The Practices We Make w/ Kiki & Ra

Welcome back to The Practices We Make, an interview series uplifting the artists, teachers, and culture-bearers who shape practices inside of House of the Lorde.

For our second interview in this series we highlight the creators and teachers of Sweat Sweets, KiKi King and Ra Coats.

How do you introduce yourself these days?

We call ourselves ra and kiki. We started dancing with each other at House of the Lorde at a rehearsal for FORCE! An Opera in Three Acts. Actually, Anna Martine Whitehead, the director of the opera, asked Ra who they wanted to hire and she said Kiki before even meeting them. Something just felt right, and in the first rehearsal it was. The breath, laughter and comfort was instant; dancing was the introduction we needed.

Where do you locate your work in the world?

Cookouts. Park hangs. Kitchens + shared meals. Pennywhistle. Sleeping Village. At the house.

Who are the lineages, teachers, or communities that show how you move?

We look to Betty Davis a LOT. We imagine that we knew her. How her leather jackets felt wearing them, like we were kids raiding our aunties’ closet. She has been the fire that gets us to try something, to “freakify” ourselves. She, including the list below, teach us each day that rage, rest, and fucking around is what makes us.

Black women in rock. Dance hall + club culture.Our white moms and black dads.Our mixed siblings.Trees + the roots beneath them.

What is at the heart of your practice right now?

We both want to sweat and shake ass while simultaneously finding a way to rest. We believe that sweating and shaking ass is a form of rest.

What does your creative or teaching practice ask of your body or how does your body guide your practice?

We listen to our bodies by making right and wrong decisions without thinking. We play loud music. We twerk. We give each other tasks. We play in and out of the floor. We wear baggy clothes and little hats.

Do you have a ritual, playlist, or grounding practice that holds you while you create or teach?

Stop, drop, shake ya ass:Walk around the room. Hear the sound of your feet touching the floor, explore the space with your eyes, try to lock your breath in with your walking rhythm.Yell STOP.Chug and freeze. We usually end in a wide stance with our legs and our arms to the side.Shake ya ass: or anything. Head, titties, knees, hair. Let something travel away from your body.Finish the shake and repeat. Do this with a friend, try it on the train, shake anywhere.

What do you hope folks feel or discover when they learn from or witness your work here?

Our goal is to make people sweat while also letting them in on our practice of trying something new. We play around with choreography and ideas we are interested in through different forms, prompts and concepts. We hope folks can discover a sense of release through sweating. We encourage people to engage and be present in community with one another and see each other and see themselves.

What does Black feminist practice mean to you in this moment?

We are navigating this together and on our own. We are in “practice” and our bodies are where the information is stored.

What is bringing you joy or laughter lately?

Soup. Rahila’s big bowl of noodles. Juice. Snow. Reading.

How are you tending to yourself in this season?

Ra goes to bed early. Kiki stays up very late.We both like to make tea. Ra rubs lotion on her feet. Kiki rubs shea butter on their face. Ra twists her hair. Kiki won’t leave the house with wet hair when it’s cold.

What future or otherwise world are you imagining through your work?

Gay. A lot of curls. Gardening. Laying on the grass in the sun. Shared meals all the time.We imagine a world where we continue to thrive and create practice.

A song that always lifts you:

Anything from Little Simz album, Lotus. Specifically “Flood.”

A scent that feels like home:

Patchouli, lavender, and mac and cheese in the oven.

A text or quote that is following you around:

Ra thinks about softening, and Nora Chipaumire’s Manifesto. Kiki thinks about the “Wrong” Contact Manifesto.

A gesture that your body returns to again and again:

Tongue OUT.

Is there anything else that you want to share with the House of the Lorde community?

We’re teaching another version of Sweat Sweats! Please join our Saturday, Dec 13 workshop and bring a friend you’d like to move with!