Nicholas Johnson was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), who subsequently went on to pursue an equally respected career in the theatre and musicals. He danced the Gypsy boy in Frederick Ashton's The Two Pigeons in July 1965, appearing with Lesley Collier, Kathryn Wade, Margaret Barbieri and Wayne Sleep. A month later, he joined the touring company of the Royal Ballet. With the touring company, he became a soloist in 1968 and a principal in 1970. Roles included the exuberant Colas in La Fille Mal Gardée and Captain Belaye in Pineapple Poll, the romantic Albrecht in Giselle, and Oberon in The Dream. He also danced in the contemporary works of Glen Tetley and Hans van Manen.In 1973 Johnson transferred to the Royal Ballet company at Covent Garden.To his existing repertoire, he added major roles in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets, notably those of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Lescaut in Manon.
In 1984 he took leave of absence to appear in the musical On Your Toes, with Natalia Makarova, at the Palace Theatre. He subsequently trained at the Actors Centre, preparing for his new career as an actor.