Johanna

Johanna 'Xenobia' Krynytzky began her studies in belly dance while at the University of Chicago in 1996. Raised with piano lessons, her interest in music was re-kindled when she was introduced to the doumbek (the Arabic drum), and the finger cymbals used in belly dance. From there she delved into exploring the frame drum and the riqq (Arabic tambourine), and a few wind instruments.

In 2000 she re-located to Florida, and joined Loud Zoo, an improvisational music and dance ensemble. In 2004, her passion for dance led her to start Hip Expressions Belly Dance with fellow dance visionary, Karen Sun Ray. They began creating dance curriculum as well as hosting a monthly belly dance showcase, inviting dancers from all over Florida to participate.

In 2007 Johanna was devastated with a breast cancer diagnosis. After struggling through several treatments, reconnecting with her spiritual connection to yoga, she emerged a survivor. Despite the difficulties that had presented themselves, she went on in 2008 to co-create A Muse in a Maze with Lydia Swystun, a musical combination of Middle Eastern percussion and Native American flute traditions. This was an eventful year, as Hip Expressions Dance Studio also opened its doors, and she began organizing a full schedule of classes, workshops, annual events and tours.

Continuing to dance and perform around Tampa Bay and Nationally, you can find her performing with the Sunset Hookah Lounge Band (founded in 2009), playing and dancing to traditional Middle Eastern folk music and improvisational tunes. Johanna also writes for Yallah Magazine, based out of Miami. You can find her on several DVD’s, including her Basic Belly Dance Drills instructional DVD.

Johanna’s signature style fuses Classical Egyptian technique with Fire Performance, Tribal Fusion, and modern musical interpretations. In her classes she is recognized for her attention to detail, alignment, and self-expression.

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Johanna first discovered the joy of dance as self-expression in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1995, while a student at the University of Chicago. Since that magical encounter with the Turkish-style dancers, her enthusiasm for the dance has grown into committing a lifetime to studying and promoting the art of dance.

After completing her dual undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Art History at the University of Chicago, Johanna spent four years coordinating performances and classes in culture, art and nature at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Meanwhile she continued to teach Middle Eastern Dance classes at the U of C, choreograph and arrange performances at the University, and around the city. Raised with piano lessons, her interest in music was re-kindled when she was introduced to the doumbek (Arabian drum) and the finger cymbals used in belly dance.

Surrounded by so many individuals at the Museum– scientists and educators – who were passionate about their work, Johanna decided to follow their example and fully pursue her career in dance. After a tour around the country studying with various dance artists, she settled in St Petersburg, Florida, in 2000. Here Johanna attended the Humanities Center School of Massage, and indeed, this new training gave her a unique perspective on the function and movement of the human body. This education opened her up to the investigation of physiology, which she continues through the study, practice, and instruction of Pilates and Yoga as dance conditioning tools.

Upon moving to Florida, Johanna met Vonn New, and joined the improvisational live music group Loud Zoo, adding a movement element to the all-women’s ensemble. Soon there were even more dancer added to the group! In 2002, she choreographed ‘Dreaming in the Proximity of Mars’ – a full length performance art piece by Vonn New which included live and recorded music, recorded dreams, and choreographed and improvisational dance. Currently, Vonn New has re-located to New York, and Johanna now directs Loud Zoo, Tribal Music and Belly Dance Troupe, women who are committed to live music, dance, and improvisation.

Johanna also began collaborating with dance artist Karen Sun Ray, whom she had met upon moving to St Petersburg. They immediately hit it off, recognizing that though they dance styles were different, their dance philosophies, community-building goals, and standards of professionalism were the same. In 2004, their visions coalesced and Hip Expressions was born – a concept of professionalism in art, offering classes, performances, and accessories. Karen and Johanna began sponsoring monthly ‘haflas’; belly dance community events that feature a variety of dancers and build community support for the art form. This tradition continues to this day.

Johanna was introduced to Fire performance by Fire By Riz in 2003, and found this new aspect of belly dance completely mesmerizing! She soon became an authority on Fire Palms, Fire Fans, Fire Belt, and Fire Sword. Karen and Kimberly also were bit with the fire bug, and they began adding fire belly dance to performances all around the Tampa Bay Area. In 2007, Fire by Riz produced ‘Fire Belly Dance 101’; a groundbreaking instructional video, the first of its kind, featuring Johanna’s instruction, and an amazing sunset performance by Karen and Johanna. Since then Johanna has taught several fire workshops across the country, including at Tribal Fest in California, and Tribal Solstice in Miami. Trained for over ten years as an Egyptian Cabaret performer and a Tribal dancer, Johanna combines her belly dance experience with fire play in a way unique to the world of dance.

Her musical training has also continued to grow. Fate led Johanna to sponsor a workshop with Tobias Roberson in 2003. His passion for percussion, commitment to precision, and technical brilliance amazed her! She began studying doumbek with renewed vigor, bringing Tobias in several more times over the next few years. Johanna was inspired to attend Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California, in 2006, and also Artemis’ Music and Dance Camp in Pennsylvania in 2007. There she met so many amazing musicians and dancers, and strengthened her love for live music. She expanded her studies into playing riqq (Arabic tambourine), frame drum, and zurna.

In 2007 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a woman committed to self-care, and attention to her body, this was a complete shock. Not only was she faced with incredible mental, emotional, and physical challenges, there were also financial concerns because of her lack of health care. Karen came to her aid, rallying the belly dance community, hosting several benefits that raised the money for the immediate care Johanna needed. Several surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy later, Johanna is now a healthy survivor of this disease that affects so many women. After months of not dancing and struggling through her health issues, Johanna is now blessed to have returned to her teaching and performing. She is now more fully aware of the blessing of dance, and treats every performance with humility and thanks for the gift of being able to once again perform.

There is no mistaking Johanna’s distinct style of technical precision and soulful musical interpretation that blends the powerful stage presence of an entertainer, dramatic power of a fire performer, and timing of a percussionist. She performs several times a week at corporate events, private functions, occasionally at restaurants and nightclubs, and lectures at cultural institutions.

'Xenobia' was the queen of Persia at the time of Alexander the Great, and is often referenced as the best-known 'warrior-queen' of the Middle East. When I began dancing and was encouraged to choose a dancer name and new identity for who I was to become, I chose Xenobia because oddly enough, this name worked its way into my Ukrainian heritage as my mother's middle name. I find this link between my past and my future... kismet.

- Johanna

"To watch you dance is not only to let your heart speak, but to allow ours to listen." ...a variation of the Hopi Indian saying already on the Hip Expressions web-site (Shows page) “To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak." I thought it wasn't complete because not only is dancing for the dancer; it's also for the audience. I just wanted to capture the complete thought and personalize it.

- John Fraser

Read this about Johanna!

by Leigh

photo by Anax Studios

Johanna ‘Xenobia’

Arabian Nights

July 2010

“It is my vision to share my passion for belly dance, to explore the beauty and power of this art form. In its celebration of the life and soul of the individual, it holds the possibility of transformation and healing for all...”