Tammy Johnson

Tammy Johnson (she/her) is very clear. Her life’s purpose is to be a happy Black woman. She is a dancer, producer, culture keeper, writer, somatics coach, equity consultant and godmother extraordinaire. Her kinfolk in Tennessee taught her how to be a love-warrior as they fought for their right to just be as Black people. Later as a community organizer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Johnson directed living wage, welfare rights, public education and election campaigns. She spent a decade at Race Forward advancing racial justice as a national organizer, trainer, writer, policy analyst and public speaker. Johnson co-produced the television special Colorlines: Race and Economic Recovery with LinkTV, and has written for the Christian Science Monitor, The Huffington Post, and Colorlines.com.

Johnson curated creativesinplace.org, a listening project and digital platform which features the work and stories of Bay Area artists surviving gentrification and a global pandemic. As an independent consultant and certified somatic coach she has successfully brought movement and artistic wisdom to the fore with groups like The Laundromat Project and the Young Women’s Freedom Center.

Johnson specializes in raks baladi, also known as Egyptian style belly dance. For over a decade Johnson and Etang Inyang performed as Raks Africa, and co-directed Girls Raks Bellydance and Body Image program. In 2014 she performed in ChimaTEK: Hybridity Visualization Mandala, created by renowned performance visual artists Saya Woolfalk. In 2016 Johnson was a recipient of Deborah Slater’s Studio 210 Residency Program and is currently a Bridge Live Arts Community Engagement Resident. As the director of Project Aiwa, Johnson pours the experience of a twenty-year dance career into the performances and community-based collaborations that she produces.

[ID: A black and white photo of an ample Black woman looks to be in a trance dance, with long locs flying in all directions. Her arms are up, both hand clasped behind her head, she has an intense face, but you can only see her grinding teeth. She wears a breast-plate of silver threads that are moving in all directions. It sits over a black mesh top, with a silver and black coin belt around her waist. Photo by Robbie Sweeny.]

  • Access. Movement. Play. (A.M.P.) Residency Program
  • 2023 A.M.P. Residency Artists
A full-figured Black woman is seen on stage from stage left. She is looking left from the side at the camera with one arm extended toward it, the other pointing toward the audience. She wears a metallic orange and royal blue costume. The pants are bell bottoms with an orange skirt overlay and blue sheer accents. The top is a halter-bra with multi-color beading outlining the collar. There is a sheer blue belly drape in front. Her orange headband also includes the multi-color beading
ID: A full-figured Black woman is seen on stage from stage left. She is looking left from the side at the camera with one arm extended toward it, the other pointing toward the audience. She wears a metallic orange and royal blue costume. The pants are bell bottoms with an orange skirt overlay and blue sheer accents. The top is a halter-bra with multi-color beading outlining the collar. There is a sheer blue belly drape in front. Her orange headband also includes the multi-color beading