ID Spotlight: Jessie Bear Monteiro

My name is Jessie; people also call me Jessie Bear. I am 23 years old, and I have been raving for about 2 years now. I have loved every minute of it. To getting the costume and makeup together, to dancing the night away with my rave family.

I have been in theatre for as long as I can remember but I always wanted to do more. I always thought that theatre was the last step. When I was younger I always listened to edm or what I knew back then was techno. When my family and I would go to the desert we would blast some techno or any dance music and I would dance around the fire and grab some glow sticks put them on strings and just dance the night away. Now that I am older I forgot about the happiness I felt listening to edm. When I got asked to go to my first event ( LED : Anniversary 2013 ) I was like ok and my best friend showed me what kind of music was playing and that was it, I was hooked. After that I have been going to these amazing festivals.

In 2013 at EDC in Las Vegas this was the moment I knew I belonged here. I was always trying new things and trying to find one that fit me, but nothing made me feel happy. After walking in at EDC I knew this was home and where I know I can always be myself. I found my amazing Rave Family Strangers with Kandi and my best of friends. Edm is music that brings the weird ones together. I never really fit in with my other friends, I was always getting used for my kindness or I was always left out. With this amazing culture I fit in and don’t have to act like I am normal. I can be my crazy outgoing self.

Edm has brought out the best in me. I can be creative like making costumes to making kandi. And I never have to worry about others judging me. I can be who I want, and I feel safe. The one thing with the Edm culture I can really identify with is PLUR (peace, love, unity, and respect). I am always making friends and meeting new people, and with PLUR it reminds me that you have to be good and kind to every soul out there. I use PLUR everywhere I go; it’s now a part of me.

I also love to wear kandi every day, I wear the ones the mean the most and I where ones I can trade to amazing souls. I always get asked about my kandi I wear and I tell them about kandi kids and the meaning of PLUR. After that I think of everything that EDM has given me and I couldn’t be happier.

So my EDM Identity has come from amazing friends and amazing music that I wouldn’t give up to change anything. It has thought me many things as I grow older and I will always keep learning. It also reminds me to keep dancing the night away.