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Members of the Troupe,
'Feast of Sarah' - May 2006

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Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

The original members danced together at Renaissance Faires and SCA events for about two years before forming the troupe in Jan 2004.   The troupe draws its name from Sophia, the goddess of female wisdom.   The picture to the left is from our performance in The Feast of Sarah, May 2006.

Daughters of Sophia and the Gypsy Caravan are available to appear at your special event in New Jersey and the surrounding area.   For booking information and availability, contact ashtar@daughtersofsophia.com, or call  (732)  206 - 0699.

Scroll down to see more pictures of the Dancers, or click on the Gallery Name-Buttons at the top of this page.

• Ashtar

Ashtar,
Feast of Sarah 2006

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Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Ashtar is another name for Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love, fertility, passion and war.   In Arabic "ashtar" means "superb" or "the cleverest".   Ashtar is the owner of the Gypsy Theater Caravan and artistic director of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.   She is the troupe dance instructor, costumer and stage manager.

For more pictures of Ashtar dancing with the Troupe click here, click on her name-button to the left, or click on her name-button in the Gallery Section at the top of the page.

For more information About Ashtar click here or go to TribalDanceArts.com.

• Avani

Avani,
Feast of Sarah 2006

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Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Avani (uh-VAH-nee) means "Earth" in Sanskrit.   Avani began her dance training with ballet when she was a child.   She then studied jazz, the Jose Limon technique of modern dance, and caberet-style bellydance.   She discovered Ashtar's troupe while she was searching for a dance instructor who could teach her a new form of dance (tribal style bellydance) and improve her overall technique.   Avani is also an animal-rights advocate, a vegan, and is a graduate in nutrition at Rutgers University.

For more pictures of Avani click here, click on her name-button to the left, or click on her name-button in the Gallery Section at the top of the page.

• Nadirah

Nadirah, Bellydance,
Lakewood Renfair 2006

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Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Nadirah (nah-DEE-rah) means "pinnacle or precious" in the Vedic tradition.   Nadirah joins us from the American Southwest where she was first introduced to Tribal Style bellydance in 2004.   She has been performing since she was 11 years old.  She is a clasically trained singer and has a background in Chamber, Jazz, and Show Choir.   She also has over 12 years experience playing the piano.

For more pictures of Nadirah click here, or click on her name in the Gallery Section the top of the page.

Giovanni

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Builder of caravans.  Roadie to the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

I'm Giovanni (JOHN).  I'm responsible for setup and teardown of the Gypsy Theater Caravan.   I build the sets.   I push the "play" button.   I also built this web site (which is why I get to put my picture here).   Can't dance a lick.

Please check out the Gypsy Theater Caravan at TribalDanceArts.com to see the waggon being built.

• Vorona

Vorona (Crow)
Nov 2006 Hafla

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Vorona (VOH-roh-nuh) means "Crow" in Russian (and yes, she speaks Russian).   Vorona is an exceptionally talented dancer who has been in the "Theater Business" since she was a child.   Unfortunately for us, she has moved to Long Island and will no longer be able to dance regularly with the Troupe.   She will, however, still be performing as a Guest Artist.

Just to confuse everyone, when Vorona danced regularly with us, she danced under the name Re'em (Ray-EM), which means "gazelle" in Arabic.

For more pictures of Vorona click here, click on her name-button to the left, or click on her name-button in the Gallery Section at the top of the page.

• Fatin

Fatin

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Fatin (Fah TEEN) is a feminine Arabic word meaning "captivating, alluring and enchanting".   Fatin helped found the Troupe and her creative spirit has become an integral part of our dances.   Since retiring from the Troupe, renfaires have not been the same.   (Then again, remember those 18 performances in 2 weekends in Conneticut!)

2008 Update:   Fatin will once again be dancing with us, this time as a Guest Artist.

For more pictures of Fatin click here, click on her name-button to the left, or click on her name-button in the Gallery Section at the top of the page.

Sarahe, 2006

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Sarahe (Sar RAH hey) is a feminine Hebrew name meaning "princess".   Sarahe belly danced with us until 2007.   She was one of the original members of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe and performed at Renfaires for 5 seasons.   Sarahe was also the youngest member of the troupe.   She was a very quick study and had more original choreography than some dancers twice her age.   We miss her sincerely, and will remember her fondly.

Sarahe's photo page remains available and can be seen by Clicking Here.

Aislynn, 2006

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Aislynn (ACE-lin) is a feminine Gaelic name which means "dream, vision or inspiration".  Aislynn belly danced with us until 2007.   She met the Daughters of Sophia at the Lakewood Renfaire in 2003 and began dancing with them and assisting at Renfaires during the 2004 season.   The Sept 2004 Lakewood Renfaire marked her stage debut.   She created and executed decorative designs for the stage steps and for the Caravan's waggon wheels.   As a dancer, she co-choreographed a fan and sword duet with Sarahe, under the direction of Ashtar.   She has moved on in her life and has left her mark.  She will always be a part of our family and it is imposible in one sentance to express the impact she has had on our troupe.

Aislynn's photo page remains available and can be seen by Clicking Here.

Yasmin
Lakewood RenFaire, 2004

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Yasmin (YAS meen) is a feminine Arabic word or name meaning "jasmine".   Yasmin has retired from the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe in order to pursue other interests.   We will dearly miss her, and she still maintains a place in our hearts.

Her photo page remains available and can be seen by Clicking Here.

Aysha,
Fall Hafla, 2006

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Aysha (EYE-sha) means "she who is alive and well".  It is also a variant of the name Aisha, who was the favorite wife of the prophet Mohammed.

Aysha's photo page remains available and can be seen by Clicking Here.

Lluvia,
Lakewood Renfair 2006

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Former Member of the Daughters of Sophia Tribal Dance Troupe.

Lluvia (JU-vee-ah) means "rain" in Spanish.   She hasn't been able to dance with us for a while now, but we hope she'll be back when life allows.

For more pictures of Lluvia click here.