Interview

An exclusive interview by Ute Bonn, July, 2004.

Debbie Nargi-Brown teaches African Inspired Dance at the Louden Nelson Center on Thursday nights. She has reached thousands of people with her class over the last 18 years and received a 2004 Calabash Award for excellence in the ethnic arts.

Debbie: I was born and raised in Massachusetts and came to Santa Cruz 21 years ago after I graduated from Boston College. I had never heard of Santa Cruz before. When my friend and I drove up the mountains I fell in love with the trees, the mountains and the ocean.

I felt drawn in by Santa Cruz, not only for the physical beauty but the creative energy I felt here and decided to stay. Two months later, a friend took me to my first African Dance class taught by Joanne Bailey. It was at Louden Nelson. I remember that I couldn't move my neck for a week after that but nevertheless I fell in love with that dance and started taking classes four times a week. Something about it felt very familiar to me, like coming home…. As a little girl I loved to dance and sing. I could never sit still. I Could feel the ancient call from those drums. It was so primal and familiar. I could feel it in my bones, in my blood, a remembering of my ancestors that danced, drummed, and sang around the fire. African Dance feels so comfortable in my body, it is so freeing.

For over 20 years, I studied with many master dance teachers from Africa and Brazil. I had the opportunity to study drumming and dance in West Africa in 1989. That was an incredible experience for me. The people that I met in Africa were so welcoming and supportive. Even though they didn't have a lot on a material level, they were rich in the way they cared for people, how they lived in community, and how they integrated dance and music into their daily lives.

Debbie: At the time there weren't any classes offered in the evening. I was working during the day, and was wishing for classes to take in the evening. My aide at school, an African-American woman, said to me: “Why don't you start teaching a class at night?” That inspired me. I went through the Santa Cruz Parks and Rec and taught two nights a week. Michael Glusman and his group drummed for our class. It became a popular class and after a while we had over 50 people each night. We were paid by the hour and not by how many people we brought in so we decided to go out on our own. We started out at the Eagles Hall on Mission Street - which is now an Aikido Center.

We had our class on Thursday nights at six pm. It started with around 20 people or so and then grew to where some nights we had 80 people! We danced for several years at the Eagle's Hall until the building was sold. I went to the Louden Nelson Center and there was only one night available: Thursday at 6 pm. I've been teaching there ever since. I also had the opportunity to teach dance at UCSC for three years in their beautiful dance studio and met many wonderful students. I am always thrilled when one shows up on a Thursday night.

Debbie: I think the reason why this class draws so many people is the feeling that they can be who they are. They don't have to be perfect in their dance. It's not just about dance in this class; it's also about sharing this experience together. I have facilitated many retreats over the years and this helped to form a community. Many are still connected from the first retreat we did in Hawaii. People got to be together on a deeper level. That trip in particular was very transformational for me, it changed my life forever. This trip happened ten years ago this August.

I assess the group each time I teach, to see how far I can stretch them while not being overwhelming. I want to create a bridge for dancers so they can learn the basic movements and then go and take classes with the other wonderful African teachers we have in town. I have people that have been taking the class off and on for almost 18 years. We have a diverse group that ranges from children, pregnant women, teenagers, adults - with the oldest member being in his seventies. Everybody is welcome, all abilities, body types, ethnic background, and ages.

This class has been consistent and people can count on it to take place every Thursday, whether I am there or not. I am very fortunate to have a group of incredible drummers. I know I couldn't have done it without them - they are the other half of the class: Gary Kehoe, Michael Glusman, Chris Kenney, Afia Walking Tree and Brindle. For many years prior I had Renee Gregoric and Duke Houston with me as well. There is definitely a magic that happens between the drummers and the dancers!

Debbie: I am sinking deeper into Spirit. As I get older it's less about the ego. When my body can just surrender to the movements and the music, at that moment, it's pure bliss. I am being moved, not the mover. The dance has become more of a healing for myself and hopefully others. For me, dancing and singing are prayers - prayers to the world. It's an offering.

The community that forms every Thursday is how I would like the world to be - a place where people support one another and respect one another for who they are. In a Metro article that was printed before the Calabash Award my class was called “Church of Debbie” and I didn't care for the wording (or the cover picture!). The word “church” is so loaded. In the Thursday night class there is no particular dogma. It's a place to dance and sing together in community. It's not a following of me that I want, it's for each one of us to follow our own heart.

Debbie: I have a full time job at Santa Cruz City Schools where I have worked for 23 years. I have a master's in Special Education. I help teenagers who have learning challenges to find jobs or to transition into college - I do a lot of career counseling. Writing grants and coordinating the special ed/vocational ed program for North Santa Cruz County is also part of my job.

I am busy being a mother to a 13 year old named Nicholas. We like spending time together and, of course, now that he is getting older, he is more independent and spends a lot of time with his friends. There is a lot of chauffeuring involved. I met my husband Bill not too long after I moved here and we have been together now for 23 years. We live in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains and spend lots of time in the Sierras. I sing with the “Threshold Choir,” led by Kate Munger, which is made up of women who are drawn to sing at bedsides of people who are dying, in coma, or newborn…. Last summer I started a group called “WomenSong.” We met weekly at my home during the summer. During the fall and winter we met twice a month for about six months in Santa Cruz. Starting with the summer solstice, we will be singing once a month in Felton.

Debbie: I am being drawn to do more healing work, possibly with individuals. I have discovered the power of sound healing, using crystal singing bowls and my voice. A friend of mine has cancer and I have been working with her…. I want to continue to write songs, perform and, of course, lead the Thursday night dance class.

Debbie:: This event will be from September 24-26, 2004 at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond. There will be lots of dancing and singing workshops. Saturday afternoon there will be a concert in the redwood circle with many different performers, for example, Kate Munger, Kelly Takunda Orphan, possibly Steven Walters, myself and the drummers. The concert is more like a ceremony, which will include dances, songs, poetry and audience participation. … Another aspect of this celebration is to release our first CD. Every Thursday night at the end of class, we sing…. Over the years, I have collected songs from all over the world and have been writing my own songs since I have been a child. The CD is a collection of songs from different parts of the world, drumming, and original work.

I see this event as a celebration of the community that has been built over the last 18 years. It is also a way to give thanks to Spirit for the way that my life has been touched by dance, song and community. This will be the ten year anniversary of the powerful retreat we took on the Big Island of Hawaii…. I want to do it as an offering or prayer for the world. It is my hope that this event and the love we create be that small pebble that can be cast into the water to have, like the ripple effect, a long lasting effect on this earth.

Ute Bonn

Born in Germany, Ute has lived in Santa Cruz for 12 years. A musician and gifted dancer, she just released her debut CD entitled "VoiceDance". Her work in journalisma and her own engagement in the cultural scene in Santa Cruz as a singer/songwriter, dancer and teacher has brought her in contact with numerous artists on the cutting edge of the performing arts.