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 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 expertise but additionally utilizing his choreography to problem the normal function 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 Capturing 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 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 yr in faculty, Karr auditioned for Season 6 of “So You Assume You Can Dance.” He got here near successful 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 wrong way up in a Baroque fashion. He discovered rather a lot from McCormick and credit him as certainly one 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 totally his personal. Gathering his closest mates—all distinctive dancers—he created and starred in his present Ain’t Finished 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 Finished Unhealthy and its future:
“The very best dancers, in my view, are my closest mates…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 unbelievable voices. I wished to make a present the place we may come collectively as powerhouses and do our greatest to indicate up and present out…With the momentum we’ve constructed, I goal to carry Ain’t Finished 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 obtained into auditions, it turned clear that I wasn’t proper for the half.
“I used to be introduced in six months into the run when somebody obtained damage. There was one other complete spherical of auditioning that I went by way 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 in regards to the larger image than a person individual. I discovered that lesson the onerous approach earlier than my dream got here true. Every little thing in regards to the Cats expertise was good for me as a result of it taught me that one of the best dancer isn’t 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 gifted, however I consider 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 mates. Growing your group round your work is so essential for that objective. Should you got here to me and stated, ‘Jakob, I feel I wish to make this dance brief movie. Right here’s my define,’ I’m going to learn it. I wish to learn it. And I consider there are way more folks prepared to do the identical than you would possibly assume.”
