I'm a learner and social practitioner hoping to start una danza colletiva (a percussion, movement, and cultural context skill share) in SF. I host a weekly virtual dance ronda (circle). Jump in!
What?
A weekly social dance get together
Not a class! Though I teach in other dance styles, when it comes to these styles, I am a fellow learner and longtime social practitioner.
Where?
Zoom:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75473946824?pwd=5jB5yQzIBcATIuqWyCK31YP0C3ysjQ.1
When?
Every Tuesday at 6pm PST (west coast US time). Feel free to log in a few minutes early, as we'll aim to start on time.
Why?
It's fun!
Who?
You. Me. Us. We. Whoever shows up.
How?
Miscellany
Mutual Aid
This is not a class. I am a social practitioner and a fellow ongoing learner, not an expert. There is no charge.
That said, I do know one or two things and I put many of my personal resources into learning more from my amazing teachers. I can share basic moves to get everyone started. To keep it community-minded, I will pick a spot for us to donate some mutual aid to each season. If you are able to donate, great, if not, no worries. Honor system. We can community source spots as we go, as well.
2024 donations & mutual aid:
Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA)
Providing direct aid to Gazans
2023 donations & mutual aid went to:
Mediterranea Rescue.
Saving lives and bearing witness on the Mediterranean Sea
2022 mutual aid/donations went to:
UAW-UC Academic Workers Strike Support and Hardship Fund
In solidarity with the 48,000 academic workers currently striking over unfair labor practices.
National Indian Child Welfare Association. I believe it is vital for Italian-Americans to actively support native peoples in the Americas (and am happy to chat about why anytime). You can read more about the threat to ICWA here: https://linktr.ee/protecticwa
Your local food bank. They do crucial work. (My local food bank is here. You can find yours at this link.)
Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition - Water Fund
No Más Muertes / No More Deaths
Tuesdays
6 to 6:15-ish pm PST (west coast US time)
No upcoming cancellations — see you each Tuesday!
Check out the Mezzogiorno.Arts instagram
This is not a workshop/class! Rather it is a gathering of interested people with a variety of experiences who want to learn more, and perhaps work on related projects together. The plan is to go over the basics, dance together, watch videos for inspiration, and train our eyes and ears to see differences in styles — and then of course to dance some more. I will also be sharing a short reading passage with people ahead of time that we can discuss to keep our work contextualuzed.
Specifically:
This is a bit of an experiment - not quite a class (but we will all learn) , not quite a salon (but we will all think and chat), not quite a festa (but we will all have a meaningful blast). Monica will be facilitating.
Note that though I am a decades long dancer and teacher in another style, I very purposely use the term facilitator for this work! I have vast an varied learning experiences around pizzica and related forms, but am a learner and social practitioner myself.
Spoiler alert: Part of my larger thinking is that we can nurture a scene where pros will want to come teach us knowing there is interest!
People of all experience levels are welcome. Folk dance, after all, is done, learned, and taught by folks.
Note: We need at least 5 to 7 people to make these happen. We need YOU!
March 2nd is postponed — stay tuned for our next date.
Grazie for your interest and support!
I started Mezzogiorno.Arts in 2018 as a skill-sharing project for folks who have some Italian ancestry to learn and practice dancing and drumming together in a collective and social way. As a family style and social dancer who wanted to learn more, I had been frustrated by the lack of resources in my area, and the plan was for the project to be based out of my long time dance home in San Francisco, where I have access to affordable and beautiful studio space. Then a global pandemic hit, and it all fell by the wayside.
During that time, however, people managed to stay connected. My dance classes (I teach in another style) went online, and it worked. My band rehearsals went online, and it worked. Crucially for this project, I was suddenly able to take regular and one-off classes and attend events with Italian drummers and dancers who were geographically very far away, classes I would not have been able to participate in had we not all been forced to go virtual. Through other related projects, I also met lots of people who were into and/or curious about the things I am, and who live all over the world.
While meeting and dancing together in person is still in the cards, I was ready to get moving, literally and figuratively, and I know we can do so in an online space. I started facilitating weekly 'dance-alongs' in July 0f 2022 and 2024 has already seen an in-person workshop with teachers visiting from Italy, and the start of bi-monthly in-person dance meet ups.
See you Tuesdays on zoom!
Note: A full list of Monica's teachers can be found on the about page.
Photos:
Left and below, top row, are images from our Pizzica workshop in San Francisco, January 2024. Photos by Jeff Klukowski.
Bottom row are images of people dancing pizzica and tammuriata. Left and right photos are by Giuseppe Michele Gala. Center photo is from Wikimedia Commons.
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