INTERVIEW: Orville Peck’s music inspires new Jakob Karr dance piece
Photo: Ain’t Done Bad features, from left, Jakob Karr and Joshua Escover. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy / Provided by KSA with permission.
Orville Peck, the beloved country singer who is currently touring the United States, has an ever-popular and ever-growing songbook of guitar-driven songs that speak of beauty, forlornness and the open road. He’s a masked singer whose influences are clearly old-time country music, but he’s someone who is paving new ways as a gay artist in the country genre.
Now, Peck’s music has moved to the stage, thanks to director-choreographer Jakob Karr, who has created a new dance piece called Ain’t Done Bad, which is currently playing a summer run of shows at The Pershing Square Signature Center in Midtown Manhattan. Performances continue through Aug. 31.
In the show, Karr and his dancers tell the story of coming out and finding oneself, according to press notes. The main voice of the piece is a Queer person growing up in the American South. Joining Karr in the cast are 10 dancers, all of whom bring Peck’s songs to life with movement and no words.
Recently Karr exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox to talk about Ain’t Done Bad. He’s known for his time on TV’s So You Think You Can Dance. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How long have you been working on Ain’t Done Bad?
I began working on Ain’t Done Bad in 2020. It started as a storyline I wrote on a notepad, and a few months later I got my closest friends together and began creating the psychical version of the show. We first premiered the full-length piece in 2021 at the Orlando Fringe Festival, and here we are now four years later. The show has grown so much, and I am so happy with the evolution its gone through up to this point.
How important is it to tell this story right now in 2024?
This story feels more important than ever right now. Yes, Ain’t Done Bad tells a tale of a young gay man in southern culture trying to find himself, but I think it’s a bigger story than that. We all have times where we struggle with our identity and lose our voice in the chaos of life. The people who come in and out of out hearts end up becoming our foundation, and that’s what the show is really about at its core.
How does the art of dance elevate the narrative? Does movement make the story even more impactful?
Dance is such [a] powerful medium for storytelling, and I am so happy it is being represented so well this theater season! We train all our lives to be precise and elegant, but its our storytelling that I find most exciting. Aside from the technical and exciting dance elements, body language is universal. That’s our job and duty to the piece — to convey a heartfelt story, each person on stage embodying a character, without saying a word.
What do you love about the music of Orville Peck?
Orville’s music is so theatrical and raw. I feel like he sings the way I dance. He is unapologetic in his lyrics and doesn’t shy away from showing off his vocal abilities. As members of the LGBTQ community, he and I share a commonality, and we’ve found our voices in our art.
What qualities were you looking for in the 10 dancers who join you on this journey?
My cast is incredible! They are the most talented and generous dancers I have ever worked with, and I am so proud of the work we’re doing together. They have all had different careers and journeys of their own, which helps to build the foundation we need to tell this story every night. Strong technique is a must, but it is their brave storytelling that I am most excited about.
When did you first fall in love with dance?
I found dance when I was 12 years old. I had tried every sport in the book, and nothing really stuck. I had been in a few shows in school and at our community theater, so dance felt like the next step. I took one class and loved it and never looked back!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Ain’t Done Bad, conceived, directed and choreographed by Jakob Karr, continues through Aug. 31 at The Pershing Square Signature Center in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
