Janet Johnson

Portal Dance, Guelph, ON

After graduating from York University’s Dance Program, Janet spent six years in Toronto. While there she co-founded, directed & choreographed for the eclectic company, Pedestrian Waltz Dance Project as well as danced with some dynamic choreographers.

Since 1995 Janet has been living in the Guelph area where she actively pursues outreach dance efforts through teaching, performing, choreographing, presenting & directing. Janet has been a resident modern dance teacher throughout Guelph, at McMaster University’s Centre for Dance, at George Brown College, at Waterloo University and a frequent recipient of the Ontario Arts Council’s Arts in Education Grant. In 1998 Janet co-founded the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival & in 2005 The Guelph Youth Training Program. In 2007 Janet was nominated for the Woman of Distinction award in the category of Arts and Culture in Guelph. Janet has also had the pleasure of dancing more recently with for choreographers, Suzanne Miller, Kathleen Rea, Karen Kaeja & Susan Lee and was a company dancer with DanceTheatre David Earle 1998-2015. Janet completed her MA in dance in 2010 from York University with a focus on how art can stimulate & nurture a sense of community

Janet formed her own dance company, Portal Dance in 2011 & in 2013/17 became certified in Gyrokinesis & Gyrotonic & Conditioning-with-Imagery. Deeply committed to integrating dance and movement in more marginalized populations, Janet has worked with Youth experiencing self-harm and mental health crisis as well as with adults experiencing homelessness and Parkinsons.

Company Bio:

Portal Dance, a contemporary dance company created in 2011, is comprised of professional dance artists from the greater Guelph area who bring a rich variety of experiences and integrity to the company. Portal Dance is interested in cultivating and stimulating community and collective expression through shared artistic experiences. Portal Dance’s work is invested in communication, collaboration and research into our journey as individuals in this time and place but as well as how we operate as a collective. Portal Dance is passionate about the development and enhancement of the arts scene in the Guelph area and nurturing both its artists as well as its community.


Workshop: Contemporary Dance Technique

Accompanied by live music with Jeff Wilson 

The class will explore technique through floor work, torso expression & articulation, suspension, abundance of space and dynamic rhythms.  Come join this physically engaged class that celebrates dance, individual power and expression!

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