Sara

Sara studied at Hull and Dartington Colleges of Arts and qualified as a DfEE teacher of dance and drama at Rolle College of Education.

She visited Egypt in the early 1980s while pursuing a performing and teaching career. It was in Luxor and Cairo that she received her first courses of instruction in Egyptian dance. On her return to London she took classes with Wendy Buonaventura, Suraya Hilal, Leyla Hadad and Amel Benhasin-Miller, performing with Wendy and Amel.

Dissatisfied with the unnecessarily competitive environment of the British Egyptian dance 'scene' she decided to base her learning programme in the Middle East, visiting Egypt and elsewhere in North Africa on a regular basis, sometimes taking groups of students, to learn from skilled contemporary dancers (Fifi Abdou, Dina, Jasmina) and teachers (Raqia Hassan, Ibrahim Akif).

Sara has danced professionally throughout Europe, in Cairo, Luxor, North Africa, Turkey and Finland. She is now a research student at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, having completed a degree in the Social Anthropology of the Middle East in 1996. She has been living in Egypt since 2000.

From November 1998 to March 1999 Sara was the technical adviser, choreographer, dancer and actress in the ABC TV production of 'Arabian Nights' filmed in Turkey, shown on BBC1 and in the USA on the 30th April and 1st May 2000.

From August through October 1999 she was the dance adviser and nightclub dancer in 'Room to Rent' filmed in London by Egyptian director Khalid al Hagar, and released in 2000.

After her move to Egypt, Sara worked as choreographer on London Weekend Television's remake of 'Death on the Nile' filmed in Cairo and Luxor, and as casting advisor for the BBC series based on Belzoni, Carter. In 2005 she was assistant director of the first oriental musical in Sharm el Sheikh 'Memories of the Sphinx'. In 2006 she directed the documentary 'Journey of Desire - a foreign dancer in Cairo'. She is currently preparing 'Memories of the Sphinx' which she will direct in Luxor later this year.

After a workshop tour of England this spring, Sara will be working in collaboration with composer Emad el Rashidi on a lecture / workshop program in Upper Egypt.