TIME OUT WITH…

Cajai Fellows Johnson

By Daniel J. Bollinger

Cajai Fellows Johnson is a dancer, actress, and fine artist from Bloomfield, CT. Her dad, Jaimoe, is a founding member and drummer of the Allman Brothers Band and mom, Catherine Fellows, has been the Dance Director at Central Connecticut State University for more than 45 years. Performing is definitely in her blood since she’s been performing professionally since age 10 when she was cast as Young Nala in the first national touring company of The Lion King. She’s a New Yorker now and also parallel to her performance career, draws large-scale, charcoal, realistic drawings of dancers, on used drum heads. New York Lifestyles recently met Cajai to catch up with this young, talented performer.

Growing up the daughter of a famous rock n roll band drummer you must have some great stories to tell, can you share one?
I have so many great stories! I’ll go with the first one that came to mind. Now I don’t remember this one super well, but the story goes that when I was three years old, my parents and I were on James Brown’s tour bus and he put me on his lap, and I showed him my manners book I was carrying with me. I told him all about good manners!

And your mom is a dance director for Central Connecticut State. I guess it just runs in the family?
Yes, I was blessed with two incredibly talented and driven parents. It’s incredible to have such great examples in my life, but it’s a lot to live up to. I can’t embarrass the family!

Are you performing at the moment?
I am happy to report I just completed my first season dancing for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with the Knicks City Dancers. That experience was a whole new world for me but taught me so much about being a smarter, faster, and all around better dancer and performer. It is a challenge, but I have a great support system with the teammates and the staff. There is no other arena like the Garden and the rush you get when you hear the music start and lights come on you, it’s incredible.

Then last winter, I had the opportunity to perform with The Love Show which is a fantastic entertainment and dance company here in New York. They did their infamous production of Romeo and Juliet in collaboration with Little Cinema, an immersive cinematic experience that was performed at House of Yes, a raging music, theater, dance and party venue in Brooklyn. I danced the role of Juliet which was unique to me. If you told me when I first moved to the city I would have the opportunity to dance one of the most iconic roles in theatrical history, at one of my favorite places in New York, I would have laughed!

We read that you were also performing with the Metropolitan Opera. Tell us a little more.
This past year I danced for the first time with the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in The Merry Widow; it was directed and choreographed by the Tony award-winning director, Susan Stroman. Luckily, that won’t be my final time on the grand stage. I will be dancing in two operas this coming Winter and Spring 2019, in The Met’s production of Adriana Lacouvreur and La Traviata. Ever since I was a little girl, I would go to Lincoln Center and see the gorgeous fountain and think I have to be a part of this one day. It’s entirely a dream come true.

With a schedule like yours, how do you find time for such organizations such as Broadway Cares?
It’s important to me! Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids is a charity that I have been participating in fundraisers for since I was ten years old. This past June, I was so touched to be able to participate in one of their most exciting fundraising events, Broadway Bares. Bares is a performance that involves many of Broadway’s hottest choreographers and dancers and is arguably one of the most fun nights in the theater world!

Your talents also include the fine arts. Tell us more about your charcoal renderings.
I use Sumi ink on the drum heads, and I do the charcoal portraits on paper. I was inspired to make the dancers on the drumheads because I was already drawing history into the work. Drumheads are already interesting on their own and filled with the emotion and artistry of its prior owner. I thought they would make an excellent canvas.

One of my more exciting projects I have started working on is some video and performance art where I am blending my two worlds into one event. I dance while creating a kind of celestial abstract painting. You can see the video on my Instagram (Cajmahal) or on my website (cajai.net). The first successful attempt was made possible, and in collaboration with a brilliant video artist, I have a working relationship with, Max Nova. He provided me with the space and filmed the event and turned the video into a fresh piece. I want to start doing this performance around the city at different events and in different spaces.

What makes New York City so special?
I love that at any time of the day or night you can find what you want whether it is food or entertainment. And while outsiders see New Yorkers as jaded when it matters, New Yorkers are there for each other. I also love all the weird artist types you meet here. It’s such a cool community just to be yourself, let go and have a good time.