Meet TerraNova:
Drew
LEAD PERCUSSIONIST, VOCALIST
Drew started playing djembe around 2014 when TerraNova needed
to add a live, acoustic element to their performances. After about 2
years of creating a foundation of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
drum rhythms, he discovered the tupan/davul and promptly transitioned into the bigger sound that it offers. He enjoys playing for dancers as well as other musicians and picking up on the subtle cues they both produce, and creating a backbone that helps everyone stand taller.
Michelle
BUSINESS DIRECTOR, DANCER, HURDY-GURDY PLAYER, DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Michelle began studying bellydance in order to properly be in-character for a Halloween costume, fell in love, and immediately decided to continue learning the dance. Having studied Cabaret and Tribal Fusion with teachers across the U.S. since 2006, she began learning FCBD® in 2011 with TerraNova. The subtle communication between dancers and strong, feminine movements of the dance drew her in. She loves belonging to this troupe, and she also performs Cabaret-style bellydance as a soloist.
Angela
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, DANCER, VOCALIST, DANCE INSTRUCTOR:
FCBD® GENERAL SKILLS CLASSIC & MODERN CERTIFICATION AUGUST 2014
Angela gave belly dance classes a try over a decade ago, and found this dance form to be a wonderful opportunity to be expressive, and learn new ways to move and grow. After receiving American Cabaret style instruction for a couple of years, Angela discovered the group improvisational style of belly dance in 2009, when she saw TerraNova perform at the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market and was immediately smitten with the grace, strength, and elegance of the
FCBD® vocabulary. She has been performing with TNT since 2010. She has been performing with TNT since 2010, and loves exploring the potential created by the mechanics and vocabulary of FCBD® style belly dance on stage with the troupe and in class with students.
Tina (Baba Tahia)
DANCER, VOCALIST, DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Having fallen in love with the beautiful art of Middle Eastern Dance while taking lessons in Little Rock, Arkansas, Tina longed to find a dance family in Northwest Arkansas after moving into the area. Here loving husband bought her a gift certificate for FCBD® lessons with TerraNova in 2011. Tina found a deep love for this style and the sisterhood that goes with it. After years of lessons, she officially joined the troupe in 2016. She looks forward to sharing her great passion and joy of dance with the world and her dance family.
Randi
DANCER, PERCUSSIONIST
At the encouragement of her fun-loving grandmother, Randi began taking belly dance classes in 1999. Randi was immediately enamored with the movement, music, and costumes! The celebration of diverse cultures, appreciation for all body types, and spirit of sisterhood were formative for Randi as a young teenager, and since then, she has always come back to belly dance as a mental and physical creative outlet. Randi discovered group improvisational dance through FCBD style lessons with TerraNova in 2018 and officially joined the troupe in 2019. As she learned the history and nuance of the style, she knew she had found a form of belly dance that combined all her favorite attributes into a beautiful, cooperative expression that she could share with her dance family.