Abbi Johnson, a young ballerina from London who danced with the National Youth Ballet, is now a company artist at New York City's Ajkun Ballet Theatre. This promotion comes after a year-long apprenticeship with them. It will be fascinating to see how her diligence and talent complement the Theatre’s already brilliant cast and choreography.
Abbi Johnson
A Long Journey into the Limelight
As a quiet kid, Abbi struggled at times to make herself seen and heard. She quickly found a way to express herself, creatively and physically, by learning ballet. Abbi soon realized that she had found her calling.
The choice to pursue a career in dance is not an easy one. It is an extremely competitive environment. There is no room for hesitation or mistakes, and critics and competition can both be merciless. To make it, a dancer has to be diligent, tough, and emotionally resilient, as well as have strong skills and talent. Abbi’s journey is an example of how that kind of dedication and courage are needed to succeed not only in dance but in all the arts.
Abbi worked hard, showing a strong dedication to both the physical and mental disciplines needed to be a skilled ballet dancer. Thanks to that hard work, she was accepted into well-known ballet schools like Central School of Ballet and Highgate Ballet School. During this time, she also worked with multiple youth ballet groups in London. She accomplished all this while also focusing on her schoolwork at Queen's College London.
After dancing with the London Children's Ballet, Abbi decided to try out for the well-known National Youth Ballet, a group for young dancers who plan to make a career in ballet. The National Youth Ballet of Great Britain holds performances every year and allows young, talented dancers to be part of various sold-out performances in popular theaters like Sadler's Wells in London and The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham. Abbi did really well in the challenging auditions and was accepted. She ended up dancing with the National Youth Ballet for two whole years before an unexpected offer drew her overseas to America.
When Abbi was only sixteen years old, she earned a scholarship for the famous Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. At the Ballet School, she went through a lot of in-depth and challenging dance training that pushed her to take her ballet skills to the next level. She completed her four-year program in May 2022.
A New Home at the Ajkun Ballet Theatre
After finishing her training at Joffrey, Abbi quickly found a company to dance with. Straight out of school, she became a part of Ajkun Ballet Theatre, an esteemed and well-known ballet company located in Manhattan, New York City. At first, Abbi was an apprentice, but after a year of proving herself in challenging roles, she has been promoted to Company Artist as of the Summers Season of 2023.
Abbi has achieved her long-standing dream of becoming a full-fledged professional ballerina. In just one year, she has already played important roles in classical ballets with Ajkun. She has performed in Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Chiara Ajkun's original contemporary ballet, Dracula. It will be exciting to see where her career with Ajkun will take her next!
For more details on Abbi’s creative life and career, check out her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/abbi_ej/?hl=en.