Iver Johnson - NMU Theatre and Dance

Iver Johnson began his ballet training at the age of 8 in Crystal Lake, Illinois. There he studied at the Judith Svalander School of Ballet before attending year round intensives at The Sarasota Ballet of Florida, The Rock School in Philadelphia, and The Miami City Ballet, during which he was also a guest artist with the Dayton Ohio Ballet. In 2010 he began pursuing a degree in ballet performance from Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music, and trained with distinguished teachers like Violette Verde and Michael Vernon. During his time at IU, Iver performed in many renowned ballets such as Paul Taylor’s Cloven Kingdom and Company B, Gorge Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Four Temperaments, Western Symphony, and Serenade, and Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story, just to name a few. Upon graduation Iver joined the Sacramento Ballet. There he had the privilege of performing in such notable ballets as Ron Cunningham’s The Great Gatsby, Carmina Burana, Rite of Spring, Cinderella, and The Firebird, as well as George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes. After retiring from his career with the Sacramento Ballet in 2015, Iver, along with his wife Karina, helped form the dancer-run company Capital Dance Project, which is still in operation and performing to this day. After a shoulder injury and 18 years in the world of dance, Iver pivoted to brewing beer on a commercial scale. After 5 years as the creative head of two separate breweries, COVID moved Iver and his growing family back to the midwest, this time to Marquette. When not in a ballet studio Iver can be found enjoying the great outdoors with his family, lusting after vintage motorcycles, or tinkering in his wood shop. Iver is grateful for the opportunity to teach alongside  his wife Karina and to share his knowledge with tomorrow’s performing artists.