Emily Johnson
| Emily Johnson | |
|---|---|
 press photo by Cameron Wittig for The Thank-you Bar 2009 | |
| Born |
March 19, 1976 Soldotna, Alaska |
| Occupation | dancer, writer, choreographer, artistic director |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Current group | Emily Johnson/ Catalyst |
| Dances | SHORE, Niicugni, The Thank-you Bar, Heat & Life, Something More Useful Then, One For Resolve, Plain Old Andrea, With a Gun, Pamela, Fierce:Whole |
| Website | |
| Official Site catalystdance.com | |
Emily Johnson (born 1976, Soldotna, Alaska)[1] is an American dancer,[2] writer, and choreographer of Yup'ik descent.[3][4] She is based in Minneapolis, where she is artistic director of her performance company, Emily Johnson/Catalyst. Johnson also works part-time at Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore owned by author Louise Erdrich.[3][4]
Performative, administrative and choreographic work
Johnson has danced for Minneapolis-based choreographers Morgan Thorson, Hijack, and BodyCartography Project,[2] and collaborated with New York-based playwright/ director Lisa D'Amour and music ensemble So Percussion, as well as Korean visual artist Minouk Lim.
Johnson founded her own dance company, Catalyst, in 1998, after graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in dance. Since then, she has created 22 original performance pieces, as well as several collaborative projects with other artists, the most recent being SHORE, the third part of a trilogy of works that began with The Thank-you Bar (2009) and Niicugni (2012), and which will premiere in June 2014 at Northrop Dance in Minneapolis.
Choreographic style
Johnson's dances "...often function as installations", and her choreography "...considers the experience of sensing and seeing performance." [5] In a presentation at the University of Minnesota in 2014, she talked about her choreographic practice as dance responding to the world. [6]
Awards
Emily Johnson / Catalyst was awarded a 2012 Outstanding Production ("new art, dance and performance") Bessie Award [7] for The Thank-you Bar, created and performed by Johnson with collaborators James Everest and Joel Pickard.
- Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, 2014
- Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency, 2014
- McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship for Choreographers, 2013
- Creative Capital Award, 2013
- Joyce Foundation Fellowship, 2013
- The Doris Duke Residency to Build Demand for the Arts, 2013
- Map Fund, lead artist, 2013
- NPN Creation Fund, 2012
- Map Fund, lead artist, 2012
- New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie Award) for Outstanding Production, 2012 (The Thank-you Bar)
- Sage Award for Outstanding Performance, 2011 (The Thank-you Bar)
- National Dance Project Production Grant, 2011
- New England Foundation for the Arts Native Artist Exchange, 2011
- Artist of the Year, City Pages, 2010
- Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Artist Fellowship for Dance, 2011
- MAP Fund, 2010, lead artist
- Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Community Fund, 2009
- National Dance Project Touring Grant, 2009
- Map Fund, 2009, lead artist
- Loft, Native InRoads Writing Program, 2009
- McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship for Choreographers, 2009
- Seventh Generation Fund Grant, 2009
- NPN Creation Fund, 2008
- Forecast Public Artworks, Research and Development Grant, 2008
- Smithsonian Institution Expressive Arts Award, with Rhiana Yazzie, 2008
- The Puffin Foundation, 2005
- Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship, 2004
- Jerome Foundation Artist Fellowship 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001
- Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Fellowship 2001
References
- ↑ Mike Dunham, Of bars and blackfish, Anchorage Daily News, October 3, 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tillotson, Kristin (22 October 2012). "Dance company not afraid to go there". Star Tribune (Minneapolis, United States). Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kourlas, Gia (4 January 2013). "Shedding Light on the Last Frontier". New York Times (New York, United States). Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 ""COIL" / Emily Johnson". New Yorker (New York, United States). 14 January 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ↑ "Emily Johnson Dancer/Choreographer". Twin Cities Public Television (Minneapolis, United States). 3 February 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ↑ http://ias.umn.edu/2014/02/20/ias-thursdays-feb-20/
- ↑ "The Bessies" (Press release). Dance NYC. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.