"Sammie is a belly dance instructor and performer on the island of Oahu. She directs anywhere from 3-5 performance troupes, and has had the honor of serving as Middle Eastern Dance Artists of Hawaii (MEDAH) President from 2019-2021. She currently serves as a member-at-large for 2023. 

 

Sammie's love for belly dance began when she joined the student organization, Hill and Veil at Virginia Tech in Spring of 2007. For the rest of her time as an undergraduate and graduate student, Sammie remained involved with belly dance as a way to stay active, relieve stress, and make lifelong friendships - things that she hopes to provide to all of her dance students. Her somewhat atypical journey through dance has played a starring role in her perspective and development as a dancer, as well as her priorities when teaching. In her other life, Sammie holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction (another unique factor impacting her teaching style), and is a professor for University of Hawai'i - West O'ahu. 

 

As a dancer, Sammie continually seeks to challenge herself through participating in workshops and classes with a variety of instructors, creating new choreographies, and performance! She has taken a wide variety of workshops with instructors in many different styles - all of which have played a role in her dance journey. 

 

Sammie is excited and honored to have a chance to join the Raqs Tiki team for 2023. Having the opportunity to perform and teach alongside so many amazingly talented artists is truly a dream come true!"