Virginia Johnson

Cofounder, Dance Theater of Harlem

Virginia Johnson is a renowned and trailblazing former ballerina who has shaped her field through work as a performer, editor and artistic director. 

 After graduating from the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet in 1968, she moved to New York City to attend New York University. After completing her first year there as a University Scholar, Johnson took a leave of absence to join the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) as a founding member under the direction of co-founder Arthur Mitchell. In creating DTH, Mitchell’s groundbreaking vision of a diverse and inclusive ballet company was inspired by the Civil Rights movement and the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Johnson was an integral part of the organization for nearly 30 years. As a performing artist, she had leading roles in Creole Giselle, A Streetcar Named Desire and Fall River Legend, which won a cable ACE award from the Bravo Network as well as such Balanchine ballets as Allegro Brilliante, Agon and The Four Temperaments.  In addition, Johnson served at varying times as union representative and a member of the Board of Directors.

 She retired from DTH in 1997 and embarked on a communications degree at Fordham University. While there, she had the opportunity to create Pointe magazine, an acclaimed magazine covering the world of ballet. 

Johnson spent nine years as the magazine’s editor-in-chief before rejoining DTH as the company’s artistic director. In this role, she helped restore Dance Theatre of Harlem’s professional touring company after an eight-year hiatus. Johnson continued the challenging work of balancing the rich history of DTH with building a new and vibrant future for the company and art form of ballet up to and through the pandemic. In July 2023, she passed artistic leadership of DTH to former Principal Dancer and Resident Choreographer Robert Garland. She is currently a Dance Discipline panelist for YoungArts and a Visiting Scholar at NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts where she is pursuing her next passion, writing. 

Her honors include a Young Achiever Award from the National Council of Women and the Dance Magazine Award, a Pen and Brush Achievement Award, the Washington Performing Arts Society’s 2008-2009 Pola Nirenska Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2009 Martha Hill Fund Mid-Career Award. Johnson has received honorary degrees from Cornish College of the Arts, Swarthmore and Juilliard and is the recipient of the Washington Ballet Mary Day Award and the 2019 CORPS de Ballet International Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In 2020 she was presented with a medal of honor from the Actor’s Fund (now the Entertainment Community Fund) and the 2023 Dance In Focus Award from Dance On Camera and the Bessies 2023 Lifetime Achievement in Dance Award. She serves on the Advisory Board of Dance NYC and serves on the Board of Works & Process.