and makes them feel prepared to go on stage, but it also creates unity among the members of the group. The mentioning of “spicy and delicious” in relation to Hop french fries is completely unrelated to the act of performing, and I think this is intentional so as to draw the performer’s mind away from the stress of performing. By thinking about Hop fries, I would think members of the group would feel more relaxed and lighthearted going on stage. It makes sense that for arts performances, one needs to be calm before going on stage opposed to being pumped-up with adrenaline. Also, I think the huddle-like aspect of the cheer, as well as the fact that everyone says the cheer together, helps to promote unity, reminding each member that they are not alone on the stage.

In this cheer, the aspect of getting in a circle or huddle is a form of homeopathic magic as circles represent unity and completeness. It is this unity that the group is trying to project and maintain on the stage for a successful performance. Additionally, the touching of hands in the middle of the circle is a form of contagious magic because by contacting each other, the group recognizes a connection that they maintain on stage. Also, this contagious magic allows confidence to be spread from one individual in the huddle to the next by passing along this confidence through contact.

Collector’s Name: Tori Dozier

Tags/Keywords:

• Acappella
• Arts
• Performance
• Pre-performance Rituals