INTERVIEW WITH KINETOSCOPE GUEST ARTIST JEANINE MCCAIN
It has been a absolute pleasure having interdisciplinary artist Jeanine McCain with us from Colorado as she creates a multi-media performance with Bare Bait Dance Company and Guests
With Kinetoscope 13 nearing, we sat down with Jeanine to learn a little bit more about her process, what it’s like creating a work in three weeks, and what we might expect to see next weekend. Join us for a weekend of film, dance, projection, and POPCORN!
Us: You describe yourself as an interdisciplinary artist. Could you share a little bit about what that means to you?
Jeanine McCain: To me, it stems from the idea of how multiple medias and elements can come together to create something meaningful. I think of technology as a way to find commonality in our humanity. Sometimes it feels like technology separates us, but the goal is for it to connect us—it always has been.
As an interdisciplinary artist, I’m interested in the place where all of these elements intersect. Technology feels like a portal into discovering new things about ourselves and creating new experiences for the audience. In a performance environment, it allows people to see the work through a different lens and enhances what’s happening with the live dancers.
I also want to make sure I give a shout-out to my collaborator, Brian Hapsik, who helps ground me in my work.
Us: Yes! I was going mention Brian. How has working with him changed the way you develop work, and can you talk a little bit about your creative process together?
Jeanine McCain: For the past few years, I’ve been working with Brian, whose design eye and technical expertise have opened up an entirely new world. We’re creating things now that I never could have imagined or achieved on my own. That collaboration continues to unfold into new and exciting directions. It’s also given me much more confidence in how the elements come together.
Our process changes depending on the project. Some works are grounded in my concepts, some in his, and others are fully collaborative from the start. I often start with an image or an abstract idea, and he helps anchor it in logistics, while also bringing in creative ideas of his own. Whether we’re in the space together or in pre-planning, the process becomes a constant exchange of ideas. That back-and-forth evolves into something new that belongs to both of us.
For this piece, I begin from a more abstract place. My ideas usually start with imagery—I see an image and want to build around it. In this case, that image evolved into the concept of memory.
Us: Given this is a 3-week process, have you had to change your process at all when considering how quick it would be? Have you ever made anything with this type of time constraint?
Jeanine McCain: I’ve never worked this quickly with this level of technology. It’s an ambitious challenge, which is exciting, and I’ve always wanted a process this fast. Because I work improvisationally, so many gems emerge when we’re in the space together with the dancers. I’ve enjoyed the necessity of making decisions quickly—finding the seeds of a section and committing to them.
In this process, more than others, I’ve come to each rehearsal with specific, attainable goals. If I think too much about all the elements—filming and editing, live dancing, sound, and projection mapping—it can become paralyzing. So I focus on one thing at a time and trust the process.
Us: This piece is set within a proscenium stage. Is that how you usually work, or does it present different challenges and advantages compared to installation-based work?
Jeanine McCain: Lately, Brian and I have primarily been creating installation and site-specific work rather than proscenium pieces. We recently installed a piece in a museum garage, transforming the loading dock into an interdisciplinary environment with dancing, projection, and live music. We’ve also created installations inside museum galleries, where audiences can move through the space and experience the work up close. In those settings, the work is more exposed.
This proscenium piece will share some of that quality. It isn’t meant to feel pristine or polished in a traditional sense. It’s designed to feel alive—moving, breathing, and constantly changing. That aesthetic is important to me. I like work that feels slightly rough, where the process is visible.
Us: Is there anything you’d like to add that we haven’t touched on, or anything you’d like to let the audience know?
Jeanine McCain: What we didn’t talk about is the part of the process where the dancers bring their own stories to the table. The core idea of the piece is how we are shaped by our memories, and how those memories appear and affect us throughout our lives.
The movement vocabulary comes from the dancers reflecting on specific memories from their own lives or from their family lineage. It’s truly an ensemble piece from the lives, memories, and bodies of the dancers, and that feels beautiful. That is what’s sustaining me through this process.
I would like audience members to know that this piece is very much a living experiment—changing and evolving from the first rehearsal through the final performance. That’s the energy of the work. I hope audiences encounter unexpected and raw moments—happy accidents are often the most meaningful.
Kinetoscope 13 is presented as part of our 2025|2026 season at the Westside Theater, January 23-25, 2026. Click to reserve tickets.