Monica Johnson is an actress for the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, a ballerina, artistic director, choreographer, professional dance company member, entrepreneur, National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) certified and an American Ballet Theatre (ABT)-certified dance instructor.
An alumna of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Johnson began dancing at age three — dancing any time music played. Her love for dancing inspired her mother to inquire about the UNCSA Preparatory Dance program.
She has performed with the Ballethnic Dance Co. in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Demetrius Klien Company in West Palm Beach, Florida. Additionally, she has participated in competitions like the National ACT-SO, an NAACP youth achievement program. She is also a freelance dancer.
In 2001, she opened Just 4 Kicks Studio of Dance — later renamed Monica & Jerome International Dance Experience (MJIDE). She moved to Washington, D.C., from 2007-2015 to teach dance. While in D.C., she was the lead ballet instructor and education associate at Washington Ballet Thearc and a ballet and pointe instructor at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
A versatile dance instructor, Johnson is known for teaching various dance styles, including ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, tap, African, hip-hop and fusion styles. She is a passionately dedicated dance teacher committed to helping her dancers develop their artistic careers.
Additional accolades include:
- Community project manager for Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
- Special ballet performance with George Faison (Choreographer, The WIZ) for the late Dr. Maya Angelou (The Hymn to Oprah).
- Select panelist with Misty Copeland (ABT, Principal Ballerina).