About Johari

IT ALL STARTED WHEN…

Liveinthemovement was always Johari Mayfield’s mantra as a choreographer, activist, healer, and ACE certified personal trainer living in New York City. After training extensively in ballet with Sylvester Campbell, she received a scholarship to the Ailey School, where she studied for over two years. She has been a performer in NYC with Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, Joan Miller’s Dance Players, and Peggy Choy Dance Company. As a choreographer, her work has been presented at several different venues including HERE Arts Center, The Gatehouse at Aaron Davis Hall, 45 Bleecker Theater, and Dance Theatre Workshop (now New York Live Arts). She received her ACE certification in 1998 and, since then, has been an avid personal trainer, providing both group and private instruction for a diverse range of movers.

In addition to dance, fitness, and choreography, Johari has authored two comic books: Wildcard, written with visual artist Teylor Smirl, and Wildlife. Wildcard was publicly presented in January 2011 as part of the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture’s conference “The State of African American and African Diaspora Studies:  Methodology, Pedagogy, and Research.” She has also conducted research on the therapeutic potential of creative movement training in treating victims of sex trafficking. She self published Ayana and Jamal Dance Presents, a coloring book that addresses the need for children to remember the importance of movement and healthy food choices. Johari’s community outreach initiatives have included children’s workshops on healthy eating at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, and movement and fitness with Girls Education and Mentoring Service (GEMS), an organization committed to empowering survivors of sexual exploitation and Reveal NYC, a nonprofit organization that encourages female survivors of domestic violence in self-care. Most recently, in September 2019, she choreographed and performed “Recovery” at The Theatre at the 14th St Y. In addition to sharing her journey in recovery from journey in recovery from substance use disorder through dance, she created Afro Cardio Jam and Smoothie Social, a workout workshop aimed at supporting others in recovery through dance and nutrition.

Artist’s mission statement

"Double Dutch meets Martha Graham, meets African dance, meets…

fitness bio

Johari Mayfield is a dancer, choreographer, activist, healer, and…