Millicent Johnnie

A two time United States Artists nominee in dance, as a teenager, Millicent Johnnie hosted a local social justice TV show met by protests from the KKK. She traces her professional determination and commitment to social issues in Black culture to this early opposition. Former Associate Artistic Director of Urban Bush Women with choreography featured on ESPN, the Prince William Network and Sunshine Networks, Johnnie worked A&R through Marvelous Enterprises bringing together her diverse experiences in theater and dance into the music industry. After choreographing Thoughts of a Colored Man, a Broadway-bound play produced by Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage, Johnnie received her MFA in film with a specialization in producing and story development.

Johnnie’s NEFA National Dance Project Bamboula: Musicians’ Brew inspired her short film Bamboula is Not Bamboozled and with significant contribution from the The National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, she developed and produced, La DiaBlesse Curse; both currently touring the film festival circuit. Johnnie choreographed Scary Movie 5 and is currently in post-production for her feature, Ma Negresse, featuring Grammy nominated fiddle player, Cedric Watson. Pulling Back the Curtain, her latest hybrid film released in October, exposes the Ballet world’s fragility and reckoning with the intersection of COVID-19 and systemic oppression.

Selected theatrical credits include: Cry You One “CREATIVE CAPITAL AWARD”; Ameriville produced by Universes Theater Company, Inc.; Parable of the Sower the Opera produced by Bernice Johnson Reagon and Toshi Reagon; We are Proud to Present a Presentation and The Shipment produced by UnderMain Theater; Cubamor produced by Village Theater; Universes’ Party People produced by OSF, Berkeley Repertory Theater “TBA AWARD, BEST CHOREOGRAPHY” and The Public Theater “2017 AUDELCO AWARD, CHOREOGRAPHY NOMINATION”; Robert Wilson’s Zinnias: The Life of Clementine Hunter Opera, The Love Project produced by Rhodessa Jones and Cultural Odyssey; Symphony for the Dance Floor produced by Sozo Artists and Brooklyn Academy of Music; Walt Disney Creative Entertainment’s Frozen; Rent produced by Ferndale Repertory Theater receiving awards for "BEST DIRECTOR" and "BEST MUSICAL". Johnnie also directed and choreographed West Side Story in South Africa and performed in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Brazil.

Selected music credits include: Tekitha Wisdom, Grammy artists Bill Summers / Los Hombres Calientes, Usher Raymond, Chrisette Michele and various artists.