Johari Mayfield
NYC Teaching Artist
Johari Mayfield
NYC Teaching Artist
Johari Mayfield is a passionate teaching artist working across K–12 settings in New York City, with a focus on early childhood and elementary learners. Her practice centers on culturally responsive, trauma-informed dance education that blends ballet, hip-hop, storytelling, and somatic awareness. She is especially committed to creating inclusive movement spaces for neurodivergent students and children on the autism spectrum. Johari’s work with organizations like the Misty Copeland Foundation, Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, and Marquis Studios reflects her belief that every child deserves to see themselves in the art of dance. Her pedagogical approach—anchored in creativity, joy, and radical acceptance—is brought to life through characters like Mrs. Red Fox, who helps students explore rhythm, resilience, and identity. With the heart of a healer and the drive of a dancer, Johari uses movement to increase vitality and belonging, no matter the age, stage, or circumstance.
Johari Mayfield
Dancer. Teaching Artist. Movement Guide. Creator of Mrs. Red Fox.
Liveinthemovement has always been Johari Mayfield’s mantra. Based in New York City, she is a dancer, choreographer, ACE-certified personal trainer, and compassionate teaching artist who blends ballet, hip-hop, storytelling, and therapeutic movement into joyful, inclusive experiences.Trained in ballet under Sylvester Campbell and as a scholarship student at The Ailey School, Johari’s performance credits include Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, Janet Panetta, Joan Miller’s Dance Players, and Peggy Choy Dance Company. Her artistic range reflects a deep respect for tradition, cultural storytelling, and somatic exploration.
As an educator, Johari collaborates with leading organizations like the Misty Copeland Foundation, Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, Marquis Studios, and Eryc Taylor Dance Outreach. Her classroom philosophy was forever changed by a game of Jenga—where questions about balance, risk, and failure led her to reimagine dance not as perfection but as possibility.
Johari likens her teaching to building with invisible architecture—where every student’s body is different, and every misstep is a moment of discovery. She champions a classroom that is playful, adaptive, and grounded in sensitivity. Whether using visual aids, sign language, or inclusive language like “rise” and “move,” she ensures all learners—especially neurodiverse students—feel welcomed, empowered, and celebrated.
And then, she became Mrs. Red Fox—a clever, creative guide who “tricks” children into learning through rhythm, rhyme, and imagination. In this world, gravity is a teacher, laughter is a strategy, and movement is a right. Johari helps every student—child or adult—embrace the wisdom of their bodies, challenge their inner critics, and live in the movement.