In this community chat, djassi daCosta johnson will take you on her journey from Ballet dancer to Multidisciplinary artist, with local stops at the historic Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Dance Theater of Harlem. Djassi will show you how to “choreograph” your own artistic path and write a poetic artist statement expressing all that you are, while fully rejecting the notion you need to be any less.
“Dance was the way I moved through worlds. It helped me when I got to another country because I didn’t have that fear of not being able to connect with people.”
– djassi daCosta johnson
What to Expect
- Learn about Prof. Johnson’s journey
- Explore the work of Black choreographers
“This is my path. This is how I am going to pave it.”
—DJASSI DACOSTA JOHNSON
Write your “I AM…” statement.
djassi’s example:
I am…
an image maker, shape shifter — a perception challenger — who delights in unearthing magic and possibility
I am…
much more than these words: a dancer, a choreographer, a writer, an anthropologist, a designer… an activist, a photographer, a filmmaker, mother and #jackmaster..
I am…
an explorer, a native New Yorker…a fortunate traveler …baptized in the pavements of my city – for whom, dance has been my passport to life…
I am…
a reminder that we are not yet there. that we can learn more from each other. that we can challenge societal ills and still bring forth beauty…
I am…
seeped in justice, covered in love, grounded in mysticism and creating art to aid in the liberation and recovery of the human race.
dance is the filter through which i see everything. i move in a ritual sense, offering thanks to those who have paved this path with rhythmic feet pounding the earth like a heartbeat…I agree with Pina.
as long as we dance, we will never be lost …
Djassi DaCosta Johnson
Djassi DaCosta Johnson is a native New Yorker, dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, photographer, writer, designer (Radical Women BK), Doula, Womb Healer and Women’s Sexual & Sensual Agency Activist. Ms. DaCosta Johnson received her BA in Anthropology and English from Barnard College, was a fellowship student at Alvin Ailey and received her M.F.A. in Dance & New Media/ Technology from NYU Tisch in 2018 as a Dean’s fellow. As a dancer, she apprenticed, performed and toured with, Dance Brazil, Earl Mosley, Bill T. Jones, Hernando Cortez, Urban Bush Women, and was a soloist with MOMIX for a decade. She lived abroad in Brazil and then Italy for seven years working on film and television and returned to NYC working more with her choreography from behind the lens. She collaborates with jazz musicians and visual artists and for festivals such as PERFORMA and Vision Fest (NYC).Her choreography, photography and films have been showcased at Museums, Galleries and exhibitions internationally including Photoville (Brooklyn), National Museum of Women in The Arts, Brooklyn Museum, Shed Halle (Zurich), and throughout Italy. She writes about, dance, culture and sexual healing and has contributed to international publications including; The Daily News, TRACE, VIBE, KINFOLK, {DIYdancer}, Playbill and Harvard Design Magazine. Ms. DaCosta Johnson has been an Assistant Professor at The University of Virgin Islands where she implemented the first Dance Performance BFA in 2022, and where she teaches Ballet, Humanities and Theater. She most recently performed the solo "Anyanwu" for New York fashion week and The Fearless Artist.