Meet Your Director

Mona Brandt is the Director of the NEW Tucson Dance Festival, premiering in April of 2026.  Mona has been part of the United Country Western Dance Council (UCWDC) since she became Director of the Arizona Dance Classic (1st weekend in August) in 2003. She has been the Secretary, Marketing Committee Chair, and Business Team Chair of the UCWDC, and is the current Director at Large for the Western U.S.   Mona is the owner of Shall We Dance Phoenix, and is a full-time Dance Professional in the Phoenix area, where she teaches social dance, coaches teams and competitive dancers, competes with her students in pro-am, and travels around the world, teaching, judging and coaching.   Mona has been dancing for most of her life, beginning with Ballet, Tap and Jazz as a child, and going on to teach, Ballet, Tap and Jazz to children and adults.  Mona then became interested in Ballroom and Country dancing and moved on to teaching and competing in these types of dance as well. Mona is a 7-Time UCWDC Country Dance World Champion, with 4 titles in Couples, 2 in Line Dance and one in Teams.  Mona is the first ever UCWDC competitor to achieve both Master status in Couples and Superstar Status in Line.  Mona is a Dual-Certified UCWDC Master Judge, and is a member of the Rules Committee.  Mona is excited to be a part of a growing dance community in the Western U.S., and is looking forward to hosting 2 UCWDC events in Arizona!