Dancing for the dogs

Multi-talented Sascha Sampson is promoting belly dancing and using her shows to raise funds for the upkeep of domestic animals.
Dorcas Mhungu
Sascha Olivier Sampson, a teacher, choreographer and creator of 'Shimmy For Shelter' in partnership with the Windhoek SPCA, the Cat Protection Society, Namibia Dog Matters as well as the SPCAs of both Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

Sampson has her own belly dancing studio called Moon Goddess Dance Studio. She is originally from Cape Town, but grew up in Namibia and she calls Windhoek her home. A strange thing is the fact that Sampson does not reveal her age. “My age is ageless, I live forever,” said Sampson. She was diagnosed with Myocarditis (a heart disease) in 2006 but she overcame her health challenges with her gift of belly dancing, helping the needy and motivating others to join her.

The “Myths & Legends” dance spectacular in aid of animal welfare was held this past weekend and different dance studios were involved, including herself, Bohemian Magic Dance Company, Evolve Fire Entertainment from Swakopmund and other belly dancing enthusiasts. They will be performing at the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) 'Hats and Roses' in July later this year and they will be taking part in the Goddess Divine Festival in Johannesburg. The Namibian dance community is also looking forward to the Shimmy for Shelter 2018 show.

To everyone's surprise, a male cast was involved at the show and Sampson says male dancers are also needed in the dancing cast because male belly dancers are still scarce in Namibia, “but are known to dance in South America and Egypt”. The next show is to be held on 27 May at The Dome conference centre in Swakopmund and tickets are available at The Funshop for N$100 and N$150 at the door.

Contact Sascha on her Facebook page “Sascha belly dancer” and find her on Instagram as well. Alternatively, you can send her an email on [email protected] if you want to join.

COBIE BOK

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-05

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