Zahna Simon deafenpointe

Very late post…I always say better late than never (with accountability) I’m so honored and grateful to have received the Golden Heart Award during the 12th annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival. When I joined the second Deaf Dance Festival, I was blown away by meeting so many other Deaf dancers and artists after navigating my life as the only one in my dance training and career. It was a dream of mine come true to share my love of this art form with others who have the same lived experiences as me. I was so inspired that I told the director, Mx Hunter, I want to support this festival more so other Deaf dancers and artists get this opportunity as well. How can I support? Fast forward ten years later, I’m standing on stage after Saturday night’s performance cheering on the well deserved awards to @uniquethedeafdancer and @beamfred Fred that I was involved in planning. Then Mx Hunter continues to talk about someone else, I’m like oh hmmm what’s going on. Then I saw them say “someone who has worked hard…put their sweat and energy into providing a space for others…willing to change a light bulb”. Willing to change a light bulb? Oh they must be talking about me! Surprised, grateful and honored, thank you. Content description: Three pictures 1) Picture of Zahna after a performance holding her Golden Heart Award. 2) close up of the award over a wooden floor. The award shows the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival, text in black “Golden Heart Award to Zahna Simon Summer 2024”. 3) picture of Zahna, Brandy Mimms and Fred Beam holding their awards against the BAIDDF backdrop. End description. #BAIDDF2024 #BayAreaInternationalDeafDanceFestival #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #DeafBalletDancer #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage #Pointe #WorldWideBallet #WorldWideDance #Dancer #ProfessionalDancer #DeafDancersWorldWide #UJDC #UrbanJazzDanceCompany #TravelForWork #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon

Thank you @voyagelamag for the feature on my story! I’m very honored for this opportunity to share my story! Check it out! /interview/check-out-zahna-simons-story Photo Credit: @balletzaida @allshiva CD: 11 pictures. The first is a Screenshot of VoyageLA article feature of “Check Out Zahna Simon’s Story” with a picture of Zahna rotated 90 degrees posing on pointe, ballet shoes or bare foot smiling wearing pink long sleeve crop top and blue jeans. Background is outside on a staircase. The next 10 pictures are various dance poses of Zahna wearing various different outfits on pointe in outside locations. End Description. #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #DeafBalletDancer #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage Pointe WorldWideBallet WorldWideDance Ballet BalletInspiration Dancer ProfessionalDancer BalletPhotography BalletDancePhotography DeafDancersWorldWide DeafEnPointe zahnasimon

Thank you @shoutoutlaofficial for the feature, I’m honored! Check it out! /meet-zahna-simon/ Photo Credit: @balletzaida CD: Screenshot of ShoutOutLA article feature of “Meet Zahna Simon” with a picture of Zahna posing on pointe smiling wearing blue long sleeve crop top and shorts. Background is outside mosaic staircase. End Description. #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #DeafBalletDancer #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage #Pointe #WorldWideBallet #WorldWideDance #Ballet #BalletInspiration #Dancer #ProfessionalDancer #BalletPhotography #BalletDancePhotography #DeafDancersWorldWide #DeafEnPointe #zahnasimon

Join us for an artist-led conversation on Deaf/Disabled Access as Artistic Practice: DeafDisabled Leadership and Well-Being in Dance with Antoine Hunter, Fred Beam, Brandy Mimms, and Zahna Simon on Monday May 18th at 5-6 PM PT/ 8-9 PM ET! Register Here: /events/ [Content Description: 1st Flyer: [ Beige graphic with Dance/USA logo and stylized design, including blue text and blue circle that contain essential information regarding upcoming "Centering The Artists" conversations. End Description.] 2nd Flyer: Beige graphic with Dance/USA logo and stylized design, including blue text and blue circles that contain text “Deaf/Disabled Access as Artistic Practice: DeafDisabled Leadership and Well-Being in Dance w / Panelists Antoine Hunter, Fred Beam, Brandy Mimms and Zahna Simon” Top right corner “May 18” Bottom right corner “5pm-6pm PT / 8pm-9pm ET” End Content Description]

A choreographer does so much more than make people move. What would we discover if we followed a choreographer’s administrative work, like we follow their artistic work? My most recent writing experiment “The Choreography of Arts Administration” features Nadhi Thekkek of Nava Dance Theatre (@navadancesf ), Lenora Lee of Lenora Lee Dance (@lenoraleedance ), and Antoine Hunter and Zahna Simon of Urban Jazz Dance Company (@urbanjazzdancecompany ). I am so grateful for these artists and for the time that they gave to share their stories about the business of dancemaking. Link to the full article in my bio or go to /p/the-choreography-of-arts-administration Thank you to my editor Rowena Richie (@rowenafrichie ) and to Dancers’ Group (@dancersgroupsf ) for publishing this article. Also very special thanks to Antoine and Zahna (@deafenpointe ) for providing an ASL Interpreter for our conversation! Photos: Johnny Huy Nguyen in "A Bridge to Now" by Lenora Lee Dance. Photo credit: Robbie Sweeny. Nava Dance Theatre’s presentation of "Rogue Gestures/Foreign Bodies." Photo credit: Stephen Texeira. Pictured: Lalli Venkat, Nadhi Thekkek, Shruti Abhishek. Antoine Hunter and Zahna Simon of Urban Jazz Dance Company. Photo credit: Matt Haber.

Happy Belated International Dance Day! So grateful to be able to pursue a career as a professional dancer that brings me all over the world! Growing up in a world that is not accessible for me, I never dreamed this would be possible. Slowly but surely we are changing that! CD: 5 pictures of Zahna wearing off white crop shirt and blue pants 1) she’s in the center of bright white lit up background smiling 2) in wide second preparing and smiling with reflection through the floor and red lights background, 3) penche with lights background and mirror reflections of the penche, 4) holding her leg in side tilt, background is darker with sparkling lights and reflections of different angles are visible, 5) selfie through the mirror, pants rolled up right leg in the water and left leg in attitude second above the water lit up in rainbow colors. End Description. #DeafDancers #deafballerina #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon #InternationalDanceDay

When in Chicago! Funny story, I used to go to Chicago growing up and always heard about that Sears Tower. When I went to Chicago on Urban Jazz Dance Company Tour to perform for United I was telling the other members about that Sears Tower and that I would like to see it. Sure enough after performing at the Willis Tower…Oh! It’s the same tower and I didn’t even realize, how cool! My inner child gasped at the reality that we performed at the “Sears Tower”! 😄 CD: 5 pictures, 2 of Zahna in front of the Bean smiling smiling 1) Selfie with reflection in the bean wearing white shirt, blue pants and signing “peace” 2) wearing white shirt and blue pants posing in front of the bean, 3) wide shot of the bean, 4) Snapshot of Willis Tower, 5) side view of a building looking up lit up in rainbow colors. End Description. #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #ASL #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon

Happy Sunday! Always dancing, always pushing through, always believing. Keep spreading love and your positive light in this world. CD: 5 pictures of Zahna in various places smiling 1) Wearing a blue leotard and black leggings signing “ILY” in a studio 2) wearing purple athletic jacket with small backpack signing “ILY” with background of mosaic staircase, 3) wearing purple top with white jacket, earrings, hands under chin and close up on face with rainbow painting on side of cheek, 4) wearing tank and pants sitting in a plastic half dome suspended from ceiling posing and smiling, background is dark but visible, 5) wearing jeans and black jacket, holding plastic bag in one hand, other hand presenting the flowery background with “Hello Gorgeous” lit up. End Description. #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #ASL #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon

When our flight is delayed, what do we do? We dance! CD: 1 min and 22 sec edited dance video story of Zahna and Kelly at the airport waiting for their flight. They are in a terminal walkway in front of windows. They look outside the window at the rain, look at each other, shrug their shoulders and then sign “Rain Rain Rain Rain” leading into a dance. Zahna pulls Kelly leading them into a close up in the window continuing to dance before back in the terminal hallway “What do you do on a rainy day? Dance! YAY!” The frame moves back to the empty terminal hallway with people passing by and the camera frame moves to the window showing the rain and airplanes. End Description. #UrbanJazzDanceCompany #UrbanJazzDanceCompanyTours #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #DeafBalletDancer #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage #Pointe #WorldWideBallet #WorldWideDance #Ballet #BalletInspiration #Dancer #ProfessionalDancer #BalletPhotography #BalletDancePhotography #DeafDancersWorldWide #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon

Ready to jump into the New Year?? Let’s go!! Here’s to bringing more positivity, peace and happiness to 2026! Keep spreading your positive light. Sending so much love to you all. Happy New Year! CD: Picture of Zahna wearing blue pants and white crop top doing an assemble in the air with animated tiny hearts sparkling all over. The background is a Japanese tea garden. There is a purple lined yellow text with black background text box “Ready to jump into the New Year?? Let’s go!! Happy New Year!” And 3 ILY emojis. End Description. #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #DeafBalletDancer #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage #Pointe #WorldWideBallet #WorldWideDance #Ballet #BalletInspiration #Dancer #ProfessionalDancer #BalletPhotography #BalletDancePhotography #DeafDancersWorldWide #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon

Popping up to wish you Happy Holidays!! I hope you are having a safe, warm, wonderful time with family, friends, loved ones and/or fur loved ones!! CD: Festive holiday card with green snowflake background and photo of Zahna doing a ballet pose wearing jeans, black jacket and sneakers in front of 3 decorated Christmas trees and winter polar bear set. There is animated snow falling and purple lined yellow text with black background text box “Happy Holidays!! Wishing you health, happiness, light and love!! Much Love from Zahna.”End Description.

Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the birthday wishes, texts, messages, posts and more. There’s so much to be grateful for and I’m seriously super grateful to have crossed paths with each and every one of you. Some years I have gatherings, some years it’s quiet for me. While this year has been far from quiet, I didn’t host any kind of gathering which is probably a good thing because San Francisco is still recovering from a major 75% blackout! It was wild especially during the holiday seasons. I hope everyone is safe and that they all get their power back soon! I would like to share that I took that time to just reflect on myself, gather up my energy and rejuvenate along the candlelight. My wish is for you all to please be safe, healthy and happy. The world right now is a huge mess but remember you can always make a difference. Keep spreading your positive light. Sending so much love to you all. CD: 4 pictures of Zahna doing various poses on pointe in different parks smiling. 1) Wearing orange crop top and blue shorts sitting on stairs signing “ILY” 2) wearing long sleeve blue crop top, blue shorts, blue socks, 3) wearing long sleeve blue crop top, blue shorts, blue socks posing on a side of a fountain, 4) wearing black Leo, black leggings, black mask with black and white patterned socks, with lake in the background. End Description. #DeafDancers #DeafBallerina #DeafBalletDancer #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage #Pointe #WorldWideBallet #WorldWideDance #Ballet #BalletInspiration #Dancer #ProfessionalDancer #BalletPhotography #BalletDancePhotography #DeafDancersWorldWide #DeafEnPointe #ZahnaSimon