Keith Johnson

"What are the skills a modern dancer needs in 2015?" I asked this broad question several times this year as artists wrote profiles for the blog. Here are three viewpoints from Keith Johnson (professor at CS Long Beach and former dancer with Doug Varone and Bill T. Jones), Onye Ozuzu (choreographer and professor at Columbia College Chicago), and Linda C. Smith (Executive/Artistic Director of Repertory Dance Theatre).

Keith Johnson

Perseverance and commitment. I would say the ability to be versatile, but not everyone wants that model, and maybe that doesn’t mean success to them personally. I think you have to care about the work more than anything, and to do that, you may need to sacrifice something along the way. I’m impressed by the young dancers coming up who think of new possibilities for staying in the art form even when the odds are against them. That inspires me. It’s fascinating.

Onye Ozuzu

Be diverse AND be focused. Study specifically; know what you know and where it comes from, and where it is going and how it relates to other types of “knowing” around it. Diversify your training strategically. Think of various styles as “collaborators” in the making of you as a dancing instrument. How and why might tai chi and aerial dance and Senegalese Sabar and release technique all speak to one another, both within your body and within the communities of people/practitioners that you would traverse in the process of seeking the training? Be visionary, entrepreneurial: How can your skills add value in the world you see around you? Think outside the box. Develop the ability to articulate (talk, describe) how your dance abilities can work in many ways in many contexts.

Linda C. Smith

Patience and tenacity. Forgiveness and flexibility. Be open to the “new” and respect the “old.” You can’t do it alone. Find wonderful and dedicated people to help you achieve artistic success. 

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