- Video of Kathy Johnson Teaching a Modern Dance Class to Elite Ice Skaters
- Kathy Johnson Photo Gallery
For more information on modern classes or workshops, contact Kathy Johnson at ktdanco1@aol.com.
How Kathy Johnson Helps Elite Figure Skaters (Continued):
'The work I do with my elite skaters is in many respects, the same work I do with all skaters. Everyone has to develop the basic vocabulary of movement and dynamics. However, elite skaters need to take this a step further. Not only do they need to develop extraordinary control of their body’s core, and their weight, they need to expand and develop a broad range of dynamic and interpretive skills. The way they phrase music, the physicality of dynamics (drop, rebound, suspend, contract, release etc), and the effort/shape qualities of line and movement are skills that they need to master. All of this is addressed through consistent hard work in modern class and by meticulous attention to every nuanced movement in their pieces.
I work very closely with Tom Dickson, as well as other choreographers, to make sure that I address exactly what the choreographers want to see from their skaters when they perform the program. I also work closely with the coaches to make sure it is a team effort in putting together a program that is technically, musically, dynamically and artistically brilliant. I feel fortunate that not only do the choreographers get involved in this type of work, but the coaches are supportive and realize the value in developing their skaters as beautiful movers, technicians and artists.
Some of the elite skaters with whom I work ask me to accompany them to their competitions to continue the off ice and on ice work they do at home. Many of these skaters have started to incorporate the modern dance warm up into their skating warm up, and have found that it has become an important component of their pre competition routine. They find it gets them connected to their center and keeps their minds focused on their breathing, their music, and their movements. Keeping the work that they do in the studio and at the rink going during their competitions is an important part of their performance success. In 2008, accompanied Jeremy Abbott to Worlds in Gothenburg Sweden.'
Kathy Johnson Attracts Great Names in Figure Skating - Why Do They Keep Coming Back?
'I think that I attract skaters because I give them what they can not get for themselves. The work I do in modern class, and also in working with individual skaters on their programs is something many of them have never experienced before.
It is a new and different way of approaching movement and many of them have not worked in this way before. There is very little dance work out there beyond ballet for skaters. Every skater needs a good ballet and some form of yoga or pilates, but nothing teaches a skater how to move through space like a great modern dance class.
The modern vocabulary of movement is parallel in many ways to the exact same movements skaters do on the ice. What they get modern class, they do not find anywhere else. I have worked for a number of years, to develop a modern class that addresses the movement and artistic needs of skaters. I develop combinations that they can take from the studio to the ice in order to challenge them to think of their movement in a different way. In class I work on getting them out of their safety and comfort zones, challenge them to be daring in their movements, free their bodies, while maintaining a perfectly controlled center, feel their music and express through movement the unique qualities that make them who they are as people and as skater/artists.
I have seen how transformative this process can be when that transfer from floor to ice happens. Every one of the skaters with whom I work is unique and special in his or her own way. Each one has a different quality and different strengths. This is a journey, and it is starts with the commitment all of these skaters and their coaches have made to break free of the old ways of moving, the fears and the self consciousness and to open themselves up to the beauty and freedom of real movement!'
Kathy Johnson's Home Is in Kanas City:
'When not in Colorado I travel quite a bit to work both in the skating world and in the dance world. Home, when I am not on the road, is Kansas City. When I return there for some “down time”, I reconnect with friends, take long walks with my 2 toy poodles, enjoy the art scene and do some part time work with the skaters in KC. I spend time listening to all sorts of music, always on the hunt for something new and interesting. I love music, art, travel and my husband and I particularly enjoy going to New York to visit our daughter Tess who is a fashion design major at Parsons, The New School for Design.'
For more information on modern classes or workshops, contact Kathy Johnson at ktdanco1@aol.com.
