Originally from the United States, Chase Johnsey is the founder of Ballet de Barcelona, its current artistic director, and a pioneer in the ballet world for conquering gender roles. During his 14-year career at Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Johnsey earned critical acclaim for his technical and artistic skills. In 2017 he was awarded "Best Male Dancer" from the UK National Dance Awards and nominated for "Best Male Performance" in the role of Paquita. In 2018 Chase joined English National Ballet as a first artist, under the direction of Tamara Rojo, making history as the first man to dance female roles in a traditional company .

During her career, Johnsey has performed at some of the world's most prestigious dance theaters, including Sadler's Wells, Bolshoi Theatre, Chatelet Theater, The Kennedy Center, Joyce Theatre, Jacob's Pillow, Tokyo Bunka Center and the London Coliseum, and has performed alongside Sylvie Guillem, Angel Corella, Alina Cojocaru, Zenaida Yanowsky and others.

Chase continues to fight for equality in the dance world and humane working environments for dancers.