Jamie Johnson

Faculty Member

Jamie Johnson

Biography

Jamie A. Johnson is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Dance at Utah Valley University, where she instructs all levels of ballet technique, pointe, and ballet pedagogy as well as a classes from the core curriculum. From 2015-2024, she served as the Co-Artistic Director of Repertory Ballet Ensemble, a student ensemble of dance majors, who perform classical and contemporary works in venues locally and nationally. Johnson's teaching is informed by her professional performing experience. After graduating cum laude from the University of Utah with degrees in Ballet and English, she went on to perform nationally and internationally with companies such as- Sacramento Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Ohio Dance Theatre, and Boulder Ballet, reaching the status of principal dancer. Later with MOMIX, she served as Dance Captain and performed upon world-renowned stages, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Joyce Theater in New York, and Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. Johnson is a prolific choreographer and dance scholar. Her choreography has been performed by St. Paul Ballet, Utah Metropolitan Ballet, and the University of Wyoming. As a dance scholar, Johnson explores dance and diversity. Her research has been presented at the National Dance Education Organization, the World Dance Alliance, and the American College Dance Association conferences. Her scholarship has been published in the Journal of Dance Education and the Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Ms. Johnson holds a MFA in Dance from the University of Washington with additional certifications in Yoga and Functional Awareness®.

Education

MFA, University of Washington, 2014

Major: Dance

BA, University of Utah, 2003

Major: English

BFA, University of Utah, 2003

Major: Ballet

Teaching

DANC 427R

Ballet Technique and Theory IV, Spring 2025

DANC 423R

Specialized Techniques in Ballet, Spring 2025

Presentations

Johnson, Jamie (Presenter & Author), St John, Christa (Presenter & Author), Ballet Pedagogies_ Past, Present, and Future, "Releasing the Binary_ Embodied Empowerment in Ballet Technique and Performance", CORPS de Ballet, International , Virtual. (June, 2024)
St John, Christa (Presenter & Author), Johnson, Jamie (Presenter & Author), 6th International Conference of Dalcroze Studies, "Creativity and Conflict_ Collective Interactivity in Higher Education", International Conference of Dalcroze Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Music, Pittsburgh, PA (Presented Virtually). (August, 2023)
Johnson, Jamie (Presenter & Author), St. John, Christa (Presenter & Author), Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters Conference (UASAL), "Sylphs Supporting Sylphs_ Confronting Gender Binaries in the Classical Ballet Canon", Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters, Sandy, UT. (March, 2023)
Johnson, Jamie (Presenter & Author), St. John, Christa (Presenter & Author), UVU Dialogues on Inclusion Series, "Dialogue on Inclusion_ Embodiment of Gender in Dance", UVU School of Arts, Orem, UT. (November, 2022)
Johnson, Jamie (Panelist), St. John, Christa (Panelist), Vader, Lyndsey (Panelist), UVU Ethics Awareness Week, "Embodied Perspectives_ Ethical Dance Pedagogy and Performance", UVU Center for the Study of Ethics, Orem, UT. (September, 2022)
Johnson, Jamie (Presenter & Author), St John, Christa (Presenter & Author), Fairies, Queens, and Cavaliers_ Ballet’s Production and Disruption of Gender, "Sylphs Supporting Sylphs_ A Feminist Reimagining of Les Sylphides", CORPS de Ballet, International , Richmond, VA. (June, 2022)

Scholarly/Creative Works

St John, Christa , Johnson, Jamie , (2024) "Sylphs Supporting Sylphs_ Confronting Gender Binaries in the Classical Ballet Canon" (vol. 100). Provo, UT: Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters. https://www.utahacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JUASAL-2023-full-text-final2.pdf
Johnson, Jamie , (2018) "Culturally Inclusive Dance_ Working with Chinese English Language Learners in the Dance Technique Classroom" (Issue: 1, vol. 18). Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis, Inc.. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15290824.2017.1317781

Awards

Wolverine Sighting

UVU Awardco - April, 2025

Recognition for providing Exceptional Results, Exceptional Accountability, and Exceptional Care as Department Chair.

Spot Award

UVU School of the Arts - February, 2025

In recognition for my leadership in the coordination and gathering syllabi templates at the launch of Spring 2025

Wolverine Sighting

UVU Awardco - November, 2024

Recognition for providing exceptional results and exceptional care as Department Chair.

Distinguished Alumni- Excellence in the Arts

Bishop O'Gorman Catholic Schools Hall of Fame - September, 2024

Dean’s Award of Excellence for Faculty

UVU School of the Arts - March, 2024

Recognizes full and part-time faculty and staff who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service to their department, academy, school, and the University

Best Paper Award for Arts Division

The Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters

The UASAL honors academics and citizens involved with education who are also affiliated with the state of Utah in a variety of ways. Every fall they honor the best papers published in the Journal.