INTERVIEW WITH BBD DIRECTOR AND IS THIS IT? CHOREOGRAPHER, JOY FRENCH
In her eleventh evening-length work, Joy French invites us into a dreamlike world of memory, identity and playful abstraction — with live music, film, and bold theatricality. Featuring live music by Travis Yost and cinematic design by Mike Steinberg, this maximalist show blends movement, storytelling, and visual texture to explore life’s big questions — with warmth, humor, and curiosity.
Is This It? marks the close of Bare Bait Dance 14th season.
Joy discusses her creative process, how titles become the launchpad for her work, and how film relates to the themes and emotional textures of the new show.
US: Let’s start with a review of how many evening-length works you’ve created. Do you know?
Joy French: Oh, I do know that! Let’s see the first was in 2012……. So, eleven!!
US: Eleven. That’s impressive.
Joy French: Well, thanks.
US: So much goes into an evening-length work—you have to set the world, the content, and the plot in a different way. It takes a lot of creative brain space.
How do the concepts come to you? Would you say there’s a similar process that happens?
Joy French: Yes. I often start shows with big themes and titles. I’ve never walked into a creative process with the intention of, “Let’s just make some dance and see where it goes.” It’s not how my brain works. I admire that approach, but I need more of a framework — I need the box the show will live in.
If I think back to all the other shows, the titles often came early, partially because it’s in the context of a full season we want to announce.
I’m not creating one-off shows in a vacuum. With the company we’re always trying to promote a full season — pitching it to sponsors, donors, and ticket holders. So, be it good or bad, the title often comes before I know the entire context of a show itself!
I try to make the titles and themes as broad as I can so that if I have new ideas, hopefully, they still live in that same container.
US: Have you ever changed a title after you’ve started creating?
Joy French: Nope, never!
US: Do you have a working document of all these titles that have come to you that you save for the future?
Joy French: I sure do. I just put a new title on my list this week!
US: What was the first starting point you fleshed out in this show?
Joy French: This current show started as ideas about memory.
I was interested in memory and how we craft our lives based on it. Like how people who lose their memory can still play a concerto on the piano, or how memories from childhood can stay strong even as you forget things from today. How people argue over memories — not because of the memory itself, but because of what it represents in their shared life. What you remember and what you let go.
But the show has changed a lot! That was the beginning. It’s now more about life in general, middle age, getting older, seeing my parents age, being with my kids when they’re little — age, time, and family. The title came from thoughts like: “Is this it? Am I doing it? Is this THE moment? Is this THE memory I should hold onto?” That was the origin.
US: Tell us about your collaborators, how does their work contribute to this concept?
I’ve never had a full show scored live before, and I'm so thankful to be working with Travis Yost as our musician. It’s been a huge, exciting challenge. He’s playing live at EVERY performance, which creates a totally different energy. We’re not locked into a soundtrack — things can shift in the moment. And because he’s so responsive and creative, he’s able to improvise and play with us. He brings so much magic.
We also have an amazing projection design by Mike Steinberg. He’s adding visual 2D textures relating to nostalgia, mind-scapes, and emotional imagery. The film, the music, the costumes, the choreography—it’s a maximalist show. Everything’s in there!
US: How was film related to this concept? Why bring it in?
Joy French: I loved the idea that watching a film can feel like watching a memory, even if it’s not your own. Cinematic devices of flashback are powerful. Plus film lets us understand time differently and can also reflect the character’s inner world without having to say anything… I’m so pleased to have that layer on the show!
US: As we wrap up, is there something you're excited to share with the audience? Or a question or disclaimer for them before they enter the theater?
Joy French: I think this is a heavy moment in the world. A lot of people are questioning what comes next. When I titled this show almost a year ago, I couldn’t forecast the moment we’re in now — but the work has changed because of it.
I’m not trying to make a statement about current events, but dance is abstract, and art reflects life. I hope people come in with open minds — to engage with the playfulness of storytelling and movement. I don’t have answers for how to “fix” anything. However, I hope. I’m offering an experience — about identity, aging, change, building a life — both individually and communally.
I want the show to be a journey, a chance to be playful together and remember that these big questions have always existed.
We’re in a unique time, but we don’t have to get stuck in it. We can move through it together.
Have some fun.
And then go back to our serious lives and responsibilities. Because we are all on deadline — always have been.
Is This It? is presented as part of our 2024|2025 season at the Westside Theater, April 17 - 27, 2025.