Louis Johnson

Louis Johnson began his ballet training at Jones-Haywood Dance School in Washington, DC. In 1950, he was accepted to the School of American Ballet and moved to New York along with fellow student Chita Rivera. 

He went on to become an acclaimed choreographer, dancer, and director in ballet, modern dance, Broadway, and film. Johnson performed in Broadway shows including House of Flowers and Hallelujah Baby! and in the screen and stage versions of Bob Fosse’s Damn Yankees. He created works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 1970 he was nominated for a Tony Award for his choreography for the musical Purlie and he choreographed the 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz. Johnson was dance director for the Negro Ensemble Company, co-director with Mike Malone of the DC Black Rep Theatre Dance Company, taught at Yale University, and is credited with starting the formal dance department at Howard University in Washington, DC. He developed the Henry Street Settlement Dance Department in New York City, which he led for twenty years. 

Known as “choreographer to the stars”, Louis Johnson choreographed for the Ed Sullivan Show, Radio City Music Hall, Peter Allen, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, the O’Jays, and Gerald and Eddie Lavert’s “Father and Son Tour”. 

NYT Obit: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/arts/dance/louis-johnson-90-genre-crossing-dancer-and-choreographer-dies.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.jE0.d2GG.Px5TTHF557PZ&smid=url-share