Conversation with Ishmael Houston-Jones on Improvisation, Autobiographical Fiction, and Performance Resistance

Ishmael Houston-Jones Interview: 4-Time Bessie Winner & Guggenheim Fellow on Improvisation | act/re/act Podcast

Guggenheim Fellow | Four-Time Bessie Award Winner | American Dance Festival Chair | Postmodern Dance Pioneer

Join legendary choreographer Ishmael Houston-Jones, 2022 Guggenheim Fellow and four-time Bessie Award winner, in this profound conversation about improvisation as performance art. Host Daniel Burkholder, who first witnessed Houston-Jones' groundbreaking work in the iconic trio *Unsafe/Unsuited* at Washington DC's Dance Place in the mid-1990s, explores the artistic evolution of one of postmodern dance's most influential figures.

 

Featured Artist: Ishmael Houston-Jones Bio Highlights

Ishmael Houston-Jones is a distinguished choreographer, author, performer, teacher, and curator whose improvised dance and text work has been performed worldwide for over three decades. His innovative approach to movement, storytelling, and collaboration has positioned him as a central figure in contemporary dance and performance art.

 

Major Awards & Recognition:

2022 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship recipient

Four-time Bessie Award winner (New York Dance and Performance Awards):

 Collaborations with writer Dennis Cooper

 Work with choreographers Miguel Gutierrez and Fred Holland

 Partnerships with composers Chris Cochrane and Nick Hallett

 Contributions to the field of dance (lifetime achievement)

2024 Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair - American Dance Festival Distinguished Teaching Award

 

Curatorial Leadership:

Platform 2012: Parallels curator - African diaspora choreographers and postmodernism

Platform 2016: Lost & Found co-curator with Will Rawls - Dance, New York, HIV/AIDS historical examination

 

Published Author:

"FAT and Other Stories" (Yonkers International Press, 2018) - Debut book

Essays, fiction, interviews published in multiple dance anthologies

Performance texts documenting three decades of innovative work

 

Conversation Deep Dives:

Improvisation as performance art - Pioneering approaches to spontaneous composition

"Unsafe/Unsuited" legacy - Historic trio work with Keith Hennessy and Patrick Scully

Postmodern dance evolution - 30+ years of artistic development and influence

HIV/AIDS and dance history - Curatorial work documenting lost narratives

African diaspora choreography - Platform programming and cultural representation

Collaborative artmaking - Working with Dennis Cooper, Miguel Gutierrez, and others

Dance writing and authorship - Bridging performance and literary expression

American Dance Festival teaching - Distinguished pedagogy and mentorship

This essential conversation captures insights from a four-time Bessie winner whose work spans performance, curation, and literature. From his legendary *Unsafe/Unsuited* performances to his groundbreaking Platform curatorial projects, discover how Houston-Jones has shaped contemporary dance while documenting its hidden histories.

 

Historical Significance: This interview connects contemporary practice with the seminal improvisation works of the 1990s, offering unique perspective on the evolution of postmodern dance and its intersection with social justice, identity, and artistic collaboration.

 

Host: Daniel Burkholder - Milwaukee-based dance artist, Chair of the UW-Milwaukee Department of Dance, exploring contemporary improvisation, somatics, and mindfulness

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Learn More:

Ishmael Houston-Jones: https://www.ishmaelhouston-jones.com/

act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast

Ishmael Houston-Jones' "FAT and Other Stories" - Available through Yonkers International Press

 

Keywords: #IshmaelHoustonJones #BessieAward #GuggenheimFellow #AmericanDanceFestival #UnsafeUnsuited #PostmodernDance #Platform2012 #Platform2016 #DennisCooper #MiguelGutierrez #DancePlace #HIVAIDSDance #AfricanDiasporaChoreography #ActReActPodcastv