by Libby Carr
Khorii Tinson is a powerhouse. At 21, she moves with grace and strength, combining rapid-fire footwork with smooth, liquid control. Seemingly effortless, Tinson can change dynamics faster than you can blink— House traditions, Africanist aesthetics, and contemporary dance techniques are all wrapped together in her improvisation and choreography. In all her work, ranging from casual pedestrian walking to feats of athleticism, she exudes a balanced nonchalance best described as part of the “aesthetic of the cool.”1 During COVID-19, Tinson’s cinematography skills add a new artistic layer to her movement while also providing a platform to share her work virtually. We spoke to Tinson, a recent graduate of UT’s BFA Dance program, about her choreography, movement, and identity as an artist-citizen.
Can you tell us about yourself? How did you first come to dance? How did you come to choreography?
Hello! I’m Khorii, I’m 21 years old, I have an Aquarius stellium, and a three legged Siberian Husky named Nova! I first came to dance through my mom putting me into the studio when I was three years old. I picked up gymnastics along the way and absolutely loved it, but upon entering seventh grade I decided to pursue dance solely. Eventually I knew that if I was going to school that I’d be going to school for dance. Choreography always comes early— we’re always creating our own realities as kids. I used to choreograph little solos for myself in my living room and eventually that turned into combos for my peers at the studio. My first day in contemporary at UT with Lyn Wiltshire was when my choreographic journey started all over again.
Can you give us some background into your film for “In My Room”? What inspired you to make that dance?
I love the editing aspect of film and videography and I love dancing to my favorite songs. Pair those together and that’s how “In My Room” came about. I set up my phone in different locations, improvise to the music, upload all the videos, and then edit them. I love doing these types of videos because I have my airpods in when I’m dancing, so the audio of the recordings of me improvising is the background noise of the location I’m in. So when I’m editing, the best part is finding little pieces and putting them together that coincide with the music. Wherever I am in the music while freestyling is almost always different from where it’s edited in the final video. I think Frank Ocean’s “In My Room” was my favorite video I’ve created to date. I also really wanted to delve into my House training, so I was really emphasizing footwork in that video.
What about your work do you think speaks to audiences right now?
When I think about my concert work in the past, I created from pretty broad and relatable points of view— usually about identity ie. black, queer, femininity, shared anxieties, mental health struggles. My latest work,“Have You Seen Me?” directly spoke to missing persons and living amongst predators. That was the most in depth I’d ever gone in a process of my own for a piece to be shown on a big stage. I wanted to highlight the reality that we live in, where people go missing amongst us, and how we move next to those who are doing the taking. The movement exploration work I do— I hope just speaks of me. I’m always trying to get rid of habits and find new avenues and thought processes while freestyling.
I was lucky enough to see and get to know you through your process choreographing a piece for UT’s Fall For Dance last fall. I’m curious what you wanted to explore through that piece. What did you learn through that process?
With Have You Seen Me? I wanted to explore the blatant reality of people going missing and the feelings that stirs up. I was also interested in shifting the point of view of the work and having the dancers be the predator. In hindsight, I could have done so much more with so many tiny nuances and perhaps images; I think I took a really heavy dancey-dance approach. Thankfully, the overall message and theme still got across, and I want to give a huge shoutout to Amber Whatley who did the lights for the piece. I wanted the lights to be dramatic and set the scene, and paired with the infamous amber alert sound— it was a live movie. In that process, I learned so much about how to generate movement based on sound and personal testimony, but I definitely needed to trust myself more with my raw ideas. I want to revisit this piece in the future— that’s how much it means to me.
I want to make work that pertains to the things that I care about and am inspired by and it’s going to be intertwined with Blackness because that’s who I am.
Khorii Tinson
How do you think about yourself as an artist-citizen? How does your work intersect with or speak to your Blackness? Your queerness?
I define an artist-citizen as a person who has the ability to empathize with the current state of the world and take that information to create a work of art. An artist-citizen is someone who can ride the ebb and flow that the duality of being an artist and a citizen of the world creates— they are present, curious, and brave. In terms of my being an artist citizen, I think I’m a baby all over again. I’m so excited to have this huge tool box coming from UT, but I’ve yet to experience anything so really a whole new world is opening up for me. This pandemic obviously wasn’t in anyone’s plans, and I think it’s served a good purpose for us to slow down and start doing some internal work. I’m very optimistic about my future being an artist-citizen, I know I’ve got the foundation to pursue whatever I put my mind to.
I think my work is always going to intersect with my Blackness because I am black. I used to think I needed to make work that was heavily pro-Black that highlighted our traumas and stereotypes and the like, and while that’s valid, it’s just not always necessary. I want to make work that pertains to the things that I care about and am inspired by and it’s going to be intertwined with Blackness because that’s who I am. Being gay is also something that’s just a part of me, and I am very interested in making work solely about this identity and nothing else. My work in the past has had nuances of sapphism, but not really on the forefront.
Can I ask about styles, choreographers, movers, and people that inspire you? What do you find exciting in dance and life right now?
Contemporary and House are really my driving forces, where I get a lot of my own unique stylistic movement from. I absolutely thrive off of House music, I think it’s one of the best things ever created and I want to delve into the dancing so much more! Music in general is just… I’m so lucky to be a mover and be able to embody sound.
Jordyn Santiago is a huge, huge inspiration to me. I was lucky enough to dance with her from our studio back in little Jacksonville, North Carolina, and I’ve been looking up to her as a mover, woman, and person she is ever since we were kids. I think she’s a superwoman, honestly. I look up to Gesel Mason, Erica Gionfriddo, Millie Heckler— my incredible professor artists from UT, Shay Latukolan, Diana Matos, Alyssa Allen, Andrew Winghart, Solange, FKA Twigs, Chloe x Halle… there’s so many. My mom inspires me of course, all of my friends who are artists themselves.
Congratulations on graduating!! Do you have any work coming up, digital or otherwise? How have you been moving in quarantine?
Thank you! I do not have any work coming up unless it’s something I’m doing that’s just a little project. I’m actually getting ready to move to Seattle temporarily before moving to LA by next summer. Exciting, risky things on the horizon and lots of saving, self-training, and reflection for me right now.
Two pieces choreographed and performed by Khorii are available to view in this issue.
Libby Carr is a playwright and dance artist born and raised in Houston, TX. Their work explores the intersection between hyperrealism, movement theatre, and devised text. Libby’s plays include sad girl hours (Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwrights’ Workshop), Gay Bootcamp (UT Austin, Cohen New Works Festival; Madison, WI, Express Yourself Arts), and TRANSom, co-written with Lane Stanley (Austin, TX, Ground Floor Theatre). Currently, Libby is a fourth-year student at the University of Texas at Austin in the B.A. Theatre and Dance (Playwriting & Directing) program and the B.A. Plan II Honors program, with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies.
