The Belly Dance Teacher's Teacher.
Writer, Teacher, Performer, Mentor:
Sara Shrapnell is a belly dance writer, teacher, mentor and performer. Originary form the UK, she now lives in Apache Junction, near Phoenix, in Arizona, USA.
She attended her first belly dance class in 1992, with the aim of toning up and regaining her fitness after the birth of her son. Instead, she discovered a dance form that pulled at her heart much more than the ballet and disco lessons of her childhood. She met amazing people and fell in love with the UK belly dance scene.
Her weekly class soon turned into two, four, and then six classes a week, first with Tina Hobin and then with Afra Al Kahira. In 2000 she attended the Al Kahira School of Middle Eastern Dance (ASMED) teacher training course, which includes study with City & Guilds (a leading UK vocational education organization,) to gain qualifications in adult education as well as belly dance learning.
Sara took on established classes, and approached local gyms, fitness centers and councils. She quickly expanding her teaching to twelve classes a week. She graduated from ASMED in 2003 and continued to work within the organization to mentor other teachers. She co-directed and performed with a number of troupes including Mersin, throughout the south of the UK.
Sara is an accomplished event hostess. She hosted a popular “Day of Dance,” which ran two or three times a year for ten years. Sara has planned many stage shows, workshops, and hafla for her students. She has hosted national and international belly dance stars for workshops and gala shows. For five years she was a member of the Wessex Arabic Dance Network committee, an organization committed to bringing high-quality events to the wider community.
In 2011, Sara closed her UK classes and relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. She established belly dance classes in Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore. In short order she formed a new troupe, Neshee Dolu, who performed at local, regional, and national events. Sara enjoyed being an active member of the thriving San Francisco belly dance scene.
Her first book, Teaching Belly Dance, was published in 2014. She took the knowledge she had gained from teaching more than five thousand belly dance classes and wrote a book full of helpful advice, hints, tips, and tried and tested solutions. In 2016 she published “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage” a stagecraft handbook for belly dancers, co-written with Dawn Devine, Alisha Westerfeld and Poppy Maya. The aim of the book was to be a teacher in absence for everyone making the journey from belly dance classes to the stage. In 2023, she launched her third book "Teaching Belly Dance: 52 Lesson Plans and How to Write 5,000 More", to help teachers plan their classes, semesters and teaching years. All her books have been very well reviewed on Amazon.
In 2020, the world shifted and the Shrapnell family decided to re-locate to Arizona to be closer to family. Since arriving in the Phoenix area, Sara has set up seven weekly classes, and her new troupe "Desert Embers" are enjoying the opportunity to perform throughout the state.
Her classes are known for their humor, detailed breakdowns, and cultural context. She adapts her lessons to suit the dancers’ needs and aims. Students who have studied with Sara have gone on to teach and perform all styles of belly dance. Many have gone on to make their living through performance and/or teaching. She continues to support dancers and teachers through one-on-one mentoring in person, and via online and private lessons. In 2018, she was invited to become a co-owner of the Belly Dance Business Academy, which lead the way in helping teachers move on line through the pandemic.
Sara is the proud mother of three, Nana of two and has also written a novel.
She attended her first belly dance class in 1992, with the aim of toning up and regaining her fitness after the birth of her son. Instead, she discovered a dance form that pulled at her heart much more than the ballet and disco lessons of her childhood. She met amazing people and fell in love with the UK belly dance scene.
Her weekly class soon turned into two, four, and then six classes a week, first with Tina Hobin and then with Afra Al Kahira. In 2000 she attended the Al Kahira School of Middle Eastern Dance (ASMED) teacher training course, which includes study with City & Guilds (a leading UK vocational education organization,) to gain qualifications in adult education as well as belly dance learning.
Sara took on established classes, and approached local gyms, fitness centers and councils. She quickly expanding her teaching to twelve classes a week. She graduated from ASMED in 2003 and continued to work within the organization to mentor other teachers. She co-directed and performed with a number of troupes including Mersin, throughout the south of the UK.
Sara is an accomplished event hostess. She hosted a popular “Day of Dance,” which ran two or three times a year for ten years. Sara has planned many stage shows, workshops, and hafla for her students. She has hosted national and international belly dance stars for workshops and gala shows. For five years she was a member of the Wessex Arabic Dance Network committee, an organization committed to bringing high-quality events to the wider community.
In 2011, Sara closed her UK classes and relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. She established belly dance classes in Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore. In short order she formed a new troupe, Neshee Dolu, who performed at local, regional, and national events. Sara enjoyed being an active member of the thriving San Francisco belly dance scene.
Her first book, Teaching Belly Dance, was published in 2014. She took the knowledge she had gained from teaching more than five thousand belly dance classes and wrote a book full of helpful advice, hints, tips, and tried and tested solutions. In 2016 she published “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage” a stagecraft handbook for belly dancers, co-written with Dawn Devine, Alisha Westerfeld and Poppy Maya. The aim of the book was to be a teacher in absence for everyone making the journey from belly dance classes to the stage. In 2023, she launched her third book "Teaching Belly Dance: 52 Lesson Plans and How to Write 5,000 More", to help teachers plan their classes, semesters and teaching years. All her books have been very well reviewed on Amazon.
In 2020, the world shifted and the Shrapnell family decided to re-locate to Arizona to be closer to family. Since arriving in the Phoenix area, Sara has set up seven weekly classes, and her new troupe "Desert Embers" are enjoying the opportunity to perform throughout the state.
Her classes are known for their humor, detailed breakdowns, and cultural context. She adapts her lessons to suit the dancers’ needs and aims. Students who have studied with Sara have gone on to teach and perform all styles of belly dance. Many have gone on to make their living through performance and/or teaching. She continues to support dancers and teachers through one-on-one mentoring in person, and via online and private lessons. In 2018, she was invited to become a co-owner of the Belly Dance Business Academy, which lead the way in helping teachers move on line through the pandemic.
Sara is the proud mother of three, Nana of two and has also written a novel.
Detailed Biography-Sara Shrapnell
- Full time teacher of Middle Eastern Dance since 1999.
- Started attending belly dance Classes in 1992, before which she spent many years studying Ballet and Disco.
- Taught for 12 years in the UK covering all levels from Beginners to Advanced and in a variety of different topics from Folkloric to Fusion, Classical to Tribal.
- Invited to teach at the Celebrating Dance Festival, Devon for the seven years, and two consecutive Wiggle it Festivals, Sussex. Also taught at the Midlands Arabic Dance Extravaganza, Leicester and many other one off workshops around the UK.
- Taught at Waking Persephone The EYES Have it, and Requiem in the USA.
- 31 years of belly dance training, attending workshops and studying with top teachers from around the world. Including intensive tuition with Morocco of New York, and with Yasmina of Cairo. Occasional workshops with many other big name teachers and performers from the UK, US and Middle East, from Aziza to Zaza and Fifi to Tempest.
- Writer of "Teaching Belly Dance", the book about setting up, planning, teaching and enjoying belly dance classes.
- Writer or "Becoming a Belly Dancers : From Student to Stage" with Dawn Devine, Alisha Westerfeld and Poppy Maya.
- Writer of "Teaching Belly Dance; 52 Lesson Plans and How to Write 5,000 More"
- Co-owner of The Belly Dance Business Academy - offering the tools and training to belly dancers worldwide, 2018-2022.
- Invited to provide products for the Belly Dance Bundle over multiple years.
- Early tuition from Tina Hobin, widely acknowledged as one of the first dancers to bring Middle Eastern Dance to the UK and author of a number of books on this subject.
- Many years of mentoring, teaching and support from Afra Al-Kahira, who is one of the UK's top teachers and performers. Www.afraalkahira.com
- Writing mentored by Dawn Devine, one of the belly dance industries greatest writers and book publishers.
- Business mentoring by Terri Allred, one of the owners of the Belly Dance Business Academy and organizer behind ATS Reunion events.
- Experienced in teaching and performing most styles of Middle Eastern dance including: Khaleegy, Turkish, Modern and Classical Egyptian, Folkloric, Zills, Stick, Sword and Veil, American Tribal, Tribal Fusion , and Cabaret. Also specialist in Dance on Glasses, a highly popular Hafla / Wedding performance.
- C & G 7407 part 1 and the specialist ASMED (Al-Kahira School of Middle Eastern Dance) teaching methodology qualified (2003). Four years as a Mentor and supporting others as they trained with ASMED (2004/2008). On going mentorship offered to teachers and performers via the Belly Dance Business Academy and privately in person or via the internet
- Solo performer with experience of most venue types from huge theaters to intimate restaurants and outdoor family events.
- Founding member and director of Mersin, one of the Uk's top performance troupes.
- Director of Neshee Dolu in the East Bay of San Francisco, who continue to perform throughout the Bay Area.
- Founder and director of Desert Embers in Arizona.
- Produced and Directed many Haflahs and stage shows for students, and visiting performers.
- Choreographer for all levels of students & dancers. Specializing in large group numbers with an upbeat feel for Theater, Weddings and all types of social events.
- Committee member of WADA (Wessex Arabic Dance Association) for many years.
- Regular writer for Taqasim Magazine - reviewing events, books and providing articles on a wide variety of subjects. Now writing for a wide range of publication including Gilded Serpent, Fanoos and Amabella.
- BBC Radio “Game Bird”, chatting about dance, family, news topics and life for two years. Many other TV, video and radio interviews.
- Co-owner at the Belly Dance Business Academy, providing the tools and training for the belly dance industry 2018-2022.
My Favorite Links
For all things Bellydance the place to start is always :
www.Shira.net
The best site for history, costuming, translations, teachers listings and so much more.
www.Shira.net
The best site for history, costuming, translations, teachers listings and so much more.
For the best variety of belly dance goodies go to :
www.Bellydance.com
The stock everything a belly dancer could need (including my book :))
www.Bellydance.com
The stock everything a belly dancer could need (including my book :))
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