Chase Johnsey was named by Dance magazine in January 2008 as one of 25 to watch.
Johnsey (aka Yakatarina Verbosovitch and her danseur alter-ego Roland Daulin) uses his brilliant technique and delicate quality to blur gender lines to the point of spooky illusion. The petite 22-year-old, Florida-born, diva is so convincing that if you plunked him down into the cast of ABT’s La Bayadère as one of the Shades, no one would blink an eyelash... the performance is more than a little mind-blowing.Some reviewers are more direct: "you'd never mistake Yakatarina Verbosovich (Chase Johnsey) for a dude with that cover-girl smile." The Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo dance company's artist director Tory Dobrin remarks, "Chase Johnsey, who's young, looks like a woman or a young girl."
Do we agree? This is a link to an official publicity photo.
In July 2007, Chase commented on dance as art and work:
I dance as my job. Dance is my biggest form of expression. People clap because of my physical interpretation of my own feelings. People pay to come see the show i perform in.. and they get to witness me. ( i am not famous i am not saying that, but they do come see the show) As a performer a person must be completely themselves.Sounds perfect for The Cover Gurlz!
I think Chase is featured in some of this video.
September 18, 2008 Update: You're going to want to meet "new internet diva" Serenity -- and watch her videos.
