"Special Sparkle Award"
As an authority in my field of the art of Middle Eastern Dance, every once in a while I think it is valuable to give credit where credit is due. Thus I have come up with and special award I give to fellow dancers who I feel deserve special mention. At this moment in time November 21 st 2006, I would like to give THE SPECIAL SPARKEL AWARD to Brigitte Samson. I would like to acknowledge her for personal dedication, demonstration of natural aptitude and for the progress toward belly dance she has made in a very short time.

It was not long ago that Brigitte stepped into my studio in Seattle (late 2004). She is a three dimensional graphic game animation designer whose office was in the Fremont neighborhood and that is how she noticed VDP Studios. I mention her occupation because I believe it’s her three dimensional thinking skills that are giving her an edge in understanding belly dance so quickly (interesting to note women in her field are rare).

Many of my techniques of teaching belly dance really ask dancers to focus their minds and look within their physical frame and develop the awareness for the space around them. I ask them to visualize a lot of three dimension concepts. Because of her career experience she warmed up to my techniques for teaching belly dance very quickly. We could talk the same language. She could see into its complete simplicity, but seeing and knowing are two different things, and so began the journey of learning hip lift by hip lift, to put the movement vocabulary into her body (she’s working on it). As usually does, along side of the physical work comes the strong spiritual awakening to her inner feminine empowerment too. She has been obsessed with belly dance ever since she walked into the studio.

Brigitte is a trained musician and has done theater back in Montreal thus performance and the eventual teaching of the dance I will predict will not be an unfamiliar world for her. She has been making all the steady progress I like to see in a dancer and future instructor. She has taken workshops with Shuhaila, Paulette Denis and Tamalyn Dalal and many other teachers as well. Diversity in training is something I think is absolutely essential in the development of every dance artist.

Brigitte not only took the 8 day Teachers Training Course I offered in Hawaii last January of 2006, but has been apprenticing with me locally, teaching and performing at community functions. She also has had the culturally enriching experience to accompany myself, and my professional performance team, as my teacher’s assistant in a 2-week tour to South Korea this fall. The entourage included; dancer Laura Rose, drummer Erik Brown, Stephen Elaimy on oud and myself. On this journey Brigitte took part in over 50 hours of belly dance workshops. During the course she learned many new things, demonstrated the Delilah foundational techniques, assisted students, performed duets with Laura Rose, worked with live music, drew out instructional diagrams on chalk boards for the classes, take her notes as well as document the tour photographically. She was also included as a soloist in our show case performance at Heyri Artist Valley on the DMZ where she danced to a challenging 10/8 sami to live music. The show was an unprecedented performance in the artist Gallery in conjunction with Art Belly, a performance company in Seoul South Korea. The rich experience has accelerated much growth.

Belly dance is empowering her life daily. I am enjoying watching her wings unfold. In addition to being her teacher and mentor I am happy and lucky to say I have become her friend.

You go girl!

Delilah