A Chicago native, Claude “CJ” Johnson is a dancer, choreographer, and movement director based in Brooklyn NY. After completing his studies at The Chicago Academy for the Arts and SUNY Purchase College, where he was awarded the Adopt-A-Dancer Scholarship, Cj has had the opportunity to perform works by Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Aszure Barton, Zoe|Juniper, Johannes Weiland, Kevin Wynn, Princess Madoki, and many more. He was also a full-time company dancer with A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham from 2017 to 2022, during which he became a 2021 Princess Grace nominee. Cj is currently a guest dancer for companies and choreographers such as Trisha Brown Dance Company, AIM By Kyle Abraham, NVA & Guess, Rashaun and Silas, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, and many others. He has also participated in his own choreographic residencies through the Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Joyce Theater, Motive Brooklyn, Cuny Dance Initiative, and many more . As a performer, choreographer, and Black queer artist, Cj dances to translate the human experience for audiences, recognizing dance as the most powerful catalyst for self-expression and social change. In any artistic space, he believes his responsibility is to expand the knowledge and perspective of his community’s vast experiences.
