Director Ariyan Johnson, 2022, 37 min.

Ariyan Johnson shares her personal journey about the struggles and triumphs of her two conflicting loves, Hip-Hop and the Church. Through research and interviews with pastors, historians, artists, and pioneering women hip hop dance artists who stood in the gap to fight against gender biases, the film explores the burgeoning industry of Hip-Hop, and not only her own and the women’s challenge for acceptance within the Church, but also Hip-Hop. 

Ariyan Johnson, a native New Yorker, is a graduate from the “Fame” La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where she studied dance, she holds a B.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology and an M.A. in Applied Theatre. Ariyan creates strong female perspectives within the African Diaspora culture specializing in theatrical methods and Hip Hop, Jazz, Afro-Fusion Modern, and African dance forms. She is a multi-disciplinary artist, known for her Independent Spirit Award best female lead nominated performance in the Sundance Special Jury Prize Awarded film - Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., where she represented Hip Hop female dance duos. Some other credits include Law and Order; J.A.G.; The General’s Daughter with John Travolta; Bulworth with Warren Beatty and Halle Berry, where she depicted a rapper influencing Hip Hop culture on the political landscape; and a series regular on The Steve Harvey Show. Johnson’s voice-over work includes cartoons, radio, and television campaigns.