Michelle 'FireGrace' Baas

Michelle Baas was born and raised in Maryland. She twirled baton competitively for 12 years beginning at the age of 5. She won many state, regional and national competitions as a soloist and as a member of the Wheaton Majorettes dance twirl team. In April of 2000 she received 2 gold medals at the NBTA World Championships in Birmingham, England. Soon after she moved to Tucson on a whim, which would change her life forever. It was in Tucson that she discovered the art of fire dancing. "It was a beautiful transformation to shift from being a competitive baton twirler to a professional fire dance performer and instructor. Teaching and performing gives me a feeling of completeness and direction, as well as an outlet to fully express myself in an uplifting way that everyone can enjoy." To view more photos and videos of me please visit www.firegrace.com.

Michelle Calpe

Michelle "Calpe" has been performing and teaching internationally for over 10 years both as a solo artist and as a member of the award winning Hadia Sahara Ethno-Modern Bellydance Troupe. After moving from Seattle to Tucson in 1999 she has found her home among the amazing group of performers in Elemental Artistry. With a strong foundation in Middle Eastern dance, Michelle has developed a unique way of blending her previous talents with the mystique and beauty inherent in traditional fire dance. Under the expert instruction of Rachel Stegman and The Storm, Michelle has expanded into aerial arts with trapeze and aerial fabric tissue. "I believe the true art of the dance is allowing your heart to shine through movement and allowing yourself to purely enjoy the moment to it's fullest. Each opportunity to learn and grow is another opportunity for healing and experiencing the true beauty that exists in this world."

Matthew Johnson

Matthew has been fire-dancing since 2001, after being inspired by Beltane in Edinburgh, Scotland. Matthew founded a fire-dancing organization at the University of Arizona, and also started Flamma Aeterna (now Fire Mecca), one of the most prominent fire-dancing equipment manufacturers in the world today. Matthew enjoys instructing, such as at WildFire Retreat, and perfecting his own technical skills.

Jill Hofer

The rush of the fire, the energy of the crowd, the creativity and camaraderie of the troupe...the lure of spinning fire poi is strong and irresistible. I clearly remember watching my first fire poi performance in the spring of 1997 in Tucson, and spinning a set of fire poi for the first time a year or so later at the Oregon Country Fair. I consider myself incredibly fortunate for the chain of events that led me to Michelle Baas and Elemental Artistry. For me, stand out experiences with poi and the fire arts include performing at the finale of the All Souls Procession, Bohemia, Glow and The Tucson Celtic Festival.

Katherine

I love fire! I began learning poi and fire eating when I was 16 and I can't imagine life without it. Now, I can perform with fire fans, braids, and staff. My favorite part of fire dancing is getting up in front of a crowd that has never seen it before because the reaction is so amazing. I hope we inspire more people to learn these beautiful arts.

Michael Posey

I was born in Tucson, and grew up traveling the world. I learned to spin fire at the start of the new millenium and I have been performing ever since. I have performed with many groups throughout the California coast as well as Arizona and las Vegas. I perform with poi, staff, ropes, and fire breathing. I am happy to be back home in Tucson performing with the very talented elemental artistry!