Johari Mayfield

The Venus Hottentot struts in a cage as a sideshow freak and scientific specimen in 19th century England. Fast forward to the present day where a young woman solicits men in elevators. The Venus Riff blends irony and social critique in a twisted commentary on the fall and resurrection of womankind. Dance, music, and burlesque intermingle in a theatrical exploration that shines an informed light on scientific and religious urgings to pin women down as types, as species, and as good or evil. Directed by Jose Zayas.

"...and the buttocks of the Hottentot [are] a somewhat comic sign of the primitive, grotesque nature of the black female." --Charles Darwin

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food...she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband." Genesis 3:6

Developmental support from the Harlem Stage Fund For New Work
Presented on a shared bill with Wooden

 

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I like being lost sometimes as an artist. The "Hansel and Gretel" approach to storytelling, dropping intellectual bread crumbs all way to a square oven so that I can have my brains cooked in absolute certainty spoils my fun.

As a neo-Gothic griot, storytelling and listening to a story are not that distinct for me.  Both exercises require being alert and prepared for the world that imagination evokes-- one that the subconscious mind can transcend-- beyond linear beginnings, middles, and endings, and labels of past, present, or future. The scaffolding of dance, technology, and narrative flow supported by the body creates new spaces for my imagination to climb high, establish itself, and take off again...

What has a broad, flat tail like a beaver, webbed feet, and a snout resembling a duck’s bill?  A platypus, probably.  Whose choreographic identity is a unique amalgamation of Double Dutch meeting Martha Graham meeting John Coltrane meeting Einstein meeting African dance meeting Edgar Allen Poe? Johari Mayfield, more than likely.  Evolving in an artistic habitat that at any given moment may be a ballet class on 29th street, an audio jam on the Lower East Side, an African dance class in the Alps, a children’s playground, or a long, hot shower after watching “Back to the Future” for the umpteenth time, Johari’s work hatches out of an instinctual need to artistically explore a myriad of environments in order to make sense out of Life’s emotional, spiritual, and physical curve balls. Her dances synergize traits from movement, narrative flow, and technology that leave audiences giggling, crying, or scratching their heads. Her work has been well received in several venues and festivals throughout New York and abroad including P.S. 122, RAW Material at Dance New Amsterdam, Spark Festival for Electronic Music and Art in Minneapolis, and Die Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria.