Inanna LeFay is a maiden of fairies and the magical realm. She embodies enchantment and grace, apparent in her bold and beautiful dance moves. A lifelong student of dance and singing, Innana holds a second career in opera and musical theater. When not helping choreograph some of ChoveXani's better moves, she can be found traipsing through dark, vampiric European countries singing at high octaves or teaching singing to a new generation. Also heavily inspired by the Morrigan, she combines ancient aesthetics with a strong dance background.

Lady Melissa's diverse and talented schedule is not unlike a superhero's: by day she is a (somewhat) mild mannered personal trainer who makes grown men cry with her ultra-challenging training style, and she's also a certified Pilates instructor and student of many movement forms.
By night, she is a firey siren who combines vibrant performances with a playful twist. Her style has been influenced by her extensive ethnic dance background: Egyptian Cabaret, Turkish, Gypsy(Roma),and many more....plus more eclectic dance styles, such as hip hop and popping/locking. This combination and willingness to "experiment" with dance has made her the ideal choice for this troupe.
When not on the dance floor, you might be sure to find her torturing some poor soul into shape.....

Assistant Artistic Director of Chovexani, this Sorceress of Dragons uses her supernatural powers to better the troupe. Her particularcreative skill began at an early age, where fantasy, art and costuming led her to actions such as begging her mother to sew ornate costumes because mere photos could not express the relationship of the textiles to the accessories and the fullness of the experience. Rocza carries this same spirit and desire to embrace the audience with the experience in her dance. Even as a youngster, she often taught herself steps after thoroughly observing others and dissecting their execution (a detail she notoriously continues to this day–can we say "diagrams" anyone?)

Hispanic by heritage, her home was always full of music, dance, and a culture she is still proud of. Her degree from NYU, youth in New York's Greenwich Village, and current alternate career in the textile industry have allowed her to experience and express her full creativity, from the arts to costume design.
These skills would prove useful for her most innovative role yet; having begun her career in Middle Eastern dance 3 years ago with Z. Asha, her talent as a dancer and organizer, and all around kick butt female couldn't be ignored. To her credit, she is an accurate choreographer and detailed transcriber.

As Assistant Artistic Director, she is excellent at assisting in choreography, a clever costume designer and seamstress, jewelry maker, all around organizer, promoter and advisor. Not to mention one hell of a dancer; her career in Middle Eastern dance includes performing in New York's Annual Arab Cultural Street Festival, and BAAD's Mid~East Dance Jam. Her own style allows her to be both wickedly funny, but humble in the learning process of dance, and steadfast about her contributions to the group.

The fearless (and sometimes insane) leader of Chovexani, Z. Asha has spent most of her life pursuing the theater arts. Her Egyptian and Hungarian ancestry initially piqued her interest in ethnic storytelling, dance, and arts, and these gypsified roots eventually melded with her interest in theater, film, music, and dance from various sources. Armed with a film and theater degree from NYU, her initial steps toward Chovexani came after her first company, City Sahara, launched its traditional Middle and Near East dance repertoire. Chovexani, in turn, is the experimentalist/riot grrrl/gothic/tribal response to the traditionalists' drum, and looks to expand its fusion vision. Her theatrical bent lends to a unique choreography in her works, while a background in ethnic dance (including studies in ethnic dance from sources such as Lotus Music and dance) makes for a look particular to the troupe--both ancient, and futuristic.

When not directing her two troupes, Z can be found teaching Middle Eastern, North African, East Indian, and Thai workshops throughout the Bronx and Manhattan. She is also a featured dancer at the annual Arab Cultural Street festival and Bronx's BAAD! Ass Women's Fest, and when not dancing, she writes for various Middle Eastern publications. "Downtime" includes steadfastly perfecting arts of storytelling, puppetry, Middle Eastern drumming, jewelry making, costume making, near contortionism in perfecting dance vocabulary and fusion...and generally finding ways to sleep in between all of this.