HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sabra Elise Johnson (born July 29, 1987) is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress from
Roy, Utah Roy is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States, located on the west side of Interstate 15. The population estimate in 2019 was 39,613, an increase of 5.8% from 36,884 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Ogden− Clearfield, Utah Metropo ...
and the Season 3 Champion of the
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
reality television show ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
''. She was born in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, lived nine years in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and after that, nine years in Utah. She continued to Las Vegas and, deciding to pursue a career in dance, moved to New York City. From there passion has carried her across the world and she now lives in Vietnam dancing, choreographing, and directing.


Early career

Johnson started formal dance training at the age of 16 at Dance Impressions in
Bountiful, Utah Bountiful is Davis city. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301. The city grew rapidly during the suburb growth of the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and was Davis County's l ...
, under the direction of mother-daughter team Kandee Allen and Vivian Colobella. She then moved down to Las Vegas, NV and trained at The Dance Zone, under the direction of other Colobella daughter Kaydee Francis and partner Jami Artiga. Before training in dance, Johnson had a previous background in gymnastics. Her dance training consists of jazz, ballet, contemporary, and gymnastics, with some experience in hip hop, modern, tap, and theater. Johnson's favorite style of dancing is jazz. Before auditioning for ''So You Think You Can Dance'', Johnson was going on to her fourth year of being a dancer. Johnson had a backup role on the hit film ''
High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, th ...
'' as one of the skater dancers in the "Stick To The Status Quo" scene.


Contestant on ''So You Think You Can Dance''

On the first episode of the show, Johnson was paired up with
b-boy Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...
Dominic Sandoval Dominic Kyle Sandoval (born October 15, 1985), better known as D-Trix, is an American dancer, YouTube personality, television personality, and actor. He is a member of Quest Crew and former member of Fallen Kingz. Sandoval was a contestant on ...
, and they remained partners for five weeks. Each week, Johnson and her partners were required to reach into the hat with paper slips containing a variety of dance styles. The pair performed a
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
routine during week one, a
contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
routine during week two, a
rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...
during week three, a hip hop during week four, and a jive during week five. The couple landed themselves in the bottom three couples only once which was during the first week. After week five, there were only ten dancers remaining in the competition. After Johnson made it into the top ten, she was separated from Sandoval because of the rules for the top 10 competition. In week 6, Johnson was randomly paired with contemporary/hip hop dancer Kameron Bink for the next dance where they performed a contemporary routine. Bink was eliminated on the following results show. In week 7, Johnson was randomly paired with
ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...
dancer,
Pasha Kovalev Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev (russian: Па́вел "Па́ша" Ковалёв) is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer. Kovalev started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2001, moved to the United States with his professional dance par ...
, for the next performance where they performed a
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
routine and a
quickstep The quickstep is a light-hearted dance of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal a ...
. In week 8, Johnson was randomly paired with contemporary dancer Neil Haskell for the next dances where they performed a
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
routine and a
paso doble Pasodoble (Spanish language, Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military ...
routine. During the following results show, Johnson was announced as a top 4 finalist of the season. Throughout the season Johnson was praised for her passion, enthusiasm, prodigious talent, personality, strong dancing and versatility in the different routines. In the end, Johnson garnered more votes than her fellow finalists and was subsequently crowned America's favorite dancer, beating out
Danny Tidwell Daniel Arnold Tidwell (August 1, 1984 – March 6, 2020) was an American dancer and actor best known for being the runner-up on Fox's third season of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2007. Tidwell began dancing as a child, at first focusing o ...
, Neil Haskell, and
Lacey Schwimmer Lacey Mae Schwimmer (born June 28, 1988) is an American ballroom dancer and singer. She is best known as a fourth place finalist of the third season of ''So You Think You Can Dance''. She is the daughter of noted dancer Buddy Schwimmer, as well ...
.


Performances

''Note: Results highlighted in red indicate that contestants placed in the bottom dancers or couples, but may not have necessarily been eliminated.''


Post SYTYCD

Since winning SYTYCD, Johnson has concentrated on teaching rather than dancing, but has expressed a desire to pursue a professional dancing career, possibly even on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
. Johnson has made appearances as a performer and teacher at numerous events and workshops, appearing at charity events. As part of those activities, she has travelled abroad to locations such as Iceland (with SYTYCD choreographers
Dan Karaty Daniel Quinn Karaty (born October 1, 1976) is an American TV personality, actor, producer, dancer and choreographer. He has performed with and/or created routines for pop superstars such as Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and *N ...
and
Shane Sparks Melvin Shane Sparks (born June 25, 1969) is an American hip-hop choreographer best known for his work as a choreographer on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' and judge on '' America's Best Dance Crew''. Early life Sparks was born in Cincinnat ...
and Season 3 runner-up
Danny Tidwell Daniel Arnold Tidwell (August 1, 1984 – March 6, 2020) was an American dancer and actor best known for being the runner-up on Fox's third season of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2007. Tidwell began dancing as a child, at first focusing o ...
), Australia (alongside fellow Season 3 contestant Kameron Bink) and South Africa.WKSE Radio Interview
/ref> In 2008, Johnson was a pro dancer at the Dance Times Square Showcase benefit held on October 25. She was partnered with SYTYCD finalist Neil Haskell. In 2009, Johnson began the year as the Special Guest Artist at the Merrimack Hall Second Annual Evening of Dance in
Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
,
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. (SYTYCD Season 4 winner Joshua Allen taught a master hip-hop class there a few days later.) She later appeared at the St. Louis Auto Show and was a member of the
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet was a New York City-based contemporary ballet company. Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet was founded in 2003 by Nancy Walton Laurie.Luke JenningsCedar Lake Contemporary Ballet – review: Sadler's Wells, London ''The Gu ...
company in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
for a time. Johnson taught dance master classes for the East Coast Movement on August 25, 2010, along with Kameron Bink. In addition Johnson has taught Jazz dance internationally, and as of 2017 was working closely with the Dancenter in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Through the Dancenter she formed a working partnership with the Urban Dance Group (UDG) where she is choreographing and directing her first full-length interactive dance show, 'Between Us'.'Between Us' Trailer
/ref>


See also

*
List of dancers An annotated list of popular/famous dancers. A *Ayo & Teo, duo of dancers and musicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan. *Fred Astaire ( – ), American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer, musician and actor. He was an innovator ...


References


External links


Profile
at ''So You Think You Can Dance''
"Sabra Dance"
at The Standard-Examiner (Utah) {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Sabra 1987 births Living people So You Think You Can Dance winners Dutch emigrants to the United States So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) contestants 21st-century American dancers People from Roy, Utah