Shonnita Johnson

About the Artist

  Shonnita Johnson received her formal dance training at Baltimore School for the Arts, under the leadership of Norma Pera. Ms. Johnson has graduated with honors from Point Park University in Pittsburgh PA, with a B.F.A in business entrepreneurship and dance with a concentration in modern. While at Point Park University Shonnita has performed works with choreographers such as:  Darrell Grand Moultrie, Terrance Marling, Randy Duncan,  Troy Powell, and Garfield Lemonius. While in Pittsburgh Shonnita had the opportunity to perform with Reed dance, and Green Works project. After graduating college Shonnita went on to continue her training as a professional dancer with Mystic India the World Tour, Staycee Pearl Dance Project, and briefly with the Lula Washington Dance Theater. Ms. Johnson is currently a proud member of the SoundXpressed Dance Company. Shonnita’s mission is to Expand the arts economy by developing the current and next generation of arts consumers and producers by integrating various arts forms. Ms.Johnson uses  choreography, dance, poetry and live music as a way to tell her community and other communities about social issues through the lens of the unexpected. Shonnita integrates a variety of arts forms to spread the message of social change and advocacy through  history and storytelling; which in turn opens the minds and hearts of the audience to broaden their perspective towards those who didn’t have the opportunity to speak freely. It is her desire for the audience and the community to formulate their own thoughts and ideas in regards to her work, which in turn creates dialogue for renewed thinking.

Artist's Statement

Ms.Johnson uses choreography, dance, powtry as a way to tell her community and other communities about social issues through the lens of the unexpected. Shonnita integrates a variety of arts forms to spread the message of social change and advocacy through history and storytelling; which in turn opens the minds and hearts of the audience to broaden their perspective towards those who didn’t have the opportunity to speak freely. It is her desire for the audience and the community to formulate their own thoughts and ideas in regards to her work, which in turn creates dialogue for renewed thinking. My work pushes the boundaries of dance by connecting to the audience. It is my duty to break the fourth wall that creates a understanding of culture and the world around us through movement, which creates an emotion that makes it more than just dance, but a lifestyle and feeling. My research starts by formulating an understanding of the questions I would like to ask and the minds I would like to put my self in that create real characters or ideas. I don’t stop with an idea that has already been developed. I further the process by taking real facts in time, space, and history that are discovered, and rediscover the concept by making it relevant to today