Petunia (Dance)
Petunia (aka Prisonface) has been dancing for years, including taking classes with Richmond's Fran Tribble and Lucy Smith, but came to To the Earth at its founding with no tribal bellydance training whatsoever - since then, she's not only become a strong dancer, but come to love it so much that she has to dance around her house now that she's not practicing every week.

In addition to years of shaking her bootay in various ways, Petunia's been working with Richmond's Theatre of Operations since 2002. Richmond shed a collective tear when she left town in summer 2006, but we have high hopes for the TTE Polynesian coast branch. She still performs with the tribe when in town.

Joan Kovatch (Dance / Henna Artist)
Joan Kovatch (Jr.) was introduced to middle eastern dance & drumming years ago through her creative writing teacher and the Alabama Renaissance Faire (I know, Alabama - but it's a really good faire. Really). Until then she had been 100% tomboy and, well - still is (she's also the youngest member of the tribe, the wee lass).
 
Joan took dance lessons for nine months under Wiporwil and started tappin' on the doumbek before moving to Richmond, Virginia. After two years in RVA she realized how desperately she missed the rhythm of dance, came to her senses, and started drumming with the Jewels of the Oasis. She was a founding member of To the Earth.

Joan is currently found doing henna at a variety of events - she's the artist behind most of the tribe's gorgeous performance henna & The Artisan's Ambrosia.

Katrina Kiefer (Drum / Flute)
Katrina picked up a little clay drum in 1995, discovered that bashing on it made her heart sing and has been bashing, clacking, shaking, tapping, ringing, gonging and generally making noise with just about anything she can get her hands on ever since. Kat's influence on the founding of TTE is obvious in our mix of African and Middle Eastern rhythms and instrumentation, and she's been known to jam with the band even though she's moved away.
 
From 1999 – 2002 She learned to play something approaching “properly” from Nana Yaw Asiedu at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and discovered the beauty of the African Polyrhythms that are now the heartbeat of her unique style, fusing the fundamentals of traditional West African drum song with many other rhythm forms, traditions and music, from American funk to Irish step dance and everything in between. She thanks venerable Makeda Dred for bringing Nana in as a teacher to the people of San Diego.

Starting in 1999 Katrina began performing African drum, both lead and ensemble, with various groups, including Ile Ayan and Francesca Atule Dance,  at festivals, exhibits and local television throughout Southern and Northern California.  She’s also been fortunate to take classes and seminars with Paolo Mattioli and the incomparable Edwina Lee Tyler, a seminar that resulted in the very real honor of being invited to perform with Ms. Tyler at her concert, a moment in time she will cherish always.

Shy (Drum / percussion / bassoon)
Shy is one of the troupe's original dumbek & djembe (African goblet drum) drummers, and the only one who regularly remembered to watch the dancers (we kid!). Her musical background is in bassoon (which we're now making her play again) and guitar, but she enjoys the drum because it's louder - and lots of hot women dance around her when she plays it. Shy also plays zils and a variety of other fun percussion, because she's easily bored. [email Shy]

Nikita (Dance)
Nik, one of the original members of the tribe, is an artist of many forms - she's a visual artist, martial artist, costume-maker and also the brilliance behind many of the tribe's print design work. Her kick-ass hip-popping skills are much missed.