Jermel Johnson is the first African-American male principal dancer at Pennsylvania Ballet. He made a name for himself early with his impressive jumps and high energy. Johnson has performed several leading roles, including as principal in George Balanchine’s “Square Dance” and Oberon in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which led to Pointe Magazine naming him one of their standout performances of 2013.
PGN: I understand you’re from Charm City.
JJ: Yes, I’m from Baltimore. I left when I was fairly young. I still have family there but I haven’t been back in a long time.
PGN: How old were you and where did you go?
JJ: I went to the Baltimore School for the Arts and then transferred to the School of American Ballet in New York my senior year of high school.
PGN: What made you want to get into dance?
JJ: The New York City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” with Macaulay Culkin! It was on TV and I thought it looked like fun. My mother did a little research and found the Baltimore School for the Arts’ after-school program.
PGN: That’s great that she was supportive right off the bat.
JJ: Yeah, well, I had so much energy and ballet involved so much discipline that it was a great way to help me burn some of it off.
PGN: What was the most trouble you got into as a kid?
JJ: I was a pretty good child, I was just very active. I was also very tiny; I think challenging some of the bigger kids was about the most rebellious I got.
PGN: I can’t say the same, though I didn’t really get into trouble because I was slick about things.
JJ: Ha, I’m the oldest of four so there was always someone else to deflect the blame.
PGN: A favorite family memory?
JJ: I’ll pick a recent one. About two years ago I went home with my husband and our son, Jaden. It was their first time seeing him because they live in South Carolina now. As I walked in the door, my mother handed me Jell-O shots!
PGN: Mom sounds cool!
JJ: Oh yes, she also had little Jell-O shooter syringes. She was ready for us to party! Another fun memory was one of my father’s birthdays. He decided to have a ’70s theme so everybody was in bell bottoms and platform shoes, all ’70s attire.
PGN: They both sound cool! What did they do?
JJ: They’re both recently out of the military. My father did two tours in Iraq and one in Egypt. My mother was a military police officer. She’s always been involved with law enforcement.
PGN: What was the best and worst thing about being a military brat?
JJ: I would say the answer to both would be the discipline. I don’t do well with downtime. I just finished rehearsal and would like to relax but I’m like, “I should be doing something productive …” Downtime is nice in concept, but it’s not something I’m able to utilize.
PGN: What was the family makeup?
JJ: After me there’s a younger sister and then two brothers. We’re all about three years apart.
PGN: What was your worst brother act?
JJ: We had a messy room and one time my parents told us we couldn’t leave until it was cleaned up. I pretty much just shoved everything under [my brother’s] bed and left. He got stuck dealing with it.
PGN: [Laughs] You really were a goody two-shoes if that’s the worst thing you’ve done to a sibling!
JJ: I know! Well, I did cut my sister’s doll’s hair. Trying to be a little stylist and there are times when I may have taken things apart to use them for arts and crafts.
PGN: You juvenile delinquent! Rogue hairdresser and crafter! Ever play any sports?
JJ: I was involved in track for a little until I started ballet. I figured out early on that I wouldn’t be able to do both.
PGN: How old were you when you started?
JJ: I saw “The Nutcracker” when I was 11, and it was shortly after that, which is actually kind of late for a dancer but I was very flexible and used to do splits in the air before I even knew what they were.
PGN: And you moved to New York by yourself?
JJ: Yes, it was a boarding school-type of setup. There were lots of other people my age working and training. It was a new style of ballet for me so there was a lot to process and keep me busy. It was my first time away from home and there were people from all over the world.
PGN: I used to hang out with Mel Tomlinson, who was the first black principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. We’d go out to eat and he’d tease the female dancers. They’d go for a second order of French fries and he’d scold them, “Oh no, you don’t! I’m the one who has to pick you up honey!” It sounds terrible but they were all friends and would bust on each other all the time.
JJ: [Laughs] He’d probably scold me for my pre-show burger!
PGN: You are the first African-American male to be a principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Were there a lot of other black dancers at the American Ballet Theatre?
JJ: Actually at the time that I went I think there were at least three others; one of them was my roommate.
PGN: Did you face any backlash?
JJ: Nope. I’ve been fortunate enough to have avoided that type of ugly for the most part. But I’m the type of person that I think most people keep that kind of thing to themselves around me.
PGN: There’s a little of that Baltimore spunk coming out!
JJ: [Laughs] Yes, yes. What I do remember about Baltimore is the club music. They would make a song out of the most random things. I remember a club mix of “SpongeBob SquarePants” and everyone lost their minds over it.
PGN: What’s something exciting that happened in New York?
JJ: I did some guest appearances with American Ballet Theatre while I was in school and got to meet a whole lot of superstars of dance.
PGN: How did you end up in Philadelphia?
JJ: It was near the end of the school season and I’d auditioned for a few things where they said that I was too tiny or just not what they were looking for. I had a full scholarship so I just figured I’d stay at School of American Ballet for another year. On a whim I auditioned for Pennsylvania Ballet and they offered me second company, so I took it.
PGN: Explain the different levels in the company.
JJ: We start with the second company, which is usually for people just starting out. You do a lot of shows representing the company with community outreach, going to schools and local events while working on skills that you’ll need later: partnering, strength, style, etc. From there, you’ll hopefully get hired into the company itself. After a year or two of apprenticeship you get into the corps. After that, soloist and then principal dancer.
PGN: And you are at the top of the heap!
JJ: Yes, I managed to work my way up to principal. I was actually the first person to ever go from second company to principal.
PGN: What are your three favorite roles?
JJ: My all-time favorite is George Balanchine’s “Square Dance.” I feel like I’m flying when getting to dance like that. It’s so much fun: fast footwork, and the solo is slow and commanding and, while you’re doing it, you’re able to exude whatever emotion you’re feeling and still have it work. And Matthew Neenan’s “Penumbra”; he choreographed a solo for me in that which is one of my favorite solos ever. I’m in this awesome stretchy suit and I start with my back to the audience. It’s dark and there’s kind of this slow samba step before I really start moving around the stage. It’s really fun. For the third, I’d say … well, anything by Matthew Neenan. I just think he’s really great at utilizing the strengths of his dancers. I love his style of movement, his whimsical ideas and what he’s able to bring out of the dancers.
PGN: Describe the feeling of stepping out onto the stage and dancing full out.
JJ: Have you ever had someone draw their fingers up your back? Those goosebumps you get? When the curtain goes up it’s kind of like that. I’ve been doing it for so long that I can just feel the energy from the audience. If the curtain goes up and there’s some dynamic lighting, you can hear them all gasp. You not only hear it, you can feel the intake of breath. All eyes are on you and you can feel everything you’ve worked for coming together.
PGN: What was your biggest disaster on stage?
JJ: [Laughs] My disasters are usually wardrobe-related. I used to have long curly hair that came down to my shoulder. The first time I did “The Nutcracker” I was playing a soldier doll in the party scene and I was wearing this big hat. I started doing the dance and the hat shot off my head and bounced back, hanging on my neck from the strap. In order to fit all my hair into the hat, I’d had it pulled into a high ponytail, which was now sticking up as I danced around. Another time I was doing “Romeo & Juliet.” Everyone was in tights with one gold and one black leg. In the second scene everyone was supposed to change into all black. I forgot to change and so there I was in the next scene, front row, the only one still in gold.
PGN: Any hobbies?
JJ: I don’t really have time. I live in Lancaster so my commute is about two hours each way. I get up at 5 and drive to the train. I get there early to warm up. I have class, then rehearsals and then I catch the 6:45 back home. But I have started doing wire weaving. I make jewelry: earrings and bracelets out of copper. It’s something I can do on the train.
PGN: How’d you end up in Lancaster?
JJ: That’s where my husband is from. It’s a great place to raise our son, he loves running around and we have lots of space there.
PGN: Is your husband in the arts?
JJ: No, he’s a firefighter and an EMT and now he is a transplant coordinator with the Gift of Life organ-transplant organization. We met on MySpace!
PGN: When did you come out?
JJ: I’ve always just sort of been me, but the time I first officially said something to my parents was shortly after I came to Pennsylvania. A friend said something really ugly about a mutual friend and I felt hurt enough to call my parents and tell them about it. I was crying and upset and their response was, “OK, who do we have to come mess up in Philly?” So they’ve been supportive from the start. My second-youngest brother is also gay.
PGN: What are some of the misconceptions that people have about dancers?
JJ: That we don’t eat. I eat a lot. I mentioned my pre-show burger. We need to to have the energy to do what we do. But I’ll go to events and people will say, “Are you allowed to eat that?”
PGN: What’s your favorite dance show?
JJ: I cannot watch the dance shows. Not a fan. I used to watch a little of “So You Think You Can Dance?” because I knew some of the people on the show, but that’s it. I think in part because I don’t like the judges, some of the things they say … and they have that one judge who just keeps screaming, that drives me crazy.
PGN: Aww, I watch “Dancing with the Stars.” I like the fact that with all the football players, racecar drivers, etc., they make it OK for boys to dance.
JJ: I do like that aspect and they seem that they’re really passionate about it and many of them continue on. It’s amazing what dance can do for your spirit.
PGN: Is it nerve-wracking being married to a fireman?
JJ: No, because he’s very confident and he’s very good at what he does. He’s been in the field almost all his life and I have every trust in him.
PGN: A song that always makes you happy when you hear it?
JJ: Kirk Franklin’s “I Smile.”
PGN: Ha! Has Kirk, with his purple suits, come out yet?
JJ: [Laughs] You said it, not me!
PGN: Something you enjoy that others think is a chore?
JJ: Working on my dance technique. I want to be expressive too, but I like to make sure that I’m technically on point.
PGN: Tell me about becoming a daddy.
JJ: The best job in the world. There are times when I’m on stage and I submit to the role, throw myself into it and it really feels like I’m flying, like I’m transformed. Like Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce, you feel greater than you are. Every moment of being with my son feels like that.
PGN: What role are you playing in “The Nutcracker” this year?
JJ: I’m playing the role of the Chinese dancer Tea. I do Candy Cane and I’m doing Cavalier.
PGN: I’ve heard that Candy Cane is a little nerve-wracking.
JJ: It can be. Not only are there are kids on stage swinging hoops everywhere, you have your own hoop that you have to control and jump through consecutively and it’s really fast. I’m performing that tonight.
PGN: How long have you been doing “The Nutcracker?”
JJ: About every year since I was 13 at one company or another.
PGN: What are the good and bad aspects?
JJ: Good: You know the choreography. Bad: If you’re a dancer in America you’re going to be doing it for the rest of your dance career! But I love the Balanchine version. I know it so well that I’m able to find ways to play with it without changing the choreographing. I have a new partner for the Sugarplum dance and I just love her dancing. From our very first rehearsal, we were in sync every step of the way. It was magical, it felt like we were one. So I’m really excited to perform it with her this year.
PGN: And we’re excited to come watch it!
Pennsylvania Ballet performs “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” Dec. 9-31 at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, visit www.paballet.org.
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