oh-what-wow, he's the greatest dancer, oh-what-wow, that i've ever seen

My friend Johan is very sick right now. He's a fucking awesome guy and I'm happy to call he and his boyfriend Tom (and dogs Punky and Weebo) friends. My ex and I met Johan and Tom when we moved next door to them in Hell's Kitchen several years ago. We became fast friends because of the dogs and soon began hanging out for dinners and a cocktail or two.. or three.. or ten. When we moved into our new apartment a few blocks away, Johan and Tom were some of our first guests.. they showed up with a martini set, bottle of vodka and a container of salt for good luck.

The first time I went over to Johan's apartment I was surprised to see a framed poster from an American Ballet Theater production hanging on the wall. The poster featured Johan front and center. I soon learned that he danced with ABT for years and was a Principal for much of his tenure. He also starred in a made-for-TV movie called Dance! in 1987... I found a clip from it at one point, but can't seem to locate it now. It was pretty genius... feathered hair and denim jackets if I recall correctly.

Here's a clip of Johan dancing in an ABT production from the mid-80's:


I'm thinking about Johan a lot right now and hope that he and his family are together.