Payton Johnson’s dancing is a tempest of opposites. In a solo in Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber’s Seven Scenes at Little Island in New York City last summer, she moved seamlessly between pinpoint precision and breathtaking abandon. Her performance was at once elemental, like she was animated by forces of nature, and undeniably human—a young woman moving on instinct, albeit with an enviable sense of musicality and a spellbinding presence. Offstage, she brings that same focus and intention as a stager for Smith and Schraiber’s work.
Johnson in Seven Scenes. Photo by Matthew Placek, Courtesy Johnson.
Role: Freelance dancer and stager for Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber
Age: 27
Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Training: Jean Leigh Academy of Dance, The Juilliard School
Accolades: Senior National Title at The Dance Awards
Comp kid to Juilliard: Growing up in southern Louisiana on the convention circuit was “more dance as a sport,” Johnson recalls. But attending The Juilliard School’s summer program, and in particular an after-hours improv jam hosted by an RA, made her determined to go there for her BFA. “Juilliard really cracked me open, but I felt I couldn’t acknowledge all the things I had learned in the convention world. That setting gave me the foundations that I still use, picking things up quickly, using all these different styles.” Today, she serves as a judge at Press Play Dance Convention.
Relocating: Postgraduation, while she was working with Kyle Abraham to develop material for a Royal Ballet commission, the choreographer sent a rehearsal video of her to Benjamin Millepied, who then invited her to take a company class with L.A. Dance Project. Within two weeks, she moved to Los Angeles to join the company mid-season.
Walking away: Johnson ultimately was only with LADP from February 2022 to August 2023, which included a seven-month break due to a combination of injuries, autoimmune issues, and burnout. At the end of her contract, “I remember telling Bobbi and Or, ‘I’m done. I’m never dancing again,’ ” she says.
Becoming a stager: Smith taught Johnson at Juilliard, and they reconnected at LADP when Smith and Schraiber set work on the company. Before she returned to New York City, Johnson reached out offering to help the duo stage Fugue in Crimson at Juilliard. She’s since staged their works at Oregon Ballet Theatre and Rambert; helped them develop movement for the Hollywood film The Bride!, which Johnson danced in; and performed in their Satyagraha at Paris Opéra.
A surprise return: Dancing in Smith and Schraiber’s Seven Scenes marked her first time onstage in two years. “I had so much anxiety leading up to it, because the last time that I had performed, my body completely crashed and it started this whole health journey,” she says. “The work I had to do to step into that role and embrace all of the fears of failing—I was really proud of myself for doing that work to feel strong again.”
What Bobbi Jene Smith is saying: “She’s always had a fire inside her. I am constantly in awe of her: her sense of humor, her specificity, her musicality, and her generosity—both to others and to the work itself.”
A pause in Paris: The three months Johnson spent in Paris this spring as a dancer in Satyagraha at Paris Opéra was “the longest I’ve been in one spot in three years,” she says. After living out of a suitcase for so long, “Finding a home base is the next thing that I’m working towards.”
Open to what comes: While Johnson remains curious about new projects, including the possibility of joining a company again, “number one on my bucket list is to just be healthy,” she says. Her recent career experiences have already been beyond the scope of anything she’d imagined. “I just have to keep focusing on myself, and releasing, and then maybe things beyond my dreams will hopefully continue to come my way.”
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