Joyce SoHo intern Elmes Gomez spoke with Kyle Abraham, a 2011-2012 Joyce Theater Residency Artist, about the work he has been creating through our creative residency program (made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation). The work, Boyz N The Hood: Pavement will premiere at Harlem Stage this fall.
Elmes Gomez (EG): Where do you find inspiration for your work? Where do you turn when you are stuck during your choreographic process?
Kyle Abraham (KA): My work, in general, is derived from my life experiences. More to that, I think a lot about my high school years. I think about how formative those years were, in terms of my insecurities and my introduction to traditional dance forms. Other than that, I’m really inspired by art in general—visual arts, music, theater—and seeing dance. I love seeing shows whenever I can!
EG: As a choreographer, what is it about a dancer that catches your attention and makes you want him or her to be in your work?
KA: The thing that interests me most in a dancer is his or her willingness to “go there,” wherever “there” might be. I dig that openness and fearlessness. I love seeing dancers who aren’t afraid to get ugly. Because dance isn’t supposed to always be pretty.
EG: You often perform in the pieces you choreograph. Does that contribute to the personal nature of your choreography? Do you find it challenging to get an outside perspective when you’re performing in the work?
KA: I think of dance as my love and my work. I don’t even know how to separate myself from it, nor do I know why anyone would want to do that and call himself a storyteller. Everything seems rooted from the perspective of the one telling the story. And in my work, I’m usually telling a story that, in some way, is or was a part of my experiences.
EG: For the work that you’re creating as part of your Joyce residency, how does music come into play? Do you prefer to choreograph your movement before or after the music is set?
KA: Every dance and its process is totally different from the next. For Boyz N The Hood: Pavement, I knew from the very beginning, that I wanted to use opera music. So I began to choreograph to that music. Generally, I think I just generate movement that either feels good or hopefully, falls in line with the themes in the work without focusing too much on the reasoning behind “the middle back Merce curve that came after that ballet-like step.”
EG: What creative outlets other than dance do you enjoy?
KA: Music is my first love. Sometimes I actually choreograph a dance as an outlet for more people to know different songs or artists that I’m listening to at that moment. Other than music, I’m kinda in a biography phase. So I’m reading a couple of those… And, I’m always reading random history books — love it! That usually happens while listening to some string quartet or something; I can’t read while hearing people sing because I get distracted by the words in the song!
For more information on the Joyce Residency Artist programs, click here. For more on the premiere of Boyz N The Hood: Pavement, visit Harlem Stage.
