Meet Rush Johnston | Multimedia Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rush Johnston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rush, how does your business help the community?
Kaleid Dance Collective, my budding dance company, is a socially engaged arts collective that strives to bring contemporary issues to light through dance, theater, literature, and a variety of other art forms. We address issues such as climate change, mental health, Indigenous issues such as MMIWG2S and Land Back, disability, queer issues, and more. Our most recent work “The Reckoning” was a site-specific piece along the Gowanus Canal in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with themes around the current climate crisis and returning to Indigenous land practices to better steward the earth. Our upcoming work “Where the Violets Bloom” will premiere in November, 2023 with themes around queer joy and coming of age. Overall, Kaleid seeks to make an impact on our local and national community through dance concerts, films, workshops, and other educational elements.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a dancer and choreographer predominantly, but I also make art in a variety of other ways. I have been published as a poet, and like to use film and theater in my work, as well. In 2021 I founded Kaleid Dance Collective, which started as a way to continue making work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has now blossomed into a multimedia arts collective based out of NYC. Coming from rural South Carolina originally, I haven’t always had the best arts access, but through school, dance lessons, and self-study I was able to forge a path as an artist and study dance in college before chasing my dreams in New York City. I am a queer, disabled dancer, so the road hasn’t been easy but I’ve learned so much perseverance along the way. Most importantly, I realized I had a unique perspective on life and, through art, an opportunity to share that story with the world. Most recently, I premiered a full length solo entitled “Keeping Watch” reflecting on my life growing up poor and queer in the Deep South. It was a huge success and I look forward to creating more works about my life and worldview in the near future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well I’ve only been in NYC since last August, so I am still figuring this vast city out. I would take them to the Brooklyn Museum to see Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party,” followed by a walk through the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens where I’d share my wide knowledge of wild edible plants. The next day we’d have a lazy morning with my cat, picnic in Central Park. hit up Chocobar Cortez in the Bronx for chocolate martinis before dinner at the Bronx Slice. We’d go out to Jacob Riis Beach for a day off on the water and come home in time to grab dinner at the Gnoccheria by Luzzos. The next day we’d go to TKTS to get tickets to a surprise Broadway show. Finally, I’d take them to Shakespeare and Co, cafe and bookstore so they have something to read on their train ride home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my artistic mentors danah bella and Matthew Cumbie, as well as my co-artistic director, Julia Asher.

Website: www.rushjohnston.com

Instagram: @rushj_dance @kaleid_co

Image Credits
eAndrew Murray Jackson Krule Steven Pisano Ziru Wang