Title: Emma White

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Folklore—American
• Emma White
• Student, American
• English
• Annapolis, MD
• May 24, 2019

Text:

Before leaving the dock for a race, the informant shares a saying with her teammates. The chant is three letters, TMB, but the meaning is secret to anyone not on the team. Teammates shout this expression to each other enthusiastically to the members of the team heading out in the boats, and the teammates in the boats shout it back to the team members on the dock.

Context:

Emma described numerous different contexts in which this expression is said. The team uses it to pump each other up as they send each other away from the docks, in the minutes before a race, to conclude team meetings, and after working out in the gym. This folklore is essentially said at any moment in which the team is gathering and is about to separate from one another. The context in which a team member learns the expression is important. It is usually during their freshman year on the team. One letter is revealed each time the freshman wins a race. However, Emma noted that once one freshman learns the saying, they usually share it with others. Although, sometimes freshman try to remain loyal to the upperclassman and to the tradition by not sharing the meaning, even in the face of pressure from their fellow classmates.  

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant):

Emma described this tradition as one of the most important pieces of folklore on the team. She said it is very special because no one knows from who or when it originated, but the tradition has been preserved throughout the history of the team. She said that the meaning of the saying, which she asked not to disclose, is not actually that important, but it unifies the members of the team once they know it.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

I think the most important thing about this tradition, after listening to the informant, is its preservation through orally passing it down. I think the way in which the freshmen come to learn the expression is important because it represents team unity once they do. It is an expression that only the members of the team are allowed to be a part of, and in this way, it is an unofficial form of culture specifically to the folk of the sailing team. I also think when the expression is said at different team meetings is a clue to how it demonstrates unity on the team. I noticed that the members say this when they are breaking apart, whether it be after a team meeting or before a select few members of the team go out for a race. In this way, the saying is a constant reminder of ones place within the team, and not only the team at the present moment, but throughout the entire history of Dartmouth Sailing.

Collector’s Name: Audrey Giblin

Tags/Keywords:

• Sports
• Athletics
• Sailing
• Performance
• Chant
• Pre-performance folklore

Title: Carlota Hopkins Guerra

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Folklore—Spanish
• Carlota Hopkins Guerra
• Student, Spanish
• English
• Gran Canaria, Spain
• May 20, 2019

Text:

Before every race, the informant will fist bump with her skipper, the person that she is sailing in the boat with. Right after completing a number of other things specific to the sport, both the informant and her partner will stop, take a deep breath, and give each other a fist bump. In a given sailing competition, the informant could be sailing with numerous different people. However, this folklore is continuous regardless of who her partner is.

Context:

The sailing team is a varsity athletic team at Dartmouth College. Carlota has been a member of this team for approximately one year, joining when she was a freshman. This pre-performance folklore takes place on the water in the minutes leading up to the race. The conditions before a race are constantly changing, but this folklore is performed every time. This folkloric tradition was passed to Carlota from her coach in Spain. She recalls that he learned it from his old teammate, who learned it from his coach. She told me that it is a pretty common tradition to perform and that lots of people within the sailing community in Spain do this tradition.

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant):

Carlota interprets the cheer as a way to share positive energy with her partner right before a race starts. She says that sharing this moment with her partner makes her more calm and confident within herself. She likes knowing that she can rely on something consistent regardless of who she is sailing with. She says that if she is not calm and focused both her and her teammates performance is affected, so this tradition has become essential to her pre-performance routine.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

I think this tradition specifically can be considered folklore because of how it was passed to Carlota. She was taught by example from her coach who also learned by example and the authorship is irrelevant because the origins can’t be traced back to a specific person. Additionally, another member of the sailing team that I interviewed described this tradition to me, although for Emma, the timing of the tradition in the sequence of her pre-start routine was different. This folklore has multiple existence and variation both within the sailing team but across different cultures of sailing. I also believe this can be interpreted as an example of homeopathic magic. The way Carlota describe the purpose of being in contact with her partner to me seemed analogous to sharing energy and being on the same page before an important race.

Collector’s Name: Audrey Giblin

Tags/Keywords:

• Sports
• Athletics
• Sailing
• Performance
• Pre-performance rituals
• Contact
• Fist-bump

Title: Bailey Burke

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Folklore—American
• Bailey Burke
• Student, American
• English
• Westchester, NY
• May 16, 2019

Text:

The informant performs a “shakeout” with her acapella group prior to performance. The members of the group gather before their performance and stand together in a circle. They begin counting down from ten all together in unison. While doing this, they shake out each part of their body one by one, starting from their feet and legs and moving up to their arms.

Context:

Bailey is a member of the Dartmouth Subtleties, an all female acapella group at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. The group was founded in 1998. They describe themselves as a unique, tight-knit, and talented group of women dedicated to using acapella as a way to bond and share music with the world. The “shakeout” is performed ten minutes before every Subtleties performance. Bailey noted that the environment is usually chaotic right before a show, as everyone has been running around getting ready for the show. The shakeout occurs in the side room wherever the group happens to be performing. They perform this ritual ten minutes before every show, regardless of where it is being held. Bailey wasn’t aware of this tradition until her first show, when the seniors of the group demonstrated the shakeout. Since then, she has not gone a show without doing this.

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant):

The informant called this an extremely special within her group. It would be very weird if they did not perform this prior to going on stage. She noted that it does not help them perform vocally in anyway, so the main function of this folklore is to give everyone a “We got this!” mentality right before the show to relieve some stress. She also commented on how, once she learned the shakeout routine, she truly felt like a member of the Subtleties.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

This piece of folklore was passed orally/aurally between members of the group. Learning the tradition represents being fully encompassed as a member of the group and can be interpreted as an unofficial form of Subtleties culture because no one learns about the tradition until their first show. I think the actual action of the shakeout exemplifies homeopathic magic. The shaking of the limbs mimics the release of negative and chaotic energy that group members want to alleviate before the show begins.

Collector’s Name: Justin Fowler

Tags/Keywords:

• Acappella
• Performance
• Art
• Pre-performance rituals
• Shakeout

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

Title: Esther Okinuwe

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Ritual – American
• Esther Okinuwe
• Student, Nigerian
• English
• Massachussetts
• May 14, 2019

Text:

This pre-performance ritual is a chant in which the theatre group would first get in a circle. One person, usually a senior member of the group, would lead a chant by first stating a phrase of incoherent words that are not English. The words change during each chant, but they would be weird short phrases such as “Tiki Tiki Tamba.” The person leading the chant first states these words very quietly and the group repeats the phrase back. This back and forth chanting of the phrase gets louder and louder during each successive repetition of the phrase. The final time the chant is stated, it is yelled very loud by the leader and everyone repeats the phrase screaming. Often, the chant is accompanied by expressive movements such as large steps or the throwing up of one’s hands.

Context:

The theatre group that Esther was a part of was the cast of the play “Eclipse.” This performance took place during the spring of 2018, and Esther performed the ritual with this group for that time period; however, she notes that she has been a part of several different theatre groups and almost all of them have had this same pre-performance ritual. She explains that this is a ritual that most “theatre geeks” do.

Esther states that the chant is performed approximately thirty minutes before a performance and the cast members have to get in their places on stage. The cheer is usually only performed when there is a large crowd. According to Esther, there is no need for the chant if the crowd is small.

The specific words of the cheer do not matter according to Esther. They have to be incoherent and not English, but they can change from one performance of the cheer to the next. As long as the phrases get one’s mouth moving and promote expressiveness, any phrase works for the ritual to be effective. The tone of the cheer, however, is critical to the performance. The leader must have an excited tone and must increase the loudness of their voice during each successive chanting of the phrase. The other members of the group must mimic this excited tone and successive loudness in order for the chant to build in emotion.

Meaning and Interpretation:

According to Esther, the chant was designed in a way to mean nothing to the people performing it. If one is doing something before the performance, their mind will be clouded so it is important for the words to be incoherent because this allows each performer not to be thinking about anything. Instead, the chant is intended to get one’s blood flowing and one’s tongue and mouth moving. Esther says that she likes that the chant has no meaning because it is helpful to getting her prepared for the show. She found the chant a lot of fun, and it helped her get pumped for the show. By engaging in a fun chant, she was less worried about performing and more focused on simply having fun.

When asked to compare this chant to a pre-performance ritual she has experienced in Nigeria, Esther cannot think of one that applies to her personally. However, she notes that her dad is in an African drumming group, and this group usually has a pre-performance ritual directly before a show that reminds her of the one she performs in theatre. During this ritual, her dad’s drumming group has what is called a “drum out” in which every drummer simultaneously creates random beats on their drum. She notes that this is always followed by a prayer. Esther points out that there is a lot of leeway in pre-performance drumming rituals because drumming, particularly African drumming, is very “ebby and flowy” opposed to very rigid. Esther thinks that this flowiness aspect of the ritual was intended to get creative minds flowing so that even if the drummers had a set that they were going to do that was set in stone, they were still reminded that there is creative leeway in the performance of the set. The importance of this ritual, in her opinion, mirrors that of her ritual in theatre in that both rituals are intended to get one “in the zone.” All individuals in the group in both circumstances are supposed to use the ritual as a means of finding expression and creativity, characteristics that are critical for a successful theatrical or drumming performance.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

The pre-performance chant performed by Esther’s theatre group seems to place a major focus on being expressive whether this be through building in the loudness of one’s voice or through expressive body movements during the chant. I think the importance of this expression is to get one excited to perform opposed to making one nervous. Since theatre groups in particular rely heavily on individual performance among members in the group in order to have a successful performance overall, it is critical that the cheer make one less nervous and more pumped to perform. Additionally, I think the use of incoherent words is important because it contributes towards the excitement of the chant, further promoting excitement over nerves. A phrase such as “Tiki Tiki Tamba” opposed to “Let’s do this” (or something of the like) puts less pressure on the group members to perform and makes the chant more entertaining and creative. While Esther focused more on the cheer’s benefit for individuals before a performance, I also think that the cheer intends to promote unity amongst its group members. By having the group as a whole repeat back the phrase to the leader, the members of the group share a collective voice and perform their part in the chant together. This promotion of unity is important for the theatre performance to go successfully:  the actors must interact with each other on stage and they must work together. Therefore, the group chant before the performance helps to facilitate this teamwork.

Regarding Esther’s dad’s drumming group, I believe there are similarities to his pre-performance ritual and her theatre pre-performance ritual in the way they promote clarity of mind and get one’s body moving. The drumming pre-performance ritual promotes clarity of mind through the prayer while the theatre ritual does so through the meaninglessness of the incoherent words chanted. Similarly, the idea of expressiveness or moving one’s body is apparent in the drumming ritual through the random creation of beats while this occurs in Esther’s theatre ritual through large steps, throwing up one’s hands, and yelling. I think that this shows that despite the type of artistic performance, having a clear mind and the promotion of creativity and expression are critical in preparing one for a performance.

In Esther’s pre-performance ritual, there is homeopathic magic associated with gathering in a circle as a circle represents group unity. This unity amongst members of the group is important for the success of the theatre performance and should continue on the stage even when the circle is broken. Additionally, there is homeopathic associated with the saying of incoherent words. Just like the jumbled words represent nothingness, the actors’ minds are supposed to be thinking of nothing right before the show. In addition, contagious magic is shown in Esther’s dad’s drumming out before a performance. During the random creation of beats in the drumming ritual, the drum sticks move about loosely in the drummers’ hands. Through contact with the drummers’ hands, this same looseness is supposed to be reflected through the drummers in the performance.

Collector’s Name: Tori Dozier

Tags/Keywords:

• Pre-performance rituals
• Theatre
• Arts
• Chant

Title: Ijeoma Nwuke

General Information:

• Pre-Performance Ritual – American
• Ijeoma Nwuke
• Student, Nigerian
• English
• Nigeria
• 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. The cheer is called “Spicy and Delicious.” All members of the group gather together in a circle, put their hands in the center of the circle, look at each other, and all at the same time whisper, “1, 2, 3…Spicy and delicious,” and they raise their hands from the circle.

Context:

The Dartmouth Rockapellas are a gender inclusive social justice acapella group that was created in 1989. Ijeoma tells me that she has been performing this ritual since freshman year when she was taught the ritual by the rest of the group before her first performance. She tells me that she was told it has been a part of the history of the “Rocks” since anyone in the group can remember, and for this reason, they continue the tradition. She says the ritual can be performed on stage or anywhere that a singing show is being performed.

Ijeoma was told that the name of the cheer is “Spicy and Delicious” in reference to the Hop fries. She states that the mentioning of Hop fries is a critical part of the cheer because the cheer is intended to be weird. The whispering aspect of the cheer contributes to this weirdness. The cheer can never be spoken or shouted, only whispered.

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant):

Ijeoma sees the “spicy and delicious” aspect of the cheer as confusing because she does not think that Hop fries are spicy; however, she notes that they are delicious so the cheer makes some sense in her eyes. She likes that the cheer mentions Hop fries because it allows her to be “connected in weirdness” to the rest of the group. She mentions that she thinks mentioning something as random as Hop fries boosts morale, lightening the atmosphere so that everyone can be in the spirit of performing. She also thinks the ritual is very unique. “No one else has a ritual about fries,” she states, calling it very much a “Rocks thing.” This uniqueness of the cheer, in her opinion, not only shows the group’s love for food – as several rehearsals include snacks shared among the group – but it also “hypes everyone up” in order to allow them to get ready for the show.

In reference to the whispering aspect of the cheer, Ijeoma does not understand the need for whispering. Directly following her hypothetical performance of the cheer, she questions aloud, “I don’t know why we whisper…Why do we whisper?” and repeats the cheer again, this time yelling. She follows the second yelling cheer with a laugh, suggesting that yelling the cheer is clearly silly and isn’t the correct way to perform it.

Ijeoma is from Nigeria and compares this pre-performance ritual of a cheer to the performance rituals in reference to her housing competitions in her boarding school back home. She explains that just like Dartmouth College has houses for residency, her boarding school had residential houses as well that competed against one another in house events. She mentions that lots of the chants had a reference to the house spirit or hall spirit, like “We are the best in the house,” where the entire house would gather in a circle and repeat the phrase over and over loudly. She mentions that because the school was international, this cheer was very international as well, incorporating languages from different countries. After stating, “We are the best in the house,” international students would incorporate short phrases in a different language that would be repeated in the cheer related to boosting morale.

Ijeoma notes that her house cheers were very aggressive, existing for both incorporation among the members of the house but also competition against other houses. It is this competitive aspect that differentiates her house cheers from the cheer she has learned in the Rockapellas. She states that her house cheers were much more aggressive than her whispering cheer for the Rockapellas and she attributes this to the fact that in competition, the point was to “bash the other houses,” to make them feel lesser than her house. In contrast, the Rockapellas do not engage in competitive performance, at least not yet. She wonders whether the cheer performed by the Rockapellas will be more aggressive if the group intends to engage in acapella competitions in the future.

Ijeoma also gives an example of a cheer of solidarity performed by her “brother dorm,” the Titans, who had chants about her dorm, the Gaga dorm. During the cheer, the boys would get in a circle and say loudly, “We take Gaga. We put her here. We Pepeta.” During this cheer, the boys would point to the girls in the Gaga dorm, beckon the girls to dance with them, and do a few side step motions, swinging their hips in a short dance. The cheer was intended to promote teamwork between the brother and sister dorms in the house competitions. The cheer was intended to bring together the spirit of the house when battling for what she called an “arbitrary prize” during the house competitions. She mentions that the prize, which was usually something small like a mask, was not the point of the cheer. It was the idea of having pride in the house and promoting solidarity, the fact that everyone was “in this together.” This idea of being together was very important to her because she was able to see international students from different backgrounds unified because of the house cheer. The cheer was a means of affiliation and inclusion, but it also promoted diversity and individuality amongst a large group of people. She compares this incorporation aspect of the cheer to the pre-performance ritual of the Rockapellas, stating that the Rockapellas similarly promote incorporation and unity within the group during their cheer. As the Rockapellas are a social justice acapella group, promoting diversity and inclusion are an important aspect of the cheer so that everyone in the group knows that despite their differences, they are one unit during performance.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector):

In hearing about the Rockapellas chant from Ijeoma, the chant seems very important to promote group unity and a lot of this unity is found from embracing weirdness. The “spicy and delicious” aspect of the cheer is intended to be weird because the idea of the group is that everyone’s differences, all of the ways in which every individual is weird, is accepted and interwoven into the identity of the group as a whole. In this way, the chant fulfills the group’s mission, namely to promote social justice through music, reflected in the promotion of inclusion and diversity in the cheer. Also, an acapella performance relies on both the diversity of its members, reflected in the singing of many different parts of the song, and the inclusion of its members, reflected in the incorporation of these many different parts of a song to produce the song as a whole. Each individual part, and therefore each individual, is critical to the successful performance of the song as a whole. The cheer, by promoting individual weirdness and unity through this weirdness, prepares the group for a successful performance. Ijeoma’s comparison of the chant to her house competition cheers shows that there is a stark difference between competitive and incorporative performance and the cheers they demand. While her house competition cheers promoted group unity through incorporation, they also demanded an aggressive tone against their competitor. Thus, they included lots of loud chanting and some dance movements to hype up the competitors. In contrast, the Rockapellas chant is solely incorporative and therefore has a much more lighthearted and encouraging tone. Thus, this chant includes whispering which helps the group stay calm in preparing for the performance.

Because this cheer is the same described by Elizabeth, the aspects of sympathetic magic incorporated into the cheer remain the same. 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.

Media: IMG_4204

Collector’s Name: Tori Dozier

Tags/Keywords:

• Acappella
• Chant
• Performance
• Arts
• Pre-performance rituals

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

Title: Lila McKenna

General Information about Item:

• Pre-Performance Ritual – American
• Lila McKenna
• Student, Decibelles Acapella Group
• English
• Cleveland, Ohio
• May 24, 2019

Text:

This pre-performance ritual is a “Shake Out” performed by all members of the Decibelles before a performance. During the ritual, all of the members shake out their body parts. While the members are shaking their body parts, the president is telling them how prepared they are and how well they are going to do during the performance.

Context: The Dartmouth Decibelles Acapella group was formed in 1974, making it the oldest female acapella group on campus. Lila McKenna has been a part of the Decibelles since 2016. She explains that she has participated in “Shake Out” since her freshman year, though her role within the group has shifted. When she began, she derived confidence from the ritual, but now she feels like she uses the ritual to instill confidence in those around her.

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant): This ritual ensures that the group performs as a unified whole. Lila talked about how they all lead crazy lives, and if they just showed up and started performing, it wouldn’t go well. This pre-performance ritual ensures that they are relaxed, calm, and united, allowing them to optimize their performance.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector): This ritual represents a transition state in van Gessep’s Rite of Passage. They are leaving the mindset of their crazy, stressful lives and entering a calmer state that can focus not on external stressors but their music. In this state of focus and relaxation, Lila explains how their performance is optimized. Thus, this ritual helps them transition into the performance mindset and incorporate into their role in the group as a singer. The fact that this ritual takes place directly before the performance is important because this is the exact timing when the transition must take place so that they are fully incorporated into their role by the time the show starts.

As for the ritual itself, I believe the fact that the singers are loosening up their bodies in the hopes of having a more laid back, loose mindset before the performance begins reflects Frazer’s Law of Similarity. The players are loosening their bodies up hoping that this looseness will be mirrored in their mindset, which will allow them to have an optimal performance where they are calm and confident.

Collector’s Name: Maddy Schoenberger 

Tags/Keywords:

• Arts
• Acappella
• Pre-Performance Rituals

Title: Lindsey Frumer

General Information about Item:

• Pre-Performance Ritual – American
• Lindsey Frumer
• Student, Varsity Lacrosse Team
• English
• Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
• May 23, 2019

Text:

This pre-performance folklore is a clapping circle. The team forms in a circle, and the role of leading the rate of clapping is passed down throughout the generations of lacrosse players. The leader leads the increase of the rate of clapping and the team follows along. Ultimately, the rate increases to a very quick rate, and then everyone joins in the middle to cheer, again led by the same leader. Then, they cheer and come into the circle, say “Go Green,” and head out onto the field.

Context:

The Dartmouth Lacrosse Team is a varsity sports team. Lindsey is a senior on the team and has been participating in this pre-performance folklore since her freshman year (2015-2019), and she was bequested the leadership role of both traditions her sophomore year (2017). Lindsey notes that she does not know the origin of this tradition, just that it has been the pre-performance routine of the lacrosse team for all of the previous players she knows. She does not know when or from whom this routine originated. She mentions that this routine is performed before every game of any magnitude and before sprint tests.

Meaning and Interpretation (Informant): Lindsey sees herself as the sacrificial lamb, who gives her energy to her teammates in order to hype people out. She notes that she breaks out into a full sweat while leading the clapping circle and dance party. She believes that the folklore is intended to calm the nerves and build the confidence of the team as a whole before a performance. She notes that they play better when they are having fun and enjoying themselves, so having this fun pre-match folklore sets the tone and encourages them to carry over the fun during the game.

Meaning and Interpretation (Collector): This ritual represents a transition state in van Gessep’s Rite of Passage. They are leaving the mindset of non-athlete or student and entering the mindset of an athlete. In this athletic state, Lindsey describes how they aim to have fun, for their optimal performance takes place when they are having fun. Thus, this ritual helps them transition and ultimately incorporate into this fun yet intense state they embody for game time. The fact that this ritual takes place directly before the warm up is important because this is the exact timing when the players should separate from other areas of focus, transition and incorporate into a game mindset.

As for the ritual itself, I believe the fact that the energy rises in both rituals reflects Frazer’s Law of Similarity. The players are having fun and increasing intensity during the ritual, and they are hoping that this will result in them having fun and playing with high intensity during the game, even though clapping is not a direct part of the game of lacrosse.

Collector’s Name: Maddy Schoenberger

Tags/Keywords:

• Sports
• Athletics
• Lacrosse
• Pre-performance Ritual