Moon Goddess Dance Studio
About Sascha
Sascha started her dance training in Cape Town, South Africa, starting with ballet. She joined UCT ballet school at Grade 2 ballet level having previously received private lessons.
She also took up African music as an extramural activity. This included African dance, offering her the opportunity to perform with the well known South African dance troupe Amampondo at the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town.
She then moved to Windhoek, Namibia where she continued with her ballet training at the College of the Arts. She also started contemporary dance under the instruction of Valerie Clain. This proved to be a very beneficial move as Sascha was awarded the junior achievement prize in 1996 and the senior achievement prize in 1997. This resulted in a scholarship to study dance at the conservatoire in Reunion Island in 1997 where she studied ballet and contemporary dance for 1 month.
She has had amazing opportunities to learn and dance with performers from around the world including Namibia, South Africa, Nigeria, Reunion Island, France, UK (including Bullies Ballerinas and Claude Paul Henry), Spain, Amsterdam and Finland.
She was chosen to represent Namibia at the 2003 SADC Interdisciplinary Cultural Festival in Pretoria, South Africa.
In 2005 she was part of an exchange programme between Namibia and Finland, a project which entailed an exchange of skills between the two countries, culminating in a performance of music and dance called "HOPE". Opening night was in Windhoek Namibia and the show was also taken to Vantaa and Helsinki, Finland.
Amoungst countless projects she also studied Performing Arts at the University of Namibia where she became a student assistant in her final year. She went on to become a part time lecturer in the department. After completing her Master of Arts: Performing Arts, she became a full time lecturer in the Performing Arts Department at the University of Namibia where she specialises in Movements Studies, Theatre Crafts and Dance.
In late July 2006, Sascha started belly dance under the instruction of Michelle Kleinschmidt. After having taken class for no more than 1 month, Michelle requested she join the performance group. Sascha's first public performance was for the Egyptian ambassador to Namibia.
After Michelle's departure at the end of 2006 Sascha continued belly dancing, doing research on the art form to learn all she could without a teacher. She was chosen to perform at the gala evening of the 4th International Oriental Dance Festival held in Cape Town, South Africa. She has participated in a teachers training course with Asja Samia and has attended workshops hosted by Mirimah, Leyla Narawess, Paola Blanton and Ansuya. Sascha is officially certified in Ansuya's Cabaribalusion style. She was also the only student chosen from a weekend of workshops to take part in Raqs Mahraian: a belly showcase featuring South Africa's best dancers as well as Ansuya herself.
Never happy unless she is busy, Sascha is also a memeber of First Rain Dance Theatre, Namibia's first contemporary dance company and she has her own dance studio: Moon Goddess Dance Studio which specialises in the art of belly dance.
Moon Goddess Dance Studio...for the Goddess in you
She also took up African music as an extramural activity. This included African dance, offering her the opportunity to perform with the well known South African dance troupe Amampondo at the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town.
She then moved to Windhoek, Namibia where she continued with her ballet training at the College of the Arts. She also started contemporary dance under the instruction of Valerie Clain. This proved to be a very beneficial move as Sascha was awarded the junior achievement prize in 1996 and the senior achievement prize in 1997. This resulted in a scholarship to study dance at the conservatoire in Reunion Island in 1997 where she studied ballet and contemporary dance for 1 month.
She has had amazing opportunities to learn and dance with performers from around the world including Namibia, South Africa, Nigeria, Reunion Island, France, UK (including Bullies Ballerinas and Claude Paul Henry), Spain, Amsterdam and Finland.
She was chosen to represent Namibia at the 2003 SADC Interdisciplinary Cultural Festival in Pretoria, South Africa.
In 2005 she was part of an exchange programme between Namibia and Finland, a project which entailed an exchange of skills between the two countries, culminating in a performance of music and dance called "HOPE". Opening night was in Windhoek Namibia and the show was also taken to Vantaa and Helsinki, Finland.
Amoungst countless projects she also studied Performing Arts at the University of Namibia where she became a student assistant in her final year. She went on to become a part time lecturer in the department. After completing her Master of Arts: Performing Arts, she became a full time lecturer in the Performing Arts Department at the University of Namibia where she specialises in Movements Studies, Theatre Crafts and Dance.
In late July 2006, Sascha started belly dance under the instruction of Michelle Kleinschmidt. After having taken class for no more than 1 month, Michelle requested she join the performance group. Sascha's first public performance was for the Egyptian ambassador to Namibia.
After Michelle's departure at the end of 2006 Sascha continued belly dancing, doing research on the art form to learn all she could without a teacher. She was chosen to perform at the gala evening of the 4th International Oriental Dance Festival held in Cape Town, South Africa. She has participated in a teachers training course with Asja Samia and has attended workshops hosted by Mirimah, Leyla Narawess, Paola Blanton and Ansuya. Sascha is officially certified in Ansuya's Cabaribalusion style. She was also the only student chosen from a weekend of workshops to take part in Raqs Mahraian: a belly showcase featuring South Africa's best dancers as well as Ansuya herself.
Never happy unless she is busy, Sascha is also a memeber of First Rain Dance Theatre, Namibia's first contemporary dance company and she has her own dance studio: Moon Goddess Dance Studio which specialises in the art of belly dance.
Moon Goddess Dance Studio...for the Goddess in you
