On a recent Friday afternoon, Joshua Johnson danced down a Q train car with an Air Jordan sneaker on his left foot to keep from slipping and a tap shoe on his right foot to play a beat as he collected money from several riders.
“Thank you, folks,” Mr. Johnson told the straphangers. “If you know Penn State, you know it ain’t cheap. Every dollar counts.”
Since he enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, Mr. Johnson, 20, a Harlem native, has helped support himself through his studies in business marketing with the donations he receives during his weekend performances in the New York City subways.