About this work
Created by transdisciplinary and dance artist Rosy Simas (Seneca Nation of Indians, Heron clan), A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) is a dance work, an installation, and a community engagement project. From Simas’ movement practice of deep listening to the earth, stars, ancestors, and each other comes a dynamic Native contemporary dance work that draws the audience into a space of relationality.
A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) weaves a mind of peace into every aspect of its creation—every stitch of the set, every movement, sound, and image is imbued with a “good mind” and a peacemaking state of being.
Simas’ abstract transdisciplinary universe rejects false dichotomies between the traditional and contemporary, the sonic and somatic, the visual and the physical, even the separations between life and art.
Walker Art Center will present a related visual art exhibition and performances by Simas. Community engagement activities will accompany the performances and exhibition throughout 2026. These events bring the community together to experience peace, rest, and engage in community actions that cultivate peace.
Credits
Exhibition Credits
Composer: François Richomme
Benches: James Simas
Fabrication and Design Assistant: Jeffrey Wells
Lighting Design and Production: Heidi Eckwall
Fabrication Assistance: Eliza Erdrich
Lead Access Consultant & Audio Description: Barak adé Soleil
Audio Describer: Sequoia Hauck
Deaf ASL Interpreter: Cindi Martin
Performance Credits
Composer: François Richomme
Performers: Sam Aros-Mitchell, Talia Dixon, Charlie Maybee & Lela Pierce
Set Design: Heidi Eckwall, Rosy Simas & Jeffrey Wells
Benches: James Simas
Fabrication Assistance: Eliza Erdrich
Lead Access Consultant & Audio Description: Barak adé Soleil
Audio Describer: Sequoia Hauck
Deaf ASL Interpreter: Cindi Martin
Outside Eye: Tanya Lukin Linklater
Rosy Simas is a 2023 Doris Duke Artist.
Support for A:gajë:gwah dësa'nigöëwë:nye:' (i hope it will stir your mind) is provided by the Mellon Foundation, Good Relatives Collaborative, National Performance Network’s Creation Fund and Documentation & Storytelling Initiative, the Map Fund, and the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center and Jacob’s Pillow.
