Originally from Maryland, Jermel Johnson began his dance education by attending at the Baltimore School for the Arts' after school program for four years. He continued training with the Baltimore School for the Arts for another three years. He then studied for one year at The School of American Ballet under such choreographers as Peter Martins, Peter Boal, Jock Soto, and Andrei Kramerevsky, and received a scholarship to study at The School of American Ballet's Summer Program in 2001. As a student, he performed in several productions with the Baltimore School for the Arts and in The Nutcracker with The School of American Ballet.

Mr. Johnson joined Pennsylvania Ballet II in September 2003 and was invited to become an Apprentice with Pennsylvania Ballet in May 2004. He has performed featured roles with the Company in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ (Cavalier), The Four Temperaments (Phlegmatic), and Agon (Second Pas de Trois); Christopher Wheeldon's Swan Lake (Pas de Trois and Pas de Quatre) and Polyphonia; William Forsythe's The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude; Jerome Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun; and the world premieres of Jorma Elo's Pulcinella and Benjamin Millepied's This Part in Darkness. During the 2007-2008 Season, Mr. Johnson received audience and critical acclaim for his performances at City Center in Manhattan and in the world premiere of Matthew Neenan's Pampeana No. 2 in Philadelphia.

In October 2008, Mr. Johnson received a prestigious Ballet Fellowship from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, which supported his salary for the season and will support his choreographic endeavors in the future. He was promoted to Soloist in 2009.