Risk/Reward Artist Profile #5: Jessica Jobaris & General Magic

My first experience of the general magic of Jessica Jobaris was squeezed into a private karaoke room a year ago with her and 30 other people at the famed Seattle's Best. I believe she was wearing a form fitting plaid leisure suit and rocking out on air guitar, but my memories are foggy -- either way she made an impression.

I was also lucky enough to see this performance up at Northwest New Works two weeks ago! I don't want to give anything away, but Jessica describes it as "part comical dance music mayhem, part dramatic performance art" and the Seattle Times described their show at NWNW as "an unleashing of total anarchy that found crazed humor in whiplash incongruities of action and tone."

All I can say is it features falling down stairs, men in suits playing tug of war, various degrees of nudity (gratuitous or not: you decide) and a half-inflated globe bouncing into the audience. I also wasn't sure how much of the performance was improvised, which is always (to me) an exciting line to walk and to witness.

Jessica Jobaris returned to Seattle in 2009 after spending a year working in Berlin, and she has been part of the dance scene in Seattle for over ten years, performing with Lingo dance theater, Scott/Powell Performance, Maureen Whiting Company, Bryon Carr Performance and SaltHorse.


This time around she's working with some sweet collaborators, some of whom have graced the Risk/Reward stage in the past (hello, Mike Pham!) 

We can't wait to see Jessica Jobaris and General Magic take the stage at Risk/Reward!