OM DENNE EPISODE
In this episode of Why We Dance, Montana Tucker joins host Mia Tate for a conversation that lives in the body: a conversation about lineage, loss, visibility, and the deep human need to move when standing still is too heavy.
Montana has been dancing since childhood — inspired by Britney Spears VHS tapes, trained at her mother’s Pop Stars dance company, and performing behind artists like Ashanti and Remy Ma before most people her age could drive. She talks about the safety she finds onstage, the unexpected rise of her 14‑million‑strong following, and the quiet discipline behind staying authentic in a world built on performance.
But this episode reaches deeper.
Montana opens up about her grandparents, both Holocaust survivors, whose resilience shaped her refusal to shrink even when she was bullied for a childhood lisp, her body, or her ambition. She speaks about learning to take up space — not out of ego, but out of inheritance. Out of survival.
The conversation moves into October 7 and the seismic shift that followed. Montana shares what compelled her to document stories in Israel; what it feels like to meet survivors, families of hostages, and those living through grief that rewrites the body; and the cost of speaking publicly in a world divided by fear and misinformation. She talks about losing brand partnerships, facing death threats, and continuing anyway — guided by a commitment to humanity over politics.
Montana also describes creating “We Can Dance Again,” a dance tribute with Nova Music Festival survivors. She recounts the moment survivors returned to the site and chose to dance again — not to forget, but to release what could no longer be held alone.
The episode closes with Montana’s “Why I Dance” monologue: a meditation on movement as therapy, connection, and a way to remember who we are when life tries to take it from us.
This is an episode about the weight the body holds — and the moves we make to carry it.
Episode Timestamps(00:00) Dancing after October 7
(00:59) Meet Montana Tucker
(02:46) What movement means to her
(04:28) Britney Spears VHS beginnings
(06:08) The Pop Stars training era
(07:50) From backup dancer to artist
(09:09) Big stages, small nerves
(12:50) Building a massive platform
(17:19) Authenticity and finding it
(18:35) Holocaust legacy and inherited strength
(21:03) Hardships and never giving up
(22:57) Learning to face the hard things
(25:02) A preview of bullying
(25:16) Growing up bullied
(26:06) Body image & being herself
(27:05) When school pushes back
(28:45) Empathy as her mission
(29:41) Life after October 7
(31:48) Truth telling and backlash
(35:05) Why she won’t stay silent
(38:11) What Israel felt like
(42:25) Giving voice to hostage families
(45:13) “We Can Dance Again”
(46:49) Dance as communal healing
(48:37) What followers don’t see
(50:44) Sponsor break — Davies Reed
(51:38) “Why I Dance” monologue
(54:09) Final thanks + close
• Montana Tucker — Instagram / TikTok / YouTube
• How To: Never Forget — Montana’s Holocaust education docuseries
• “We Can Dance Again” project
• Mia Tate — IMDb
• Follow Why We Dance on YouTube and Instagram
• Producer: S.J. Nichols (Seannon Gonzalez)
• Executive Producer: Meredith Gooderham
• Studio: Caspian Studios
• Production Support: Dark to Light Productions
• Sponsor: Davies Reid Rugs
Montana Tucker is a dancer, actress, singer‑songwriter, creator, and activist whose work blends performance, purpose, and deep emotional truth. With an audience of over 14 million, she is known for her viral dance collaborations, her powerful storytelling, and her commitment to showing up as her full, unfiltered self. A World Hip Hop Champion by 11 and a professional performer by her early teens, Montana has spent her life expressing what words struggle to contain.
As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, she carries a legacy of resilience that shapes her humanitarian advocacy — from her documentary series How To: Never Give Up to her post‑October 7 storytelling, documenting survivors and hostage families in Israel. Through dance, activism, and her “We Can Dance Again” movement, Montana uses her visibility to fight hate, elevate unheard voices, and remind us that movement is a language for healing when speech fails.
About Why We DanceWhy We Dance is a podcast hosted by Mia Tate, exploring the stories our bodies hold — the histories we inherit, the emotions we move through, and the ways dance helps us make sense of ourselves and the world. Each episode invites dancers, creators, and embodied storytellers to share how movement shaped their lives, healed their wounds, and connected them to something larger.
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