Zahna Simon On Her Newest Work Opening West Wave Festival 31
Zahna Simon creates new work around themes of intersectional identities of Deaf females weaving American Sign Language (ASL), poetry, dance, music and silence for West Wave Festival 31 at Safehouse Arts. She invites Deaf artists Ayisha Knight-Shaw (Deaf Actress/Poet) and Joanne Yee (Deaf Dancer/Actress/Artist designer) into the work. A San Francisco native and Deaf from birth, Simon is honored Changemaker of the year 2018 for San Francisco Live Oak School where she is a former alumni. She is a professional dancer, choreographer, chemist, avid health nutritionist, researcher, Deaf advocate and access consultant. Simon will moderate a free panel, Deaf Artists on Culture and ASL (American Sign Language) in the Arts. Simon’s full bio with more information about the panel can be found at the bottom of this article.
Zahna Simon poses in a dance studio with a white floor and white walls. She is in a deep side lunge with her arms extended out like wings. She looks into the camera, the light casts shadows on the muscles beneath her light skin. Her long blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she is wearing a black unitard with ballet slippers. Photo credit: Mark Kitaoka
Chloe Cetinkaya: Who are your collaborators and what do they bring to this project? How did you create this work with them?
Zahna Simon: I’ve been performing for over 20 years all over the Bay Area and yet folks who own theaters are still not accessible to Deaf community or have the wrong idea about us–they view us as a problem instead of as a Deaf human being who is the same as they are. In this work, I wanted to collaborate with people who have similar lived experiences. Both Deaf female artists, Ayisha Knight Shaw and Joanne Yee are exceptional and creative artists here in the Bay Area. I’ve worked with both of them before and we work really well together and have similar visions of how we portray Deaf culture and Deaf arts. Ayisha is an incredible Deaf poet and actress. I've invited her to perform her own poems and perform poems that I’ve written in American Sign Language (ASL). Joanne is a dancer, an artist, an actress, and an overall creative. I curated the ideas, themes and choreography and incorporated them when we rehearsed to blend it to become a performance.
CC: In your press release, you name the interdisciplinary elements of this piece: ASL, dance, poetry, music, and silence. I’d like to know more about the relationships between these elements. Would you please describe the relationships between ASL, dance, and poetry in this work? What about the relationship between music and silence?
ZS: All these interdisciplinary elements are integral to my work. I love integrating my language ASL into dance, it’s a great way to share my culture. I love writing and I can connect to either music or silence. The rhythm for me doesn’t start with music, it starts in the heart. There’s always a rhythm and beat in the body, your heart beats. Performances are not dependent on sound, it’s a complement but not required.
CC: Do any of your professional experiences as a chemist, Deaf advocate, and/or access consultant influence the way that you make work as a choreographer? How so?
ZS: Most definitely. Most people don’t know that I was a double major in Chemistry and Dance. I love putting formulas together in the same way I love creating choreography—piecing things together to fit the big picture, like solving a puzzle. That big picture is about inclusion, education, and opportunities, which ties directly to my roles as a Deaf advocate and access consultant.
As a choreographer, my work is informed by my passion for creating spaces where Deaf artists and audiences feel truly seen and included. I’ve worked with organizations like CounterPulse, SAFEhouse Arts, and Urban Jazz Dance Company, all of which prioritize community and accessibility. As an access consultant, I strive to ensure these spaces embrace Deaf culture, from coordinating ASL into performances to ensuring environments are physically and culturally accessible.
The work is about breaking barriers and inviting audiences to learn about Deaf culture, while also empowering other Deaf artists to step forward and lead. Every role I take on feeds into my mission of fostering a more inclusive and vibrant arts world.
CC: I’m excited to attend the panel you’ve organized and will be moderating, Deaf Artists on Culture and ASL (American Sign Language) in the Arts. Would you like to share one of your own first hand experiences of how the Arts can include Deaf artists or how you do as an artist?
ZS: I’m excited to see you there! As a Deaf artist, I have to bring access to the space first so everyone can participate and be included, especially myself. There’s not a lot of accessible spaces for Deaf artists and Deaf dancers. I find myself constantly educating others on how to work with and be accessible for Deaf folks before I can actually do the art. What I really ask is for folks to listen. It’s a lot of work and it would be so much fun if access was considered and complete so I can just focus on my arts. Until then I'll roll up my sleeves to continue and drive my belief that equity and accessibility is necessary. I hope our stories inspire others to love themselves and to accept us as Deaf instead of trying to fix us. Sometimes I will share or explain how to do something and then they will go ask a hearing person the same question I just gave an answer to—from my lived experience.
CC: I’m asking all West Wave Festival 31 artists about how they’re thinking about their relationship with the audience. Who do you hope will come see this work and why?
ZS: You, Bay Area arts council, Deaf family, and everyone of course! I’m hoping to see both Deaf folks and allies from Deaf community and hearing folks from the dance world. I performed for over 10 companies but now this is my work in a different space of support system. It will be accessible for both and I rarely get opportunities to present work as I’m often working in administration, working full time and performing in a company.
CC: What do you hope the audience will take with them from this work or bring to it?
ZS: An openness for Deaf culture and Deaf art. Support us to survive in the future of our work and have faith in us to create work that inspires us to bring unity to our community.
CC: What experience would you like the audience to have?
ZS: I want the audiences to feel deeply connected—to themselves as human whether they are Deaf, Disabled, BIPOC Deaf, to the performers, and to the messages within the work. This piece is a celebration of communication in all its forms: movement, rich SIGN LANGUAGE, rhythm, and expression. I hope they walk away inspired and with a deeper understanding of the richness of Deaf culture and the power of inclusive artistry.
This work is a labor of love, rooted in my identity as a Deaf artist and the collective experiences of my collaborators. Every element—ASL, dance, poetry, music, and silence—is carefully woven to create something authentic and impactful. I encourage the audience to approach this performance with open hearts and minds, to see and listen in ways they may not be accustomed to, and to reflect on how art transcends barriers and builds connections. This is more than a performance—it’s a celebration of resilience, creativity, and community.
CC: Is there anything else that you would like the audience to know about this work?
ZS: Don’t dismiss me because I am a Deaf woman, don’t dismiss us as women in the arts. I have a desire to work beyond myself and these Deaf women with me are powerful story tellers on and off stage. You wouldn’t believe we were the same people. Come see us reveal our identity!
CC: Thank you for taking the time to chat with me! I’m looking forward to seeing your work.
ZS: Thank you!
West Wave Festival 31
Jan 9-19, 2025
PROGRAM A
Jan 9-10 @ 7:30pm - Zahna Simon / Kevin Wong & Matthew Wong / Kamala Fifield (ASL will be offered)
SAT JAN 11 @ 1-2pm FREE - Panel: Deaf Artists on Culture and ASL (American Sign Language) in the Arts. Deaf Artists on Culture and ASL in the Arts will share first hand lived experiences of how the Arts can include Deaf artists. Zahna Simon will moderate this panel with all Deaf female BIPOC artists, Ayisha Knight-Shaw, Joanne Yee and April Scott (Deaf Dancer/Actress).
SAFEhouse Arts 145 Eddy St. San Francisco 94102
CONTACT: Joe Landini (415) 518-1517 or joe@SAFEhouseArts.org
TICKETS $25 (No One Turned Away) https://safehousearts.org/
For more information about Zahna Simon and her upcoming projects, visit: https://dancingreenz.blogspot.com/
A San Francisco native and Deaf from birth, Ms Zahna Simon is honored Changemaker of the year 2018 for San Francisco Live Oak School where she is a former alumni. She is a professional dancer, choreographer, chemist, avid health nutritionist, researcher, Deaf advocate and access consultant. She trained at San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) with Elvia Marta, City Ballet School, Academy of Ballet and Alonzo King’s LINES Pre-Professional Programs. Simon holds a BS/BFA in Chemistry and Dance at UCI where she worked with fellow peers and graduate students and trained with distinguished faculty such as Lisa Naugle, David Allan and Donald McKayle.
A former chemist by day at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and dancer by night for various dance companies in San Diego, Simon is Assistant Director for Urban Jazz Dance Company, Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival (BAIDDF) and works full time at a small Fiduciary Office. She performed with Kim Epifano, SF/SD Trolley Dances, Alameda Island City Waterways, Man Dance Company, and more.
She has been featured in KPBS TV, CBS Bay Sunday, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine and Ikouii Creative’s Book, IN THE STUDIO, published on Stance on Dance and was a Deaf Editor for Sins Invalid Disability Justice Primer. She is on the Advisory Council for SF Disability Cultural Center, production team for Signing Animation, involved in Dance/USA’s Deaf and Disability Affinity Group, 2023 UCLA Dancing Disability Lab and peer reader for 2022 Dance/USA’s fellowship. In 2024, she received the Golden Heart Award for all her work and contributions to the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival. She has also performed with Kim Epifano, San Francisco Trolley Dances, Alameda Island City Waterways, Man Dance Company, Abilities Dance Boston and more. She has been dancing with Urban Jazz Dance Company since 2014.
