Ensemble takes dance to new heights
by Cindy AbolePublic Relations
Charleston’s a town that’s known for its art and cultural expression. Nestled in the fold of downtown Charleston and MUSC Harper Student Center is a contemporary dance troupe that is turning heads and breaking new ground with their boundless and energetic style.
Dancer
LeeAnne Stock sways to the rhythm.
The J2 Performance Group Dance Ensemble is an eclectic group of talented performers, many of whom share the same passion for dance. They are composed of college students, area professionals or anyone who’s interested in dance and movement. Their training and background reflects a variety dance forms: ballet, modern, jazz and hip hop. The group operates under the direction of James Johnson, who is choreographer and the group’s founder and artistic director.
“What we have is something special,” said Johnson. “I encourage people to come out and take classes and watch our upcoming events.”
The J2 dance group recently performed Genesis, a 45-minute dance concert, at Charleston Music Hall last April. It was the group’s sixth event since its beginnings which featured five dancers in fall 1999. Today, the group has grown to include 20 male and female dancers with an impressive dance resumé from Charleston’s Serenade Show and various ballet and dance companies. Together they are gaining ground with themed performances at Lowcountry venues such as the Garden Theatre, the College of Charleston’s Physician’s Auditorium, and Bishop England High School Theatre. Earlier this year, they were guest performers for another dance company in Atlanta.
Antoine
Caldwell leads a rehearsal for the group at MUSC's Aerobics Studio.
The group rehearses three times a week at the MUSC’s aerobics studio. They are taught their craft through repetition and technique. Johnson heads Gotta Dance, a dance and fitness program that offers classes in introductory ballet and jazz, dance technique, hip-hop, street jam and jazz dance.
Dance technique instructor Marka Danielle Rodgers was reintroduced to dance after meeting with Johnson under special circumstances. A dancer and choreographer who worked in Argentina, Rodgers was recovering from a spinal cord injury that sidelined her career in dance. She met Johnson and learned about his Gotta Dance Program while undergoing her own rehabilitation using dance techniques for at MUSC’s Wellness Center. Today, she is an instructor for the program teaching the Classically Fit Class for dance therapy.
“Our goal is to tie different genres of dance together,” said Rodgers, J2 assistant director. “We want to be a dance company that dances without boundaries. We want to motivate our dancers to be the best that they can be.”
Johnson was a former dance instructor for the Atlanta Ballet Center for Continuing Education and the Dance Gallery. He performed at the Moja Arts Festival in 1999 with the Omimiwa African Dancers and the Adande Drummers. He loved the experience so much that he wanted to stay in the Holy City.
Talented as they are, even the dancers share the same lifelong passion.
Pharmacy student Susan Lewis is an active member of the troupe. Since age 3, she has gathered years of tap, ballet and jazz dance experience under her petite frame.
“This has been a great experience for me,” said Lewis, who heard about the program from word-of-mouth. “It gives me a chance to have fun with others who love dance.”
The program survives on other business activities including J2 personal fitness training (Johnson’s partners are all certified personal trainers), organized wellness workshops and team building instruction and sales from their small dance wear line.
Their next event is scheduled Dec. 4 at the College of Charleston’s Robinson Theatre followed by spring performances in 2004.
For information about J2 and dance classes, call 792-4141.
J-2 Performance Group Dance Ensemble:
Antoine Caldwell (Gotta Dance Program instructor, MUSC), Mary Canter,
Myra Chamble, Harry Clark, Jenny Crawford, Ivey Gantt, Emily Hare, Susan
Lewis (Gotta Dance Program instructor, MUSC), Michael Schaal, Leigh Shattles,
Rahni Simpson, Jeri Smith, LeeAnne Stock, Lisa Ptanyk, Joanne Joyner, Mary
Margaret Johnson, Brandy Drake; Marka Danielle Rodgers, asst. director
and company dance technique instructor; and James Johnson, artistic director.
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