‘A Joe Goode piece is never “done” ’
Here is what artists who have danced for the choreographer say about him, as compiled by Allan Ulrich
Liz Burritt
(1987-2007; now guest dancer)
“I met Joe in 1985 at Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colo., when he came to do a residency and set a piece on the Dance Department there. I moved to San Francisco after I graduated from college in 1987 and became a member of the Joe Goode Performance Group.
“Joe and the Joe Goode Performance Group are the primary shapers of my life as a dancer. When I first met Joe and he challenged us to share our personal stories, to dance from the guts and the heart, to make noise and even to talk and sing, I was challenged to my core and smitten with his process. Joe is a master at seeing the potential in a performer and finding ways to coax and coach one into experimenting with untapped forms of expression.
“Because Joe is committed to working with ideas that are personal and relevant to himself and the people involved in the process, the work never becomes stale or predictable for the performers. There is always something new to learn about oneself and the world when in the creation and performance process. A Joe Goode piece is never “done.” The process taught me to listen and re-listen and not to get too attached to what was the “truth” yesterday because it might have shifted today. Such valuable advice in art making and in life.”
Marit Brook-Kothlow
(1990-2007; 2015-present)
“I started dancing with Joe right after getting out of college, when I moved to San Francisco. I was hired shortly after that. It’s strange to think that I have spent most of my adult creative life in Joe’s company.
“I find that the process in my own work to generate material and assemble the piece is directly informed by the way I have worked with Joe.
“I think the bottom line is that I admire him as a director. I regard Joe as an artist who practices making choices intuitively. He is a ruthless editor who is not afraid to throw out a gem if it doesn’t serve the piece as a whole, I have found this a very difficult skill to learn — to not get too attached to what we make. It’s a pearl of wisdom I keep in my pocket.”
Felipe Barrueto-Cabello
(1996-present)
“I never thought working in a dance company could be so pleasurable. It is so satisfying to find dancers like yourself who are willing to invest the time to make a piece. I am reserved about my feelings by nature. But here we share our inner lives, and really enjoy working with each other. That is a priority for Joe.”