About Ryan

Baltimore County

Ryan Johnson, MFA, is a Black & Indigenous hybrid from Baltimore, Maryland, with caramel skin, black curly hair, a salt and pepper beard, and a big smile. Johnson sits at the intersection of African Diasporic Percussive Dance and Nonprofit Leadership. Currently, he is the first post-MFA Fellow at The Ohio State University in the Department of Dance specializing in African Diasporic Percussive Dance and a visiting professor at Bowie State University Theatre Department, serving as a bridge… more

Old School

OLD SCHOOL
 
Old School is an original work inspired by the sounds, culture and street performers of New Orleans, LA fused with show stopping tap dancing honoring; Honi Coles, Gregory Hines and Baltimore Native Dr. James “Buster” Brown. This masterful blend of Brass music and Tap dance continues the long lasting relationship of two American art forms that are deeply rooted in our history dating back to the early 1700s. As an artist, arts educator and arts advocate I value the impact, influence and inspiration Tap and Jazz has had on our culture, art, films, and onstage productions. It is imperative for me to preserve and honor these two art forms. 
  • Old School 2018
    Old School is an original work inspired by the sounds, culture and street performers of New Orleans, LA fused with show stopping tap dancing honoring; Honi Coles, Gregory Hines and Baltimore Native Dr. James “Buster” Brown.
  • Quynn Action.jpg
    Quynn Action.jpg
  • Old School Trio.JPG
    Old School Trio.JPG
  • Old School Line.JPG
    Old School Line.JPG

Kuku on Taps

KuKu on Taps (2017)
 
KuKu is traditionally a circle dance and drum rhythm with origins of West Africa, that is used to celebrate harvest and other events. My goals was to dissect the rhythm of the drums, while infusing it with other global rhythms intersecting tap dance, stepping, body percussion and vocals to build a multidisciplinary performance work. This polyrhythmic expression of song and dance demonstrate the intricate rhythms and vibrations of the world. Currently, in its third rendition, I’ve continued to work with Tamar Greene, currently playing George Washington in Hamilton Chicago, to masterfully arrange the opening song Niakhaling Ba and powerhouse choreographer Quynn Johnson of SOLE Defined to insure that the interpretation of movement is in enlightenment with the history and traditions of Guinea, West Africa.  

Between 2015-2018, Kuku on Taps has been performed on stages across the nation including, The John F. Kennedy Center, The Lincoln Center’s Clark Theatre, and Jacob's Pillow Inside/out festival to name a few.

  • Kuku on Taps 2018
    KuKu is traditionally a circle dance and drum rhythm with origins of West Africa, that is used to celebrate harvest and other events. My goals was to dissect the rhythm of the drums, while infusing it with other global rhythms intersecting tap dance, stepping, body percussion and vocals to build a multidisciplinary performance work.
  • Original Score.JPG
    Original Score.JPG
    I teamed up with vocal powerhouse Tamar Greene, a friend and world renowned performing artist. Tamar holds his M.M from the Eastman School of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature, he also holds a B.A in music with a focus in Piano Performance. When I approached Tamar, I knew I had an idea however I didn't know how to "chart it". Well Tamar did! We spent hours doing research, including interviews with people from the west coast of Africa to insure we upheld the true traditions of the song while adding our contemporary approach. Niakhaling ba is song in three parts all subdivided among seven performers.
  • Kuku on Taps.jpg
    Kuku on Taps.jpg
    Kuku on Taps is performed by seven artist. Two primary vocalist, three tap dancers/vocalist and two steppers/vocalist. Photo by: Craig Foster
  • Kuku on Taps 2.jpg
    Kuku on Taps 2.jpg

A Tribute to Sandman

A Tribute to Sandman 
 
I continued to cultivate my partnership with choreographer, arts educator and author, Quynn Johnson to collaborate and build A Tribute to Sandman. Howard “Sandman” Sims (January 24, 1917-May 20, 2003) was a legend in the tap community, known for sending people offstage during Showtime at the Apollo and for his epic “challenge” tap battle against Bill Cosby on The Cosby Show. Quynn and I wanted to find a way to keep his work and energy alive! We began to research footage of Mr. Sims, exploring his movement qualities and his approach to the technique. Followed by research of other art forms on the continent of Africa in hopes to find any similarities and/or inspiration. We found footage of amazing dancers from Botswana with a movement quality that is out of this world! Inspired by Mr. Sims, the traditional movements of the people of Botswana, and the Gumboot Dance of South African, A Tribute to Sandman was born.
  • A Tribute to Sandman
    Inspired by Howard “Sandman” Sims, the traditional movements of the people of Botswana, and the Gumboot Dance of South African, A Tribute to Sandman was born.

The Heartbeat

THE HEARTBEAT
 
 
Percussive Dance is the perfect blend of music, movement and emotions. In hopes to expand the exposure of the art form, I started working on a solo album consisting of seven global rhythm tracks performed by my body. 
 
The Heartbeat was written to address a common question I received after performances; “where do all your rhythms come from?”.  The short answer to that question is my heart, it's a part of my DNA and spiritual makeup. Percussive Dance is my way to express emotion, address social injustice direct affecting people of color, and create a safe space for transparent conversation between people of different backgrounds. 
 
I was approached by Moxie, a marketing firm for BB&T bank in December 2017, expressing interest in The Heartbeat and Body Percussion for an upcoming campaign.  I agreed to choreography, perform and use The Heartbeat for the 2018 BB&T Zelle campaign. 
  • BTS w: RKJ dance 1
  • Ryan Johns Final Mix 11-30-14.mp3
    This original recording took three week to complete. Enjoy
  • Creative Team.JPG
    Creative Team.JPG
  • Ryan on Set.JPG
    Ryan on Set.JPG
  • Ryan on Set 2.JPG
    Ryan on Set 2.JPG

Raw Soundz

RAWSOUNDS
 
As an artist, I am always looking for ways to present my craft in new venues and arenas. I’ve notice that dancers get put into a category that is sometimes undervalued and only seen as a recreational profession. It is time to take a stand and explore new ways to express art by stepping outside of my comfort zone.  Time to make a statement and show the world that dance and music go hand and hand. Both art forms enhance the other and need to be valued as such. This was my driving force to start this project.
 
As tap dancers, we were always taught that we are apart of the band and to be one with the music. I believe in my heart of heart that percussive dance is the crossover art between movement and music. We have no limitations. We are diverse and versatile artists.
 
Percussive dance is rhythm, it's movement, it’s math and more importantly it's my inner voice. I hear music in everything I do, from walking to cooking to driving my car. I challenged myself to turn my dance into an album and break the social norms. 
I started creating chorography as songs, using different languages and rhythms I experienced over the years to create this album.
 
Pushing myself to learn, create and grow musically, this process took flight. My goal is to create seven tracks, one per continent, that represent global rhythms translated to the human body.
 
This is track 1 of 7 titled Raw Soundz, enjoy! 


  • Ye Bo
    All of the sounds were created from Ryan Johnson's body and recorded live.
  • img_6617.jpg
    img_6617.jpg
  • img_6616-2.jpg
    img_6616-2.jpg
  • Mixing.jpg
    Mixing.jpg
    Post production
  • Session Recording.jpg
    Session Recording.jpg
    Recording hand lines.
  • Recording.jpg
    Recording.jpg

Step & Skate: A Tribute to Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor

On September 2, 1955 It’s Always Fair Weather, staring one of the worlds most celebrated dancer Gene Kelly made its box-office premier. This musical satire scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green would single handily change the relationship between dance and cinema. According to online review “it was not a commercial success” yet it was full of dance scenes that have become historic.  
 
Ted Riley played by Gene Kelly is dressed in a black suite, white shirt, black tie and a pair of roller skates. As Ted rolls down a New York City street, he begins to whistle and sing only as Gene Kelly could. With his charming personality, his roller-skating song turned into a fusion of tap dance with roller skating. This high-energy fusion of art would go down in history as one of Gene Kelly’s most memorable performances including the likes of “Singing in the Rain” in 1952 and the 1948 movie “The Pirate” where he danced side by side with the dynamic duo The Nicholas Brothers.
 
However, Mr. Kelly was not the first to tap dance on roller skate, two year prior to Gene Kelly’s performance in It’s Always Fair Weather, Donald O’Connor performed a tap dancing roller skating number next to his young costar Noreen Corcoran. Like his unforgettable balloon dance, Mr. O’Connor tap and skate rendition was fun, upbeat and included a stair combination. Both artists were innovative, creative and brilliant in their one right.
 
Inspired by Mr. Kelly and Mr. O’Connor, I wanted to create a fusion of body percussion, and stepping on roller skates. This project is still in the creative and explorative stages of its development. I started this new work about three years ago while performing with Cirque Du Soleil and performed a small snippet in Washington, D.C. at the Atlas Theater with my company SOLE Defined. I continue to explore the relationship between these art forms with the goal to recreate both Mr. Kelly’s and Mr. O’Connor’s wok with my own personal flair. 
  • Stepping meets Skating

Human Drum

HUMAN DRUM
 
I am the intersection of music, movement and imagination turning my body into a human drum to preserve the customs and traditions of percussive dance forms created by people of color in America.  I titled this ongoing work in progress, The Human Drum, simply because that what I am, a percussive instrument that incorporates movement to entertain. After years of training, traveling and learning percussive dance styles, The Human Drum is the sum total of my life experiences expressing spiritual emotion that I’m unable to express verbally. A mega mash up of rhythms from Brazil, America, South Africa  fused with audience participation inspired by comedians, tap dancers and the conductors of Jazz Bands in the 1920s, The Human Drum is an improvisational rhythmic roller coaster, breaking the fourth wall, turning any audience into my personal orchestra.

For me, The Human Drum is my personal expression of emotion, while pay homage to the artist who have inspired me, allowing my ancestors to move me and celebrate the life of my mother. 
  • The Human Drum
    I titled this ongoing work in progress, The Human Drum, simply because that what I am, a percussive instrument that incorporates movement to entertain.
  • RKJ Dance
    RKJ Dance