Cathy Crystal is passionate about Zimbabwean people, culture and tradition. Cathy first studied traditional dance when she traveled internationally for 8 years starting in the late 70s. After her travels, Cathy landed in Santa Cruz, California, where she continued studying dance in the West African, Cuban and Afro-Brazilian traditions. Cathy fell in love with Zimbabwean music after hearing a marimba group on the streets of Santa Cruz,and she has since learned and performed Zimbabwean style marimba, mbira, hosho and dance with various groups, including the Chinyakare Ensemble. She often travels to Zimbabwe to deepen her relationship to the musical tradition and people she loves so much. Cathy has worked as an herbalist and certified nutrition consultant for over 30 years, was the co-developer of the Nourishing Generations non-profit organization, is currently studying different modalities of sound healing, and uses mbira as her daily meditation. Cathy is honored to be serving on the board of the Chinyakare Cultural Centre as she believes in the power of music, dance and cross-cultural exchange to be a great catalyst for positive change.