Program Dates: June 26 - July 8, 2023 (No classes/rehearsal on July 4th)

Location: COMMON, 1535 N. Dayton St. Chicago, IL 60642

Tuition: $900 (If invited to attend, $250 due at the time of registration on May 26, 2023)

COMMON invites pre-professional and serious contemporary dancers (ages 18+) to join for a transformative two-week intensive with Alysia Johnson (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BOOM CRACK! Dance Company). This intensive will focus on helping dancers understand their strengths, improve choreography retention, master contemporary partnering, and bring storytelling to life through dance.

Alysia Johnson's instruction and choreography bridge the gap between Hip Hop, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, African, and Dance Theatre. Dancers will have the opportunity to delve into improvisation as composition and explore new techniques to enhance their craft. With a focus on humor and humanity, dancers will come together to play, risk, and push the boundaries of their artistry.

About Alysia (Allie) Johnson
As a native of Dallas, Texas, Alysia attended Dallas Black Dance Theatre where she had the opportunity to train in multiple styles and frequently catch a glimpse of what life is like as a professional dancer. Following the guidance of her mentors Alysia supplemented her training via summer programs at her home studio DBDT, Joffrey Ballet, LINES Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, AAADT, SAB, Keigwin + Company, and The Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Program. These opportunities were supported by receiving the Texas Young Masters Award which would help pave the way to becoming a YoungArts Merit Award in 2014. Upon her senior year of high school at Booker T. Washington HSPVA, Alysia joined Bruce Wood Dance Company and began her professional career. While attending The Juilliard School, Alysia developed an admiration for administrative work within the arts. She went on to receive the Juilliard Entrepreneurship Grant allowing her to direct and found two programs catering to the DFW Community that bridged generations of dancers and teachers together for two years. These understandings of dance's creative and executive sides have influenced how she facilitates space as a choreographer. After graduating with her BFA, Alysia has gone on to teach and choreograph for Princeton University, HSDC, Missouri State University, Towson University, COMMON Conservatory, and Jacob's Pillow to name a few. 

In 2021, Alysia received the Princess Grace Honoraria Award for Dance through the nomination of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago where she has been a company member since 2018. Remaining consistent in her versatility, Alysia has been featured in campaigns with Tory Burch, Adidas, and fashion visionary Hogan McLaughlin. Recently Alysia joined Boom Crack Dance Company under the direction of Trae Turner. All of these experiences contribute to her voice as a choreographer where she focuses on genre-bending and community-centered concepts. Throughout her career, Alysia has been recognized for her musical intuition, quick learning, and patient creativity.  Alysia's most notable success to date is the continued support and wisdom from her communities and especially her mother, Galen Johnson. 

Learn more about Alysia on her website

FREE AUDITION: Video Submissions You can upload two video files of yourself improvising and send us the links through this form. We would like to see a difference in textures between video 1 and video 2. Please make each video maximum one minute in length. Video submissions will be accepted until further notice.

This program has a maximum capacity of 15 dancers. Pre-professional and experienced dance artists of all backgrounds and practices are encouraged to audition. Artists must be at least 18 years of age to participate and need to be fully vaccinated at the time of the intensive. Dancers will be asked to partner and make contact with other artists throughout the process. All dancers in the program will be involved in a performance on July 8, 2023 at 7:30 PM. Dancers will equally split all performance ticket sales.

COMMON is housed in an ADA-compliant space, and we encourage artists with specific accessibility requirements to send us an email when they register to audition.