After graduating from York University’s Dance Program, Janet Johnson spent six years in Toronto. While there she co-founded the eclectic company, Pedestrian Waltz Dance Project, whose work was performed on rooftops, art galleries, sidewalks as well as at the Canada Dance Festival, Dancing on the Edge Festival and in DanceWorks’ Mainstage series.

Since 1994 Janet has been choreographing independently of PWDP through various commissions and with the financial assistance from the Laidlaw Foundation and in 2011 formed her own dance company, Portal Dance Project. Janet has had the pleasure of presenting her choreography at such forums as the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Peterborough New Dance Series and DanceWorks Dance Series. Janet has danced for a number of diverse Toronto-based choreographers & since moving to Guelph, DanceTheatre David Earle (1998-2012), Toronto choreographers; Sue Lee, Karen Kaeja, Kathleen Rea & Montreal choreographer Suzanne Miller.

Janet has been living in the Guelph area since 1995 where she actively pursues outreach dance efforts through teaching. Janet has been a resident modern dance teacher in Guelph, McMaster University’s  Centre for Dance, George Brown, University of Waterloo and is a frequent recipient of the Ontario Arts Council’s Arts in Education Grant.

Since 1998 Janet has been co-founder and co-artistic director of the successful Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival and co-founded the GYDTP in 2006. Janet Johnson and partner Catrina von Radecki were nominated for the YMCA/YWCA Women of Distinction award in 2007 for their contribution to Arts and Culture in Guelph. Janet received her masters in dance in 2010 & became certified in both Conditioning-with- Imagery & Gyrokinesis in 2014. Janet is also the proud mother of four children.