Darla Johnson
Teaching Experience
Darla Johnson
2112 Willow Street, Austin, TX 78702
512-472-5255 / dargal8@yahoo.com
EDUCATION
University of Texas at Austin, Dance and Writing Degree Studies 1979-1982
Austin Community College, Writing Degree Studies 1978
University of Minnesota at Duluth, Dance and Writing Degree Studies 1977-1978
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Professor, Austin Community College, Austin, TX 1990-Present
- Dance Improvisation I
- Dance Improvisation II
- Choreography I
- Choreography II
- Dance Performance Workshop
- Site-Specific Choreography I
Dance Faculty, Johnson/Long Dance Company, Austin, TX 1990-2005
- Modern Technique
- Improvisation
Dance Faculty, Invisible Inc. Studio, Austin, TX 1988-1990
- Improvisation
Dance Faculty, Sharir Dance Company School, Austin, TX 1990
- Improvisation
Dance Faculty, Migration Performance Group, Austin, TX 1987-1989
- Modern Technique
- Improvisation
Dance Faculty, Dougherty Cultural Arts Center, Austin, TX 1986-1988
- Improvisation
- Contact Improvisation
DANCE DEPARTMENT/CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENTAustin Community College, Austin TX 1989-Present
Initiation, development, and implementation of the following courses and projects:
- Dance Improvisation I
- Dance Improvisation II
- Choreography I
- Choreography II
- Anatomy for Dancers
- Dance Performance Workshop
- Dance History and Appreciation
- Site-Specific Choreography I
- Critical Response Curriculum Process
- Cross-Curricular Project, Dance Choreography I, and Dance Performance Workshop with Commercial Photography
- ACC Dance Department Cross-Curricular Outreach Program, in conjunction with Austin Independent School District
COLLEGE SERVICES Austin Community College, Austin, TX 1989-Present
Student Advisement and Extra Curricular Development
- Advisor – Vitality Exhale at ACC Student Dance Club
- Founder/Producer - The Student Choreographers’ Showcase
- Founder/Producer - The Student Dance Improvisation Showcase
- Founder/Producer - The Student Dance Summer “Informance”
- Founding Representative - The Student Dance Scholarship Committee
- Coordinator - Student Work-Study
- Coordinator - Student Monitor Program
Dance Department Services
- Dance Curriculum Task Force Member - Re-Instatement of Dance Degree
- Coordinator - New Facility Implementation, Rio Grande Campus Dance Studio
- Co-Author - The ACC Dance Department Program Mission and Values Statement
- Co-Author - The ACC Dance Department Program “Vision for the Future”
- Choreography - Dance Department Fall/Spring/Summer Semester Showcases
- Mentor – Dance Department New Faculty Hire
Arts and Humanities Division Services
- Dance Chair/Founding Member - The ACC Fine Art Task Force
- Representative - SWOT Program Review Committee
- Facilitator - Great Teaching Retreat
- Hiring Committee - Arts and Humanities Division, Dean
- Hiring Committee - Drama Department Faculty, Full Time Instructor
- Hiring Committee - The Accent Student Newspaper, Director
Assistant Director, Arts and Humanities Division Publicity and Marketing at ACC 2004-Present
- Liaison to the ACC Public Information and College Marketing Department
- Liaison to local Austin-area external professional arts organizations
- Administration of the Division’s seasonal calendar of events and poster
- Assisting the 7 department chairs with their individualized marketing and publicity campaigns
- High School Recruitment, including attendance at Austin-area high schools and recruitment fairs
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY TEACHING RESIDENCIES/GUEST ARTIST CONTRACTS
Northumbria University,Newcastle, England 2009
Georgian Court University, Lakewood, New Jersey 2009
Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia 2008
Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 2008
Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia 2007
Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia 2006
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 2000
McLennan Community College, Waco, Texas 1998
Hendrix College, Little Rock, Arkansas 1997
Texas Educational Theater Association Annual Conference, Waco, Texas 1997
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY TEACHING RESIDENCIES/GUEST ARTIST CONTRACTS(Continued)
The University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 1996
Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 1995
Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota 1995
McLennan Community College, Waco, Texas 1994
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas 1994
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 1992-1993
Texas Commission on the Arts, Austin, Texas 1986-1990
RELATED PROFESSIONAL DANCE COMPANY/PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE
Founder/Director - The JUSTICE Project 2007-Present
- Creation of educational curriculum
- Devising synopsis for individual education and publicity projects
- Direction and choreography of community-specific projects
- Development, Grants and Fundraising
Founder/Artistic Director - Johnson/Long Dance Company 1990-2005
- Administration and management of operations
- Creation and management of educational curriculum
- Facilitation teacher training for educational programming
- Choreography, direction, performance, and costume design of original performance
- Project Coordinator, Believe In Me Program
- Project Coordinator, Snap-Too Program
- Development and Fundraising
Founder/Artistic Director - Migration Performance Group 1987-1989
- Administration and management of artistic programming and company operations
- Choreography, direction, performance, and costume design of original performance
Choreographer-in-Residence/Performer - Big State Productions 1986-1990
- Choreography of company performance
- Performance of company works
- Technical support
Professional Publications
PUBLICATION/PROFESSIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY(Highlights)
The Justice Project Music by Yann Tiersen, String Quartet, Outkast, Underworld 2008-2010
Austin Community College, Austin, TX
Northumbria University, Newcastle, England
School of Contemporary Dance Dundee, Scotland
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
The Scent of Maiden’s Blush Music by Bill Frisell, Cafe Noir, Erick Satie, Frances Poulenc 2008 American College Dance Festival Conference,College Station, TX
Map Making Music by Zoe Keating 2008
Roxy Theater, Edinburgh, Scotland
Austin, TX
Falling Into Push Music by Balanesqu Quartet 2007
Black Arts Movement Festival, Austin, TX
Dorothy’s Lament Music by John Adams, Laszlo Hortobagyi & Iren Lovasz 2007
American College Dance Festival, Fort Worth, TX
Upon Awakening Before Sleep Music by Max Ritcher, Sculpture by Cole Thompson 2006
American College Dance Festival, Austin, TX
PUBLICATION/PROFESSIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY(Highlights Continued)
I Stuck My Head in the Garden Music by Afro Celt Music, Michael Nyman 2004
Kampnagal Theater, Hamburg, Germany
Atlas of the Universe Music by Albert Collins, Miles Davis, Andrew Long 1998
The Uncommon Ground Festival, University of California, LA
PUBLICATION/PROFESSIONAL COMMISSION
Wait of Change University of Texas Dance Department, Austin, TX 2000
Grand Motion Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin, TX 1999
Gridiron Girl, Pigskin Boys Dance on Tulsa, OK 1995
PUBLICATION/WRITTEN WORKS
Textbooks
The Art of Listening: Improvisation & Intuition in Choreography. 2011
Texas State Technical College. Waco, TX: Publisher Mark Long.
Contribution to Textbooks
A Woman Scatters.
Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic, Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project. 2010
Edited by Omi Osun, Joni L. Jones, Lisa L. Moore, and Sharon Bridgforth. Austin, TX:University of Texas Press.
Features in Magazines
Outside the Box: Darla Johnson Weighs in on How You Can Push the Boundaries of Your Work. 2005
Dance Spirit Magazine, July/August 2005, by Shelley Seale. Edited by Sara Jarrett, New York, NY: Lifestyle Media Inc.
Original Work Written for the Stage
Photo Album
Walking on Water
Now & Again
The Untouched Key
Wait of Change
Deut Et
The JUSTICE Project
Poetry
Stoned Emotions 2005
Edited by Allison Hilborn.
Sierra, NV: Sierra Nevada College Review.
A Fine Cemetery 2003
Edited by Harold McMillan.
Austin, TX: Austin Downtown Arts Magazine.
A Fine Cemetery
Edited by Scott Wiggerman, Co-Edited by Barbara Carr, Carlyn Reding, and Aaron Sanders 2001
Austin, TX: Austin International Poetry Anthology.
Petal Show 2000
Edited by the Austin International Poetry Festival Staff.
Austin, TX: Austin International Poetry Anthology.
Related Research/Professional Training
RELATED RESEARCH/PROFESSIONAL TRAINING(Highlights)
Dance/Choreography
Modern/Contemporary |
Instructor – Kate Warren |
1991-2005 |
Ballet |
Instructor - Lynn Grossman |
1988-1990 |
The Underscore |
Instructor - Nancy Stark Smith |
2009 |
The Meeting Point |
Instructor - Julie Nathanielsz |
2008-2009 |
|
Solo Performance Commissioning Project |
Instructor - Deborah Hay |
2006 |
Somatic Practices
|
Feldenkrais Method |
Instructor - Cynthia Allison |
1993-2000 |
|
Feldenkrais Method |
Instructor - Prisca Winslow Bradley |
1998 |
|
Physical Therapy/Massage |
Instructor - Stacy Liddle |
2002-Present |
|
Pilates Method |
Instructor - Terry Fredley |
2006-2009 |
|
Hatha/Ashtanga/Kundalini Yoga |
|
1992-Present |
Awards/Honors/Grants
HONORS/AWARDS/GRANTS
|
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Award |
2009 |
|
Dissolving Borders Symposium, Northumbria University |
2008 |
|
International Travel Grant - The JUSTICE Project, Newcastle, England |
2008 |
|
International Travel Grant - Solo Performance Project with Deborah Hay, Findhorn, Scotland |
2006 |
|
City of Austin Special Projects Grant, Austin, TX |
2006 |
|
Texas Commission on the Arts Grant, Johnson/Long Dance Company, Austin, TX |
1991-2005 |
|
City of Austin Cultural Contract - Johnson/Long Dance Company, Austin, TX |
1991-2005 |
|
Teaching Excellence Finalist, The Piper Award, Austin, TX |
2003 |
|
Teacher’s Excellence Award, Austin Community College, Austin, TX |
2001 |
|
Choreography Finalist - McKnight National Fellow Program |
2000 |
|
Teacher’s Excellence Award, Austin Community College, Austin, TX |
1995 |
|
SURFF Grant - National Performance Network, Johnson/Long Dance Company, Houston, TX |
1995 |
|
Special Projects Award - Johnson/Long Dance Company, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce/Austin ISD, TX |
1995 |
|
Texas Composers Forum Grant, Johnson/Long Dance Company |
1992 |
|
B. Iden Payne Award Nomination - Best Choreography, Johnson/Long Dance Company Austin, TX |
1991 |
|
City of Austin Grant - Migration Performance Company, Austin, TX |
1990 |
|
B. Iden Payne Award Nomination - Best Choreography, Johnson/Long Dance Company, Austin, TX |
1987 |
Published: October 29, 2025