Press Release: Rosy Simas Danse “she who lives on the road to war”

Contact: Angela Two Stars  

For Immediate Release: Rosy Simas Danse Premieres she who lives on the road to war at Weisman Art Museum, an immersive installation and performance on global loss, grief and community healing

MINNEAPOLIS (July 14th, 2022) — The Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) and All My Relations Arts are pleased to present she who lives on the road to war by Rosy Simas Danse from October 6th – December 17th, 2022. The project includes a new installation and in-gallery performances throughout the fall of 2022.

she who lives on the road to war is an immersive installation and dance performance created by Rosy Simas in response to global loss and the collective need to come together in peace and reconciliation. It is both a physical space for rest and refuge, and a performative work of Native futurities that imagines a world of relational balance with nature and with each other.

This new work takes its title from the Haudenosaunee historical figure Jigonhsasee, who encouraged war between tribes before becoming an instrument of peace. Jigonhsasee’s wisdom and vision helped Hiawatha and the Peacemaker bring the Nations together as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. 

Their artist statement reads: “Audiences are invited to gather, rest, grieve, condole with one another, and to consider how we can all work towards reconciliation during the dual pandemics of systematic racism and COVID-19.”

she who lives on the road to war will have a dual premiere at WAM and in the heart of the Twin Cities’ Native community, at All My Relations Arts. After its performance run in Minneapolis, the work will tour to Gibney in New York City, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, and other cities. 

In addition to developmental support from the Weisman and All My Relations Arts, she who lives on the road to war is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project award (2021), and The MAP fund (2020), with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Project Collaborators

Rosy Simas, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Heron Clan), is a choreographer and film and visual artist based in Minneapolis. Her work investigates how culture, history and identity are stored in the body and expressed in movement. For more than twenty years she has created work that addresses a wide range of political, social and cultural subjects from a Native feminist perspective. She has received support from Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, First Peoples Fund, Guggenheim Foundation and McKnight Foundation, and she is a Dance USA Fellow as well as a Joyce Awardee. 

Performance Dates

Weisman Art Museum

333 East River Road, University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN

Tickets go on sale on August 20

  • Premiere: Wednesday, September 21, 6:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, September 25, 2 p.m.
  • Wednesday, September 28, 6:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 1, 2 p.m.
  • Wednesday, October 12, 6:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 3, 2 p.m.
  • Sunday, December 4, 2 p.m.

All My Relations Arts

1414 East Franklin Avenue | Minneapolis, MN

  • Opening reception and performance: Thursday, October 6, 6 – 8 p.m. The performance begins at 7 p.m.
  • Friday, October 7, 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 8, 2 p.m.
  • Monday, October 10 (afternoon, TBD)
  • Saturday, November 12, 6 p,m.
  • Sunday, November 13, 2 p.m.
  • Saturday, November 19, 6 p.m.
  • Sunday, November 20, 2 p.m.

All My Relations Arts (AMRA) operates the All My Relations Gallery, Minnesota’s premier American Indian owned and operated contemporary fine arts gallery. Located on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, the gallery resides within the heart of the American Indian Cultural Corridor. AMRA presents four fine art exhibits throughout the year, as well as hosting tours, presentations, and programs.

The focus of AMRA is to provide the people of the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota, and beyond consistently high-quality exposure to Native American fine arts. As an initiative of the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI), All My Relations Arts serves a very distinct role in NACDI’s community development work, providing the public with education about American Indian history, culture, and contemporary experiences through the arts.