Southern Italian Dance :: Weekly Virtual Ronda
Information
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?
- Jump in the zoom
- Say hi
- Mute yourself
- We'll do a quick warm-up and go over a basic step to get everyone on the same page
- I'll play a song, we'll all dance
- The song will end, we'll say goodbye, and then we'll do it all again the following week
Miscellany
- Come as you are. No special outfits or equipment needed
- You can have your camera on or off
- You can drum, sing, or clap along instead (muted, please!)
- You can do crafts and bop along to the music
- No recording (of others or of the screen, please — you can record yourself in your space if you want!)
- No pressure
- No prerequisites
- All bodies are dancing bodies
- It will be more fun if you are there
Mutual Aid
This is not a class. I am a social practitioner and a fellow learner, not an expert. There is no charge.
That said, I do know one or two things, can share a basic move to get everyone started, and 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.
2023 donations & mutual aid:
Mediterranea Rescue.
Saving lives and bearing witness on the Mediterranean Sea
Previous mutual aid/donations have gone 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
Upcoming Dates
6 to 6:15-ish PST (west coast US time)
No meeting October 3rd
Tuesday, October 10
Tuesday, October 17
Tuesday, October24
Tuesday, October (? I'm game!)
...then on into November
Check out the Mezzogiorno.Arts instagram
Your Facilitator
I started mezzogiorno.arts in 2018 as a skill-sharing project for folks who have 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 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 various other 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'm ready to get moving, literally and figuratively, and I know we can do so in an online space. Let's start with some very low key socially-oriented community dance meet ups, and see where we want to go from there.
See you Tuesdays on zoom.
Note: A full list of Monica's teachers can be found on the about page.
Photo by Jeff Klukowski