Aidan Carberry and Jordan Johnson return to where their choreographic journey began — this time, to inspire the next generation.

By Georgia Ehrlich ’29

It was the fall semester of 2015 in William Forsythe’s class when first-year student Aidan Carberry ’19 had an epiphany. During a discussion about personal excellence, Forsythe encouraged students to give their full effort in every task — no matter the context — reminding them that each opportunity to move was a chance to reach a deeper level of self-expression. Stamping this truth into their minds, he said, “Beyoncé never practices; she only performs.”

“In that moment, I realized that the only shortcut is not to take any,” says Carberry, who, ten years later, still remembers those words vividly.

For another member of the 2019 cohort, Jordan Johnson, a different kind of revelation arrived through a different medium. His “aha” moment came during a showing of the dance film “TRASH DANCE,” choreographed by Allison Orr. The film follows a group of sanitation workers who transform their trucks into expressive tools of movement — a quirky, experimental piece that reveals how dance can elevate ordinary people into extraordinary storytellers.

The film awakened something new in Johnson. He began to see choreography not as an isolated process but as a conversation with the physical world. No matter how ordinary life appeared, inspiration, he realized, could be found everywhere.

Alongside countless social, spiritual, and creative discoveries they made at Kaufman, these two moments — remembered years later — have become cornerstones of Johnson and Carberry’s creative perspective. Each served as a turning point, shaping how they understand commitment, risk, and meaning-making.

Though they came to choreography at different times — Carberry always knowing it was his path, and Johnson arriving there more gradually — their creative trajectories soon converged. While at Kaufman, they discovered an effortless collaborative flow and shared artistic sensibility, leading to a symbiotic partnership that inspired a multitude of works. After graduation, their creative connection naturally continued, and they decided to formalize it under one name: JA Collective.

Blending hip-hop, contemporary, and dance theater, JA Collective has choreographed for both stage and screen. Their credits include the music video “Psycho Killer” for the band Half Alive featuring Saoirse Ronan, and a live performance for Frank Ocean’s Coachella headlining set. Regardless of the format, their work consistently explores intricacy, speed, relationality, and deep physical commitment.

This fall semester (2025), Kaufman had the privilege of welcoming JA Collective back into the building to set a new work on current students. Excited to return to the space where their collaboration first began, Johnson and Carberry created an entirely new piece titled “Fray,” premiering at the Bing Theatre this December.

Students involved in the process describe it as brilliant, collaborative, and deeply engaging. They praise both the rigor and intricacy of the choreography and Johnson and Carberry’s fearless approach to experimentation, calling the experience “nothing short of life-changing.”

“The way they envision pathways between dancers, their use of cause and effect in individual and partnered movement, their detailed ear for musicality, and their kind yet diligent approach to rehearsals have made the process so insightful and rewarding,” says Ava LaFrance ’27.

Bella Mills ’27 shared that even the smallest sparks of inspiration — whether from a new draft of the score or the rolling wheels on Jordan’s chair — were followed with curiosity and momentum. “They trusted their instincts and kept creating until rehearsal came to a close,” she recalls.

As an aspiring choreographer herself, Mills added, “A lesson I took away from their fearless creation style is to just keep making things. Make something weird, something sad, something amazing, something horrible. Make as much as you can — sometimes more than you’ll ever need — and carry forward what you feel most drawn to.”

JA Collective’s return to Kaufman has been both nostalgic and deeply fulfilling for the duo. Yet their impact extends far beyond their own creative journey. Through their generosity and distinct artistic perspective, Johnson and Carberry have passed down the same kind of eye-opening lessons they once received — continuing the cycle of inspiration that defines the Kaufman experience.

From the “TRASH DANCE”-like freedom and experimentation that fueled the making of “Fray,” to the “Beyoncé-level” commitment demanded of today’s students, this process embodies a whirlpool of generational Kaufman teachings. In many ways, JA Collective’s latest work feels like a reflection of ten years of creative reciprocity.

From Kaufman students to Kaufman educators, Johnson and Carberry have left an indelible mark on the next generation — just as their professors did for them.