My name is Bibiana Monterde; I was born and raised in Mexico City. I design, dance and do photography.
During my early years, I was the kind of child that would prefer to play with some rocks and sticks over a brand new doll. It was during that time of youthful whimsy that I had my first encounter with dance. I took ballet, at the instruction of a doctor, to help correct my inward-facing hips. I started my training and hated every minute of it. However, this aversion to dance was short lived when I saw somebody dance flamenco. I was taken.
After graduating from high school I joined a contemporary dance group and started photography studies at the Escuela Activa de Fotografía. The discoveries and experiences of my teenage years swayed me into a rather unexpected direction. I came to the Bay Area for art school in 2004 and got my BFA degree the fall of 2009 from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I majored in graphic design and I was trained in traditional media.
Design demanded more and more of my time as I got deeper into it. One specific event was fundamental to my relationship with dance during my art school years: I walked into the ODC studio on Shotwell Street to take a Belly Dance class taught by Jill Parker.
Shortly after graduation I joined a design agency in Palo Alto called 1185Design where I learned web design. I spent two years surrounded by the humbling talent of my coworkers. Days and nights were invested into projects that are the core of my portfolio today. I didn’t dance at all during that time.
I left 1185Design in the spring of 2012 and joined a start-up called Copious shortly after. My time there was spent doing design and illustration work. I found some balance in my life while working there, which encouraged me to make a commitment to dance again.
It has been through the patience, encouragement and dedication of Jill Parker, everyone at Fatchance Bellydance, Rose Harden, Elizabeth Strong, Zoe Jakes, Kami Liddle, Mira Betz, Lola Mayo, Kerensa DeMars, Carola Zertuche and all my bar method instructors that I am slowly correcting the bad habits I have developed during my non-dancing years and years before.
Dance has given me independence and discipline. It has been an incredible source of strength throughout my life and a partner in solitude.
Design reinforced my desire to tell the stories of wonderful strangers. It was this desire that pushed me to have a conversation I will never forget. It was after class that I approached one of my teachers, an amazing designer named Roland Young. I verbalized for the first time the idea of working on a project that would take place in different countries. Roland’s sole response: “It can be done.”
