Emily Johnson facts for kids

Emily Johnson was born on March 19, 1976, in Soldotna, Alaska. She is an American dancer, writer, and choreographer. Emily is from the Yup'ik people, an Indigenous group in Alaska. She grew up in Sterling, Alaska, and now lives in New York City.

Emily is the artistic director of her own dance company, Emily Johnson/Catalyst. She also helps organize events for Indigenous people in New York City. For a while, she worked part-time at Birchbark Books. This is a bookstore owned by the famous author Louise Erdrich.

Emily Johnson's Dance Work

Emily Johnson has danced for many other choreographers. She has also worked with different artists. These include playwrights, music groups, and visual artists.

In 1998, Emily started her dance company, Catalyst. This was after she finished her dance degree at the University of Minnesota. Since then, she has created 22 original dance performances. She has also worked on many projects with other artists.

One of her big projects was a group of three dances called a trilogy. It started with The Thank-you Bar (2009) and Niicugni (2012). The last part was SHORE, which toured until 2015. Emily has also been important in organizing a gathering called Knowledge of Wounds since 2017.

Emily's Unique Dance Style

Emily Johnson has said that she started dancing because a close friend passed away. Dance became a way for her to express her feelings.

Her dances are often like art installations. This means they are set up in a way that makes you think about the space around you. Her choreography makes people really notice how they feel and what they see during a performance. Emily believes her dance is a way to respond to the world around us.

Dance and Community Connections

A special part of Emily Johnson's work is how she includes communities. She often works with people in the places where she performs. For her dance The Thank-you Bar, she thought about how communities and tribes deal with being moved from their homes.

For her dance Niicugni, she invited people in different states to sew fish skin together. They made lanterns from the fish skin. These lanterns were then lit up and had speakers inside. They helped light up the halls where Niicugni was performed.

Her dance Shore even included community feasts. For another work, Then a cunning voice and a night we spend gazing at stars, Emily organized workshops. People made quilts together. These quilts then became part of the stage set for the dance performance.

This way of involving the community is like other dance forms. These include Participation Dance and Ceremonial Dance. Emily's work helps connect traditional community dances with modern art. It shows how art can be both personal and shared with many people.

Sara Coffey, a director at Vermont Performance Lab, said that it's brave to let others into your art. She noted that Emily wants the places she performs to influence her work. Emily tries to balance her artistic ideas with being open to the community. She uses dance to create constant change and new conversations.

Awards and Recognitions

Emily Johnson and her company, Catalyst, have won many awards. In 2012, they received a Bessie Award for The Thank-you Bar. This award is for outstanding new art, dance, and performance.

Here are some of the other awards Emily Johnson has received:

• 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