Alyssa Johnson
queer artist fiercely twisting my body through space
artist · Phoenix
About
Founder and artistic director of Paracosm Dance, Alyssa is a multimedia dance and performance artist, instructor, and visual creator. She began her training with the Brockus Conservatory in LA where she was introduced to her movement foundations of Luigi Jazz and the Lester Horton Technique. Integrating mixed martial arts with parkour and tricking, she then furthered her training at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, BANDALOOP, and UC Berkeley. She danced as a soloist with Peninsula Ballet Theater under the artistic direction of David Fonnegra and performed in works by Copious Dance Theater’s Kat Roman, BrickaBrack Theater’s Gabriel Grilli, and Scott Wells & Dancers. She danced as a guest artist with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for Judith Jamison’s retirement tour and choreographed works under the direction of Joe Goode. For her excellence in dance scholarship and performance, she received the Julia Payne Dance scholarship from UCB. She is currently an aerialist with Blue Lapis Light - receiving critical acclaim for her 2023 performance as a principal soloist in "Belonging II Universe" - and longtime collaborator with Camera Clay. __________ For the past 13 years, Alyssa has taught dance across the world – in and out of the studio – studying osteological development and understanding different movement modalities. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in Dance & Performance Studies and Forensic Anthropology, using her pedagogical, anatomical, neurological, and osteological studies to further the integration of physiology and dance technique. Taking her findings to a global stage, she is currently a cultural exchange ambassador to China via 我的风格艺术教育, based out of the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art.