Movement Teaching Mission

Movement teaching mission

One evening, Johari Mayfield played Jenga with a lively group of architects at a party—and failed miserably. The game’s instructions were simple: a balancing act with a clear outcome of “success” or “failure.” Yet this lighthearted moment sparked a deeper reflection on dance, fitness, and the act of teaching.

When do we take a risk?

How much do we risk?

When must we establish stability in order to invite mobility?

And how do we transcend the binary of success and failure?

As a dance instructor and lifelong child at play, Johari reminds her students that we are all movers. Each of us holds a unique physical and emotional architecture. Learning to sense one’s own balance, risk, adaptability, sensitivity, surrender, and control is central to knowing oneself.

In her classrooms, Johari creates a safe, inclusive space where movers can exist in the immediate moment of “not knowing”—a space where failure is welcomed as a teacher. She believes all students deserve a working knowledge of anatomy, a diverse movement vocabulary, an appreciation of gravity as both a resource and a guide—and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of humor.

Johari invites students to let go of the win/lose mindset and embrace a view of dance where foibles and missteps become building blocks of discovery. Her work helps students quiet their inner critics with joy, simplicity, and embodied wisdom. They are encouraged to play, laugh, move, and grow—on their own terms.