Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: One Day Until Drifter with Keith Johnson/Dancers

By Jill Randall

Today I share Part 2 of my virtual interview with choreographer Keith Johnson and his collaborators. Check out Drifter Friday and Saturday night at the Joe Goode Annex in San Francisco. 

Today we hear from Keith Johnson, Haihua Chiang, Andrew Merrell, Courtney Ozovek, Andrew Palomares, and Tara McArthur.

*Updated note on Saturday, March 4, 2023:
Content warning: This performance contains scenes of violence, loud noises, and disturbing historical transcripts. Please take care of your own needs and honor your body while viewing.

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Jill Randall (JR): What are 5 words or phrases to describe Drifter?

Keith Johnson: Thought-provoking, uncomfortable, self-reflective, physical, and historic.

JR: Which pieces are premieres?

Keith Johnson: Drifter is a new quartet that opens the dance. It was created during a residency at Shawl-Anderson pre-pandemic and will be a premiere. Camelot (Mourning Glory) is a new solo created with Paul Matteson two years ago and is also a premiere. The other two – My Vietnam and Family premiered in 2022 and 2019 respectively.

JR: What excites you about engaging with a new audience, especially coming out of pandemic times?

Haihua Chiang: I’m so excited to perform live again, and feel the energy from the audience and be able to feel the feedback right away. 

Tara McArthur: Being back in the Bay Area to present Keith’s work is exciting because his work has been such a throughline of my professional dancing life, from college to now, almost 15 years later. We have all been changed by the pandemic — both as performers and audience members. I think there is a profound need for connection with one another and live art. It is deeply fulfilling to engage as an artist in this way again. 

JR: Which pieces are you in? What are you focusing on and exploring in these works right now as a performer? 

Andrew Merrell: I am performing in the quartet Drifter with Rogelio Lopez, Tara McArthur and Bahareh Ebrahimzadeh, three incredibly important people in my life beyond dance. The piece has a softness that allows me to focus on clarity of movement and be present within the swirl. It is so beautifully crafted that I feel responsible to just perform the piece simply and specifically. The piece has an overarching melancholy that feels very real when sharing a beautiful but fleeting moment with three people who you love deeply. 

I am also performing a solo called My Vietnam, that 5 other dancers in the show know and have performed previously, which adds a certain kind of pressure! The movement is specific and challenging and requires of me major focus. The solo is set to a deeply disturbing sound score of an interview with a Vietnam War veteran describing atrocities that he had committed, and asks without asking, how are "we" (society) responsible for creating an impossible and hellish situation that is war. Performatively, it is a fine balance of letting the movement speak for itself and giving oneself over to the emotional rollercoaster of the work. A certain combination of defiance and shame.

Haihua Chiang: I’m one of the dancers in Family. It’s a very intense work both physically and emotionally. In the work, I’m focusing on finding the connection with the ensemble and how to present the character in the background of the story.

JR: Can you share a bit about risk and rigor in the dances you will be performing in a few weeks?

Andrew Palomares: For my role in the performance, I’m attempting to emulate the energy of Charles Manson. For me, having grown up in a domestic violence household, the performance of physical abuse & control of other dancers has a triggering effect that I must manage while performing. The RISK lives in that it can also have an emotional impact on the dancers I’m working with as well as audience members who may have experienced similar traumas. The RIGOR lies within my ability to embody & live through that energy while reminding myself that it is still a “safe space” on stage.

Courtney Ozovek: I will be performing in Family, as a part of Drifter. As a member of the premiere cast, I have enjoyed the development of the piece since its inception. This twenty-four minute piece challenges the dancers' stamina not only on a physical level, but mentally and emotionally as well. Working with a topic as heavy as this only adds to the physical demands of heaving your body multiple times towards a stationary barrier while taking the journey through the confessions of those who committed such a horrible crime. When the tables are turned, and you hear from one of the victim's mothers, the emotional tone shifts and we are left to question the concept of forgiveness. What I love about this piece is the risks it takes in conceptual content, the physical rigor it takes to sustain the journey through the piece, and the capacity to awaken a sense of reality to our current human condition. 

JR: How has your mindset changed or clarified due to the pandemic and the past few years? What is your dream of the audience? What do you wish to offer, and how do you wish to engage? 

Courtney Ozovek: The pandemic definitely shifted a lot. On a personal note, I had a baby at the beginning of the shutdown, which catapulted into a lengthy period of solitude. However, what I appreciate even more now is the ability to share our stories in a space with live human beings. Being together amplifies the kinesthetic visceral experience that is shared with the observers and performers. I hope that the audience is willing to engage in the journey of the entire evening of performances and share in the joy of creating.

Check out Drifter at the Joe Goode Annex on Friday, March 3rd and Saturday, March 4th at 8pm. Sima Belmar will lead a Q and A Friday night. Purchase your tickets here.

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Related posts:

Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: Two Days Until "Drifter" with Keith Johnson/Dancers

Artist Profile #100: Keith Johnson