Artistic Director: Esaias Johnson
Born and raised in Harlem, Esaias began her artistic training at age six at Juilliard with Mitchell Andrews and Armenta Adams in piano. She then trained in Ballet, African dance and Pilates at Dance Theater of Harlem with Arthur Mitchell, Karel Shook and Tanaquil LeClerq. She earned a BFA in dance at Purchase College. She has performed works by Kazuko Hirabayashi, Jose Limon, Martha Graham and as a soloist in the New York based company The Kevin Wynn Collection for ten years. As a dancer she worked for many NYC modern choreographers, including XXY ( Mary Ellen Strom & Cindi Lee), Susan Tenney, Sue Bernhardt and others.
In the 1980’s Esaias began mixing her Ballet, Modern and Hip Hop training together to create what she dubbed PoMoFunk, where she taught the technique at Florida Dance Festivals, Munich, Paris, Montpelier, Gruyere, and New York. In 1996 she formed Dance Esaias choreographing 25 works with original music by award winning composer, Barb Morrison. She won the the Miami Choreographers Fellowship and her choreography was included into the New York Library for the Performing Arts.
After a debilitating illness left her unable to dance or choreograph she switched careers and began silver-smithing after being trained by Bill Churlik in the mountains of Western North Carolina. But dance is in her blood, and after years of intense physical therapy she has begun working on a new project, Forerunner.
Always a trendsetter, Esaias realizes that going back to choreography after over a decade – and at 60+ years old – may sound crazy. But when you are called by Spirit to unveil your voice, you must heed that call down a winding road.
A winding road to her new company, Post Modern Funk Project.
Get ready.