Dance alumnus heads to New York to pursue dance career

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Tuesday, October 4, 2016

When Dance alumnus Johnny Chatman II left Austin last spring, he already had accepted invitations to join three dance companies—Johnnie Cruise Mercer and The RED ProjectNYC, the Von Howard Project, and UT Professor of Dance Charles Anderson’s own Austin-based company, dance theatre X. He’s currently living in New York and recently performed as a solo dancer at the U.S. Open as part of a social media campaign for Lavazza.  We caught up with him recently to ask about his experience in the Dance program and how it led him to his current career pathway.

How did your experience in UT’s Dance program prepare you for life after graduation?

The program does a very good job of showing you what your life would be like in a contract company. The rehearsal schedule is always intense and very rigorous. You have to learn to take care of your body physically and mentally—eating correctly, cross-training. The hours are very rigorous, with dancing throughout the entire day, rehearsals at night and also being a part of Dance Repertory Theatre, the in-residence company at UT. You see what it’s like to be in rehearsal process and show the product of that and perform. I think I was very prepared for that.

What professors were most influential during your time at UT?

There are a few faculty members who I just really cling to, and I ask their opinions about a lot of things. They’re really great mentors. They’re also still working in the field, and that was very beneficial for me to hear what they’ve done and how they’re working artists and how I could translate their success to my success.

Charles Anderson, he’s a very genuine person. He really does care about the students. I think I really hit it off with him Day One. He’s been my go-to person for the past four years. As far as artistry, he teaches me everything it means to be an artist. He’s helped me discover my voice as an artist, and he’s pushed me to places I never thought I would be.

I don’t know if he’s like this with all of his students, but with me in particular, he’s brutally honest, and I appreciate constructive criticism. If I’m not doing my best one day, he has no problem telling me, “You need to work harder.” If I’m doing my best, he has no problem saying, “You’re doing great, but there’s still more room to grow.”

How has your relationship with Charles Anderson evolved as you’ve transitioned from being his student to a member of his dance company?

He always jokes and says he forgets someone’s not his student anymore. I’ll always be his student. Every day working with him is a new day, something new to discover.

Now, being a part of his company, it’s like a full circle of seeing the person that I was—the dancer, artist that I was four years ago—and seeing how much he influenced my movement and voice as an artist and me as a person.

How would you describe the culture or personality of the program at UT?

The dance program and the culture at UT is very family-oriented. We stick together. We push each other and care for each other in such a way that makes you a better artist or makes you hungrier in your passion. Everyone is so positive and honestly just wants to see you succeed.

What are you most proud of from your time at UT?

I’ve performed on multiple stages and got the opportunity to study abroad in Austria and see what was life was like abroad as a dance artist. 

I’m also proud of being a leader at UT outside of the dance program. I served as an orientation advisor for a summer, as a camp counselor at Camp Texas for four years, and as a resident advisor at Callaway for a year and a half. I was also part of Texas Dance for a year and a member of Roustabouts Dance Company for three years, as well as a University Co-Op Brand Ambassador for two years.

I did a lot of things outside of dance, which I think was very beneficial and also influenced me as an artist. It taught me how to navigate through the real world and in a college setting. But I’m proud that I found the balance in those arenas of campus.

Image: Chatman performs in MOVE!, For the Fallen Ones (2015). Photo by Daniel Cavazos.

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Alumni Theatre and Dance

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