Samira Saidi joined English National Ballet School as its Director of Dance in August 2012.

Initially her training was at The Royal Ballet School. At age sixteen, Sir Frederick Ashton chose her to dance the Fonteyn role in his ballet; Birthday Offering. At eighteen, she graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet.

During an illustrious, twenty year career with Sadler’s Wells and Birmingham Royal Ballet, under the directorships of Sir Peter Wright and David Bintley, Samira worked with legendary, world renowned, choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Dame Ninette De Valois.

She danced in all the Classics, particularly noted for her performance of Giselle, in Peter Wright’s own production. In David Bintley’s three act ballet; The Snow Queen, Samira was chosen to create the title role, winning critical acclaim.

In 1999, after retirement from dancing to concentrate on teaching and choreography, Samira was invited to teach and to help conceive Birmingham Royal Ballet’s; Dance Track Programme. This led to her being in much demand as a teacher both nationally and internationally and in 2004, she joined Elmhurst School for Dance as teacher and tutor to the graduate women, later becoming the school’s Ballet Mistress and Resident Choreographer. Whilst there, she conceived and launched Elmhurst’s satellite programme for young dancers, which now runs across the UK.

Her choreography has included ballets for Birmingham Royal Ballet, National Youth Ballet and Elmhurst School for Dance.