Ja James Britton Johnson

Seyna Rose

Ja James Britton Johnson, known artistically as Jigsaw, is a street dancer and filmmaker of Caribbean descent whose practice spans over 20 years. Rooted in Krump, Hip Hop, and Memphis Jookin, he trained in Montreal with 2Marvelous, developed his Krump practice with Canada’s first Krump crew, Bzerk Squad, and studied Memphis Jookin under innovators Dr. Rico and Daniel Price in Memphis, Tennessee. Recognized as one of Canada’s Krump veterans, he is affiliated with the Montreal Krump Alliance (MKA) and has performed nationally and internationally.

For much of his professional career, he has been a performing artist with Ebnflōh Dance Company, collaborating with choreographers including Saxon Fraser, Céline Richard Robichon, Sovann Prom Tep, and many others. He is currently developing Vitrine and Negative Space/Contrast – A Hood Classic, exploring the topic of “access” within classism, social division.

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Negative Space/Contrast – A Hood Classic

Negative Space/Contrast – A Hood Classic is a solo Hip Hop performance inspired by the fence that separates the Town of Mount Royal (TMR) from the Montreal neighbourhood of Parc-Extension (Parc-X) — a physical barrier that still emits the loud yet unspoken message: “YOU CAN’T COME HERE.”

The fence becomes a starting point for exploring the physical and psychological effects of class disparity and exclusion, particularly within the predominantly racialized community of Parc-Extension, set against the predominantly white population of TMR. Through this project, the artist examines the notion of access: what it means, who holds the power to grant or restrict it, who gets to benefit from it, who is denied it, and how these conditions leave lasting marks on the body and mind.

Drawing from sociology and psychology, Ja examines the contrast between “the Rich and the Poor”: how social norms take shape, and how they harden into invisible collective structures that quietly govern the way people move through the world. From this inquiry emerges the choreographic language of the piece — a translation of social observation into movement.

©DumaisPhoto

©Seyna Rose

CREDITS

Team

Choreography
Ja James Britton Johnson

Outside Eye
Mithra Rabel
Nindy Banks
Tatianna Desardouin

Costume consulting
Nindy Banks

Music Consulting
Mithra Rabel