At age 12, Jakob Karr stood mesmerized in his first jazz dance class because the instructor demonstrated the mechanics of a ball change and kick. He tentatively mimicked the footing earlier than letting his lengthy, gangly leg fly above his head. “Oh! I’ve to do this once more,” he stated, smiling, feeling a freedom that matched the peak of his leg.
Now, 22 years later, Karr is just not solely showcasing his flexibility and efficiency abilities but in addition utilizing his choreography to problem the normal position of dance in theater. He advocates for a brand new period of Broadway, the place dancers are highlighted as artists able to telling tales with out phrases.
Initially from Orlando, Florida, Karr grew up as a contest dancer at Taking pictures Stars Dance College. In 2008, as a highschool senior, he received the nationwide title at New York Metropolis Dance Alliance, opening up a variety of alternatives within the dance trade. After commencement, Karr moved to New York Metropolis to attend Fordham College.
“I used to be so desirous to be acting at an expert degree,” he says. So, after his first yr in school, Karr auditioned for Season 6 of “So You Assume You Can Dance.” He got here near profitable the whole competitors however was awarded runner-up within the finale episode. “In some ways, I really feel like I received as a result of I received the start of a profession.”
His “SYTYCD” connections catapulted him into the skilled world. Karr spent three years dancing for Austin McCormick’s Firm XIV, which takes fairy tales and classical ballets and turns them the other way up in a Baroque model. He realized lots from McCormick and credit him as considered one of his most influential mentors. In 2016, Karr started working with Andy Blankenbuehler within the pre-production technique of the Broadway revival of Cats.
In the course of the pandemic, Karr noticed a possibility to create one thing solely his personal. Gathering his closest buddies—all distinctive dancers—he created and starred in his present Ain’t Accomplished Unhealthy. The manufacturing premiered on the Orlando Worldwide Fringe Theatre Pageant in 2021 and simply completed a profitable off-Broadway run on the Pershing Sq. Signature Heart.
Dance Instructor caught up with Karr to find how his skilled experiences helped form his inventive journey.
On Ain’t Accomplished Unhealthy and its future:
“The most effective dancers, for my part, are my closest buddies…They’re phenomenal, and we exist in the identical boat the place we are sometimes neglected as a result of we’re not musical theater grads. We don’t have unimaginable voices. I wished to make a present the place we may come collectively as powerhouses and do our greatest to point out up and present out…With the momentum we’ve constructed, I purpose to convey Ain’t Accomplished Unhealthy to Broadway.”
On his largest affect:
“[Austin McCormick] is a genius, and watching how he developed his scenes blew my thoughts. I at all times admired that, and as I’m turning into extra of a creator, I channel him. I take into consideration the best way everybody respects him, and I ask myself, ‘How does that occur?’ These experiences sit with me as a foundational a part of my profession.”
On the Cats journey:
“I labored with Andy Blankenbuehler for a yr to develop a motion language earlier than they even held auditions. However as soon as we acquired into auditions, it grew to become clear that I wasn’t proper for the half.
“I used to be introduced in six months into the run when somebody acquired harm. There was one other complete spherical of auditioning that I went via and I used to be actually exhausted. I bear in mind feeling like I used to be at my wit’s finish. Then, two days later, my agent known as to inform me I booked the present.
“Casting is a puzzle, and it’s extra concerning the better image than a person particular person. I realized that lesson the arduous means earlier than my dream got here true. All the things concerning the Cats expertise was good for me as a result of it taught me that the perfect dancer isn’t what a present wants. That’s the truth of Broadway.
“I’ve watched too many multi-million-dollar musicals with unimaginable dancers who transfer props round within the background whereas the star singer stands middle stage. It’s not that singers aren’t gifted, however I imagine there may be room to broaden that highlight and use dance to its fullest potential.”
Recommendation for different creatives:
“When you have an thought for a present, movie, or something inventive, don’t wait to get began—write it down. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions from mentors and buddies. Growing your neighborhood round your work is so essential for that goal. In the event you got here to me and stated, ‘Jakob, I feel I need to make this dance quick movie. Right here’s my define,’ I’m going to learn it. I need to learn it. And I imagine there are much more folks keen to do the identical than you would possibly assume.”
