Title: Jelinda Metulus

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Ritual – American
• Jelinda Metulus
• Student, Haitian
• English
• Boston, Massachusetts
• May 20, 2019

 

Text:

In this pre-performance ritual, every member of the theatre group, including both the cast and crew, gather in a circle and holds hands. Each individual crosses one hand over the other so that every individual in the circle makes an “X” with their arms when holding hands. Then, everyone “passes the squeeze.” This consists of a person squeezing the hand of someone they are holding hands with, and this squeeze is passed from one hand to the next in the circle until it returns to the individual who started the squeeze.

 

Context:

 

Jelinda was a member of the musical “Into the Woods” in the winter term of 2019. She states that they performed this ritual after putting on their costumes and before getting their hair and makeup done in a performance. This is approximately thirty minutes to an hour before a performance. The ritual is performed on the stage where the theatrical performance will later occur. She mentions that she has performed this ritual previously in high school, mentioning that a lot of theatre places “pass the squeeze.”

 

Additionally, seniors in the cast usually start the “passing of the squeeze,” probably because they usually have more experience or a higher leadership position than underclassmen.

 

Important to note is that the cast are not the only ones who engage in this pre-performance ritual. Jelinda notes that the crew also are included in this ritual. This is because in theatre, the crew plays a major role in the production, regulating the lighting and sound, helping in costume changes, and giving stage directions.

 

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant):

 

The “passing of the squeeze” aspect of the performance is very confusing to her, but she thinks that it promotes the circulation of energy amongst the group. It allows everyone to recognize that they are all in one space together, reminding everyone to be in the same mindset before a show.

 

Jelinda especially likes that both the cast members and the crew are incorporated into “the squeeze.” She says that incorporating everyone into the ritual recognizes that while everyone plays their own individual part, each person’s part in the show is important to the success of the show. “We are all there to accomplish one goal,” she states.

 

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

 

Opposed to other forms of pre-performance rituals in the arts, this ritual always incorporates touching amongst members of the groups in the form of hand holding (shown in the “passing of the squeeze”). This hand holding and squeezing of the hands seems to be a form of contagious magic (relies on the contact between two things) as the person who is squeezing tries to send their calmness and confidence to the person whose hand they are squeezing. This is definitely important right before going on stage because in order to perform their role well, an individual needs to stay confident and positive opposed to anxious or nervous. Additionally, the “passing of the squeeze,” similar to other rituals in the arts that I have observed, seems to promote unity amongst the members in the group in order to recognize the need to accomplish one common goal together. Additionally, the circular formation of the group parallels that of other forms of performance, which I believe further promotes this idea of unity.

Note:  This study initially intended to also analyze pre-performance rituals among dance groups at Dartmouth. Three of the informants interviewed, namely Jelinda, Esther, and Ijeoma, were members of dance groups on Dartmouth’s campus. Esther and Ijeoma are members of the same dance group while Jelinda is a member of a different dance group. All three, when asked about pre-performance rituals in their dance groups, stated that they did not have pre-performance rituals. Esther stated that she thought her dance group needs a cheer because it would “get people hype,” but she did not know why they did not have one. Ijeoma states that her group may not have a pre-performance ritual because of the newness of the group, suggesting that a pre-performance ritual exists more in older groups that embrace a tradition of this ritual. Ijeoma additionally mentions the need for a pre-performance ritual to boost confidence as the stage gets bigger and the stakes get higher. Both Esther and Ijeoma, by addressing the lack of pre-performance rituals in their dance group, suggest that pre-performance rituals are important to promote confidence and energy amongst group members. Additionally, both informants recognize that they cannot simply create pre-performance rituals themselves as both as both express a need for the pre-performance ritual but do not suggest they can create one themselves, reflecting the fact that these rituals are folklore. One more informant, Jean Wang, a junior at Dartmouth College, is a member of the DADT dance group and also notes that her group does not have a pre-performance ritual. When asked why she thinks her dance group doesn’t have a pre-performance ritual, she states, “We never had a need for it.” This further suggests that there is something about dance in particular as an artistic performance that causes one to feel they do not need a pre-performance ritual. Perhaps, as Ijeoma suggests, this is because dance groups (or at least her dance group) perform in “low stakes” situations and often perform in front of a smaller audience, and so they don’t need the confidence boost of a pre-performance ritual.

Collector’s Name: Tori Dozier

Tags/Keywords:

• Arts
• Theatre
• Performance
• Pre-performance rituals
• Contact