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 try this once more,” he mentioned, smiling, feeling a freedom that matched the peak of his leg.
Now, 22 years later, Karr shouldn’t be solely showcasing his flexibility and efficiency expertise but additionally utilizing his choreography to problem the standard 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 Faculty. In 2008, as a highschool senior, he gained the nationwide title at New York Metropolis Dance Alliance, opening up a variety of alternatives within the dance business. 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 12 months in school, Karr auditioned for Season 6 of “So You Assume You Can Dance.” He got here near successful the complete competitors however was awarded runner-up within the finale episode. “In some ways, I really feel like I gained as a result of I gained 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 fashion. He discovered rather a lot from McCormick and credit him as one in every of his most influential mentors. In 2016, Karr started working with Andy Blankenbuehler within the pre-production means of the Broadway revival of Cats.
Throughout the pandemic, Karr noticed a chance to create one thing solely his personal. Gathering his closest buddies—all distinctive dancers—he created and starred in his present Ain’t Carried out 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 creative journey.
On Ain’t Carried out Unhealthy and its future:
“The most effective dancers, in my view, are my closest buddies…They’re phenomenal, and we exist in the identical boat the place we are sometimes missed as a result of we’re not musical theater grads. We don’t have unbelievable voices. I wished to make a present the place we might come collectively as powerhouses and do our greatest to point out up and present out…With the momentum we’ve constructed, I goal to convey Ain’t Carried out Unhealthy to Broadway.”
On his greatest 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 way in which 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 12 months 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 entire spherical of auditioning that I went by means of 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 larger image than a person particular person. I discovered that lesson the onerous approach earlier than my dream got here true. All the pieces concerning the Cats expertise was good for me as a result of it taught me that the perfect dancer is never what a present wants. That’s the fact of Broadway.
“I’ve watched too many multi-million-dollar musicals with unbelievable dancers who transfer props round within the background whereas the star singer stands heart stage. It’s not that singers aren’t proficient, however I imagine there’s room to broaden that highlight and use dance to its fullest potential.”
Recommendation for different creatives:
“You probably have an concept for a present, movie, or something artistic, don’t wait to get began—write it down. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions from mentors and buddies. Creating your neighborhood round your work is so essential for that function. In case you got here to me and mentioned, ‘Jakob, I feel I wish to make this dance quick movie. Right here’s my define,’ I’m going to learn it. I wish to learn it. And I imagine there are way more individuals prepared to do the identical than you may suppose.”
