Meet Maha Afra | Dancer, choreographer, educator, believer in social justice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maha Afra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It was both very full of thoughtfulness but also it was this internal drive to start my own dance company. There were many reasons: I needed to communicate through dance but not only one style of dance, as many styles as possible. I was adamant on giving anyone a chance to perform, to experience being in a space in front of an audience. The space did not have to be your traditional proscenium stage that is common in Eurocentric cultures but any space. I had to honor diversity through honoring as a many dance forms as possible. Most dance companies do one thing and one thing only. My logic or sense of being could not process why we had to pick and choose and stick to that thing we pick and choose. Meaning: you had to be a ballet dance company, or modern, or contemporary , or Latin, or Middle Eastern, or, or, or…. Everyone was in their own corner, in a silo. But we live in the United States, particularly in California where we are multicultural in the most beautiful way possible. We eat each other’s food and celebrate our cultural heritage together. Why can’t that apply to dance? I also did not want to work with the traditional idea of a dancer in the Eurocentric sense. I am proud to say that I intuitively practiced diversity, equity, inclusiveness, social justice before it was trendy and acquired prestige and acronyms.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
That’s a lot of good questions to answer. I got to where I am through climbing mountains and going down valleys. My path has taken turns and twists, a lot of falls and recovery. I am an immigrant who had to work a thousand times harder than others for every step I have taken. I am an unwanted immigrant, invisible in equity needs and achievements. The stereotypes about my people are uglier than ugly: terrorists, uneducated, camel jockeys, violent, sand n…, towel heads. My people and I experience this everyday and everywhere. My people are being murdered as we speak.
I overcome because it is my duty to overcome. I will stand up for all people who cannot stand up for themselves. I am a product of war, a devastating war that killed so many innocents. A war that is perpetual and is due to colonial powers’ greed, their insatiable appetite to steal resources from Black and Brown people. I have learned to resist and exist, to protect, to stand up. It is a big burden. I have paid a hefty price, a lot of sacrifices.
What I learned is that social justice does not take a break. Oppression does not give vacations. There is no time to wait or take a moment to process, or a mental health day. Each second may be a moment missed in life to be there for someone or to stop someone from hurting someone.
I learned that dance is a very effective and affective tool to bring people in, to say hard things, to being intrinsic and extrinsic change.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It all depends on where the friend is coming from. From example, if they are coming from Mexico, I will not take them to eat Mexican food. The most beautiful aspect of California is how rich it is in diverse enclaves. I will take them to every enclave if possible, Thaitown, Placita Olvera, Little India, Little Saigon, Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Arabia to say the least . I will absolutely tell them the story of California in particular, that we are on stolen land, from both indigenous people and Mexico. I love driving scenic roads. We will drive the PCH north and south. If we can, I will totally and absolutely take them to Baja. I am in love with the rich and beautiful Mexican culture. If I can, I will skip Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios, or just drop them off and pick them up. They are too fake for me. Las Vegas? Well, if there is time. Everyone wants to go to Vegas.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Janet Sanderson whose support and encouragement were crucial in the birth of the dance company. She chose the name. Steve Rosa who was in this journey as a dancer, then choreographer, then rehearsal master and co-director but then went on to forge his own way.Efren Luna, Art, Music and Culture who has been essential in the journey of the Dance Company. He is the President of the Cultural Alliance of Long Beach.

Website: https://Www.mahaandcompany.org

Instagram: @Mahaandcompany

Facebook: Maha and Company

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Youtube: Maha and Company

Image Credits
Richard Shimizu
Jon Wallace
Rebecca Borganoff
Victor Ladd