Participants are encouraged to bring a candle, incense or essential oils, or an oil burner; water, tea, or a libation; Lingerie, a robe, or a sensual ensemble; and a journal.

To ensure that participation is accessible to as many people as possible, we will be compensating participants for their time. Each participant will receive $25 for engaging in these workshops.

About the Artists

Culture Push Fellow Bianca Mońa is a lover of the arts. As an artist, curator, educator, and advocate, she has initiated a number of projects at institutions such as Studio Museum in Harlem (New York, NY) and The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC). All of her artistic endeavors center on a greater understanding of contemporary Africa and her Diaspora. In addition, she is particularly keen on investigative projects that tackle the living history of regular citizens who negotiate grand topics such as gender, heritage, and social-economic placement.

Black Burlesque Queen. The Embodiment of Josephine Baker. A paragon of glitz and glamour. Visionary. Those are the phrases most people think about when they discover Perle Noire. Perle, or Mama Perle as she is known to the burlesque community, has a unique gift. The gift of healing an audience in a theater or in a classroom. In 2003, Perle started her burlesque career starring in the burlesque musical, Backstage At Da Fonky B. In 2008, she burst onto the mainstream burlesque scene, winning the Best Debut category during the annual Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend in Las Vegas. Perle has been named one of the world’s top two burlesque performers by 21st Century Burlesque Magazine three years in a row.