Winter 2025 Greetings
Performances, new website and socials, and winter updates for early 2025
Hello! It’s been a few (ok, over 6) months since you’ve heard from me over email. In that time I went on a teaching sabbatical, subsequently lost my dance center home base of the last two+ decades due to their restructuring, got opportunities to perform like I was 20 again, worked hard to up my drumming skills, and participated in a dance residency in a style that is both new to me and old to me.
The time off from teaching has been great. I often have complicated feelings about, well, everything, but being away from having an ongoing class made me realize that I love teaching movement — and that I’m good at it and I have a place in it. I’m still gonna make up dances all the time anyway, and it’s way more fun to do that with others (people who knew me when I was in elementary school will remember I was making up dances then and offering neighborhood recitals in New York basements with other kids from the neighborhood who wanted to learn them). Getting deep into a second style — different, also with a folk base, but with a less globalized and commercial presence in the world — has also made me realize just how fiercely I love Egyptian baladi and sharqi. I don’t always love what is done to it or with it or in its name, but that’s fine. It certainly doesn’t need my approval!
All this to say that while I miss teaching Egyptian dance, I’m not quite done being on break from it. Sometimes you have to step away from things to find space to grow, and I’m still in that phase. Thanks to those who’ve shared that you’ll come back to class when I start teaching again — it means a lot to hear that, and I look forward to making that happen. But not yet : )
For those of you who participated in Tarantella Tuesdays with me, I’m also brewing up some times for us to dance together again remotely. I miss it!
I have some performances coming up that I’ll share below, a newish blog post, plus I’ve shifted my website and social media locations around a bit, so come find me in my new virtual spots if that’s your jam.
I’ve also started listing some costumes for sale on my site. I have beautiful pieces that don’t work on me anymore. It’s slow going to measure and photograph the many many items I have, but there are some glorious pieces that are ready to shine again — maybe on you.
Finally, this is a winter email in a literal and metaphorical sense. Living through an administrative coup and oligarchical takeover of civil institutions in my country is scary. What can I say? To not mention it even in something as small as my dance newsletter feels wrong; to mention it in something as small as my dance newsletter feels trite. But here we are, and I do mean we. I am with you in resisting the racism, the classism, the misogyny, the homophobia, the transphobia, the widening gap between rich and poor, the antisemitism, the Islamophobia, the hatred of migrants and migration and movement, the erosion of civil rights, and the xenophobia. I am with you in finding joy in this life, this earth, these dances, and one another. The land, this beloved land that we are on, has seen worse done in its name, and it has always witnessed deep and creative resistance to unimaginable atrocities. We’re going thrive, together. We must.
To quote Alice Walker, “Hard times require furious dancing.”
xo / Monica
Upcoming Performances
February 14
Salon Hala: A Queer Art Salon Inspired by Resistance & Community
Brava Theater
2781 24th Street, San Francisco
I can’t recommend this unique and uplifting Salon, curated with love by Mama Ganuush and the Hala Collective, highly enough. Being a regular part of it is a highlight of my life. Art, music, dance, conversation, and community. I’ll be performing a solo with musician Camellia Boutros.
Tickets
February 16
Day of Remembrance
San Jose Buddhist Church, Betsuin Annex
632 North Fifth Street, San Jose
More information
This is an unfortunately timely event commemorating the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese people in the US during WW2. I’ve attended in previous years, and highly recommend going if you are able. I’ll be performing Arabic music with the Aswat Women’s Ensemble, and there is a full program including the fabulous San Jose Taiko.
February 23
Dances Under a Crescent Moon
Roundhill Studios
1043A Garland Avenue, San Jose
I’m honored and excited to be invited as a guest artist alongside Helene Eriksen’s Anar Dana dancers for the culmination of their years long west coast project. I’ll be performing two solo pieces — one Egyptian inspired and one Sicilian/Southern Italian inspired.
Tickets and information
March 8
Hala Hurriya
The Lab
2948 16th Street, San Francisco
Syrian music and celebration with singer Nasser Meerkhan and a wonderful group of musicians and singers. I’ll be on percussion.
Ticket info coming soon.
April 26
Wedding Songs of the Arab World
Private Garden Theater
San Carlos
Join the Aswat Women’s Ensemble for an outdoor Spring concert featuring wedding songs from several countries.
Ticket info coming soon.
May 17
Aragon Theater
San Mateo
Zawaya and Aswat present Lebanese and Syrian Music.
Ticket info coming soon.
Writing: New / (same) Old
“One of my grandfathers, who immigrated to the US as a young adult, used to go to the New York City 8th Avenue clubs that featured a mix of Mediterranean rooted people enjoying music and dance. It was long before I was born, and he only told me about it much later in both of our lives, but there were the coolest snapshots of bands and belly dancers living it up here and there among my grandparents photos, printed photos we'd sometimes spend hours looking at in their seemingly magical finished basement, which featured a full bar, a full second kitchen, and the most amazing leopard print furniture…”
New website and new socials
My virtual home base / website is now at MonicaDance.com.
My main instagram for all my dance and music stuff is now at monica.dance.drum
I think that covers it. Thank you if you made it this far! Write back to say hi as I would love to keep in touch and hear where you are with your own dancing, music making, or creative pursuits.
Until next time!
MB
| MonicaDance.com | Instagram | Vimeo | YouTube |