Brooklyn based choreographer, dancer and dance educator Monifa Kincaid has worked in various genres of dance from contemporary to rhythm tap. She has performed with Nia Love/Blacksmith’s Daughter Dance, Barbara Duffy and Company, Camara Dance Unlimited, New Tap Dance Orchestra/Brenda Bufalino, Sanza Nemo Collective/Guido Tuveri, and the tap ensemble “Sophisticated Ladies” featuring Dormeisha Sumbry-Edwards at the world famous Cotton Club in New York City.

Her work has been presented at: Dancing in the Streets, Jennifer Muller/Hatch, The Battery Downtown Dance Festival, Fordham University  for Lend-A-Hand India, Symphony Space for the American Tap Dance Foundation’s production of Tap and Song, Rebound Dance Festival CT., PMT Studios N.Y.C., Rhythms Festival/eyeBLINK, Howland Cultural Center, Beacon N.Y., Gowanus Arts/Spoke the Hub, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, White Wave/D.U.M.B.O. Dance Festival, and Joyce Soho for Dancenow/NYC.

Monifa teaches full-time at a public high school in Brooklyn. She holds an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Lehman University, an M.A. in Dance Studies from the Laban Center (U.K.), and a B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

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What do I enjoy most about my high school position?

I enjoy being a mentor for those students who want to take their artistic experience and training to a higher level. I also enjoy bringing cultural awareness about dance to students who have never had this kind of experience. Being able to see them develop an appreciation of the art form is everything for me. This is what it's all about.

Positives of my current schedule…..

I like being finished with teaching in the early part of the day.

Challenges….

It's hard teaching a ballet class at 8am. It's also challenging to teach dance and dance history to students who don't choose to be in a dance course. Also there is less availability in the evenings to find available space to rehearse my company. #artiststruggle

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Friday, Nov 13th:

6:15am: Morning routine of yoga, oil pulling, shower, coffee, breakfast, get dressed, out the door

8-9am: Juniors and sophomores take an essay test on "Swan Lake" and "Giselle." Some students arrive late for the exam and therefore are unable to finish even though they know they always need to be on time (sigh…#teacher struggle).

9-10am: Dance history class. Focus on the important contributions of George Balanchine. Reinforcing the information from yesterday's lecture, begin watching "Agon." Homework: writing a review of "Agon."

10-11am: Same as previous class.

11am-noon: Break and prep for my next class.

12-1pm: Same as the class from 9-10am.

Day ends with no high school drama.

3:30pm-8pm: Meet with an artist friend of mine whom I haven't seen in a year. We catch up and discuss the issue of the economic viability of getting a BFA in dance performance/dance anything and what this really means for today's dancer. Why many universities are not combining undergrad dance degrees with arts administration, some form of business, etc. Why some dance university departments remain "silent."  

7:00pm: Receive text from my husband about the tragedy in Paris.

Saturday, Nov 14:

The best thing about today is going to see Ronald K. Brown/Evidence at the BRIC in Brooklyn. Reaction to the work: Rhthymic, flowing, vivacious dancing, messages of community of men, women, moving spirits, flowing through Afro-ancestrial movement landscapes, movement as natural as breath, water and wind…artistic refreshment indeed…

Sunday, Nov 15:

Relaxing and time with family.

Monday, Nov 16th:

6:15am: Morning routine

8-9am: Teaching ballet class

9-10am: Planning for the rest of the day

10-11am: Improvisation class. Focus for the day: level changes. After a period of exploration, students are then given time to create a short piece of choreography focusing on level changes. Each student presents her/his 1 minute work and the rest of the class writes a response. After each piece the student is given verbal feedback from each student.

11am-noon: Dance history class…focus on George Balanchine, lecture for 5 minutes, students watch "Serenade," students write a review of this work for homework.

Noon-1pm: Same as the previous class

1-3pm: School meetings and planning for the next day

6-8pm: Rehearsal for MAK Dance Company at Gibney Studios in Manhattan

Tuesday, Nov 17th:

6:15am: Morning routine

8-9am: Dance history class/focus on Balanchine and the School of American Ballet documentary

9-10am: Planning for the rest of the day, catching up on administrative work for my dance company, MAK Dance Company

Notified of upcoming in-school performance in the spring for MAK Dance Company.

11am-noon: Improvisation class. Focus on asymmetrical and symmetrical shapes and movements….exploration work, composition work, students reflect and give feedback on their work.

12-1pm: Dance history class/focus on Balanchine and the School of American Ballet

1-3pm: School meetings

3-4pm: Travel from Brooklyn to Manhattan for physical therapy for an ongoing issue with my hip, lower back and cervical spine…

Wednesday, Nov 18th:

6:15am: Morning routine 

8-9am: Dance history class

9-10am: Planning for the rest of the day, catching up on administrative work for my dance company (MAK Dance Company)

11am-noon: Improvisation class

12-1pm: Dance history class

1-3pm: School meetings

And…

Today I heard a teacher say to a group of students in his class to, "Be something better than a teacher, be something real, you don't want to do what I do…" This person effectively downgraded the profession and himself and is pretty much saying to students that it is ok to disrespect us….#youcantmakethisstuffup

Thursday, Nov 19th:

6:15am: Morning routine 

The day was pretty much the same as the other day except that we had parent teacher conferences. I met with several parents and this is what happened…… (while I was speaking directly to them) some either turned and walked away from me, rolled their eyes and looked at the ceiling, or took out their phone and began texting and/or taking phone calls.  #youcantmakethisstuffup

These conferences were taking place from 5:00-8:30pm after a full day of teaching from 8am-1pm. 

My rehearsal director for MAK Dance Company still lead rehearsal while I was at parent teacher conferences. Wish I could have been there instead of being disrespected by parents. 

Friday, Nov 20th:

6:15am: Morning routine 

There was a half day of school…I met with each class, however the day ended earlier….at 11:00am we started a second session of parent teacher conferences….needless to say based on what happened last evening I wanted to run and hide. Being an artist in a public institution is a challenge. #puttingitlightly

Met with two parents of students who want to focus their lives in the performing arts, discussion with these parents on focusing on careers in theatrical production or arts management, with minors in dance or drama…also met with a student who I mentored to get into a major performing arts high school in Manhattan…a discussion commenced about how there is no overlap of students in the dance department being able to take drama or music classes…encouraged student to find training options outside of the high school if the department is that resistant….day ends at 3pm…..

After all of this now, I can go home and focus on my creative endeavors til 9pm….

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