Myron Johnson inches back into the light

When is a ballet class more than just about polishing plies and arabesques?

When it's taught by Myron Johnson.

The inventive choreographer who founded Ballet of the Dolls, Johnson had a personal crisis a year ago that led to him writing a long letter that seemed like a preamble to tragedy. Fortunately, he did not end it all. Instead, he checked himself into a hospital, where he was treated for nine weeks.

In the meantime, Johnson canceled the rest of the Dolls' season and put the inventive troupe that he started in 1986 on hiatus. Importantly, the company's shaky status left the struggling Ritz Theater in northeast Minneapolis without the principal tenant it had had since 2006.

After intensive therapy over the past year, Johnson is now inching back into the light. He taught a dance class Friday under the aegis of James Sewell Ballet. He also is teaching a class at a gym.

"I'm feeling better and I'm putting myself back in the game," Johnson said Wednesday. "It was exactly one year ago that I went down. Oh, Lord, what a journey it has been."

Johnson is still unsure about when, or if, the Dolls will be resurrected. But he is hopeful as he continues to heal.

Johnson's class, which is focused on technique and is aimed at professionals, will reunite many of his company members. It will also introduce him to some younger members of the Sewell company. He said that the cross-pollination is helping to spark his creativity, even as he savors the ability to dance and perhaps create work again.

"I didn't expect to be here now," he said reflectively. "I wouldn't call it a second chance but it does feel like a rebirth. I'm at a place where I don't take anything for granted. Every day is a blessing."