Evoke Performance Collective

Monica Drohan began her performing arts journey at the age of five, training at Mary Skiba’s School of Dance in Clinton Township, Michigan. She studied the Cecchetti method of ballet, along with jazz, tap, lyrical, pointe, contemporary, musical theatre, and other dance styles before discovering the world of color guard through her local high school. Her marching experience includes the Henry Ford II High School Falcon Marching Band, where she performed in the 1996 Tournament of Roses Parade, and UCS Pride Winterguard, a competitive member of the Michigan Color Guard Circuit.

Throughout her career, Monica has instructed, designed, and consulted for a wide variety of scholastic and independent programs throughout Michigan, working with performers from beginner and Regional A classifications through Independent A and Open Class levels. She has founded multiple competitive winter guard organizations, helped develop and grow established programs, and guided ensembles through periods of growth, rebuilding, and competitive success. Her experience spans middle school, high school, independent winter guard, dance studio, and marching band settings, giving her a unique perspective on performer development across every stage of the educational journey.

Rather than measuring success solely by competitive results, Monica has always been passionate about building sustainable programs, developing confident instructors, and creating educational systems that continue serving performers long after a single season has ended.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Monica returned to her first love—teaching dance. Working with studio students ranging from preschool through adults in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, acro, and strength training reminded her that her greatest passion had never been teaching equipment or choreography. It was developing people. That realization became the catalyst for a new chapter and ultimately the creation of Evoke Performance Collective.

Today, Monica is the founder and educator behind Evoke Performance Collective, an educational platform dedicated to developing performers, instructors, and programs through intentional instruction. Through the Evoke Performance Collective Skool community, she provides courses, templates, live discussions, and instructional resources centered around her instructional framework, The Smoke & Mirrors Method™, helping educators build sustainable programs that prioritize long-term performer development over short-term results.

In addition to creating educational content, Monica works with color guard programs and instructors throughout the Midwest as a clinician, choreographer, curriculum developer, and consultant. She currently serves as a movement adjudicator for both the Michigan Color Guard Circuit (MCGC) and the Mid-Continent Color Guard Association (MCCGA), after completing the WGI e-Certify Program in 2022. Her experiences as an instructor, designer, clinician, and judge continue to shape her belief that every rehearsal, every design decision, and every interaction should ultimately serve the development of the performer.

Monica hold degrees in Performing Arts and Communication and brings more than three decades of experience in dance, marching arts, education, and program development to every organization she serves. Whether teaching a first-year instructor, consulting on curriculum, judging a performance, or mentoring veteran educators, her mission remains the same: to help others think differently about teaching by creating environments where performers, instructors, and programs can thrive together.

When she’s not moving to music, Monica enjoys spending time with her husband, Mark—a former color guard director and small business owner—and their son, Dominic, who she proudly calls the love of her life. Watching him grow into an incredible young man has taught her more about leadership, patience, communication, and unconditional support than any classroom or rehearsal ever could. Those lessons continue to shape the way she teaches, mentors, and leads, reminding her that the most meaningful role of an educator is not simply to build better performers, but to help develop confident, capable people. Outside of the marching arts, you’ll usually find Monica working out, tending to her garden, spending time with their cats, or heading out on another family road trip in search of new adventures.

Monica remains endlessly curious, deeply passionate about education, and committed to the belief that every performer deserves an instructor who understands not only how to teach skills, but how to develop people. Through Evoke Performance Collective, her writing, judging, consulting, and educational resources, she hopes to leave the color guard activity stronger than she found it—one instructor, one performer, and one program at a time.