Miss Sarah
Zayna Dance Academy was founded by Sarah Ballingall in 2021 - a professional dancer and coach with years of experience and a deep passion for dance.
From a young age Sarah found her true love – ballet. In 2015, she was selected to dance in the professional production with Ballet Russe in La Fille Mal Gardee at the age of 12. Sarah was also asked to perform in annual pantomimes from a young age and although her main passion was ballet, Sarah took many classes in different genres and examinations alongside The Royal Academy of Dance.
Sarah trained at Ballet West Scotland where she obtained her BA (Hons) in Professional Stage Dance in 2014, which also gave her the opportunity to perform within three professional tours of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Upon graduating, Sarah continued her passion for dance by studying further at The Royal Academy of Dance, where she completed her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies, awarded by Dame Darcey Bussell DBE in 2017. Sarah has a lot of experience within competitive dance and coached three competitive dance teams for 5 years, which were incredibly successful – winning Scottish and UK Championship titles.
Sarah has worked as a Pupil Support Assistant for children with additional support needs and disabilities, which has provided her a strong understanding and knowledge of children that require additional support.
Sarah opened Zayna Dance Academy on May 4th, 2021, as she looked to teach and inspire the next generation of young dancers. She vouched to create a safe and nurturing environment for students of all ages to express themselves through dance. She is excited to see the Zayna family grow as well as encourage and welcome the local community to the world of dance.
Qualifications
• BA (Hons) Professional Stage Dance
• Royal Academy of Dance RTS
• Progressing Ballet Technique Certified
• Acrobatic Arts Certified
• First Aid Certified
Miss Sarah
Sarah graduated with a first class BA (Hons) in Dance & Theatre Performance from Bird College in London, and since graduating, she has performed in the West End and all over the world with shows such as Mamma Mia, Fame, We Will Rock You, The Rocky Horror Show and Still Game: Live.
Sarah now choreographs professional productions in Scotland, with shows including 'The Steamie' (Dundee Rep), Mammy Goose (Tron Theatre) and Sleeping Beauty (Ayr Gaeity). Sarah teaches dance at a variety of schools and colleges throughout Scotland and loves inspiring the next generation of performers.
Miss Sara
Sara trained at Elmhurst Ballet School, and began working in the Musical Theatre field of entertainment, performing in a large number of traditional English Pantomimes, musicals, corporate events and summer seasons, both in the UK, Europe and the West End of London. Other credits include Jean Ann Ryan Productions, as a dancer, singer, stager and dance captain.
After landing in Las Vegas Sara performed in ʻLegends In Concertʼ for a number of years, ʻWith A Twistʼ, ʻFolies Bergereʼ as first cover Adage, ʻThe Fab Fourʼ and many other corporate performances. Also teaching “Ballroom for Kids” for Tony Delgado within the Las Vegas area.
Whilst in Las Vegas Sara decided to make the transition to the management side of entertainment, where she began at BESTAgency for the Gondolier Program at The Venetian, soon after was given the opportunity to manage the entertainment for BETSAgency at Lavo, then Caesars Palace, and lastly The Artiste Del Arte program at The Venetian.
After returning to the UK and having a second child, Sara continues to teach extensively in Edinburgh and wider areas. She is very excited to be sharing her knowledge passion and love of her craft.
Qualifications
Diploma in Dance and Musical Theatre with distinction: Elmhurst ballet school
First Aid Certified
Miss Jess
Jess found her passion for dance from an early age and went on to gain many distinctions in Ballet, Modern and Tap (Imperial Society of Teachers in Dance) and Vocational Ballet (Imperial Society of Teachers in Dance and Royal Academy of Dance). Jess was part of her local dance school’s competition team and went onto dance for her university’s dance team, where they won 1st place in all of her divisions in Ballet, Contemporary and Tap.
Jess has been teaching dance for the last 7 years and has a passion for teaching and inspiring the younger generation. Jess left teaching for a period to focus on her career as a paediatric nurse in intensive care at The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and has worked closely with children with disabilities and has a strong understanding of children that require additional support. As much as she loved her job, she knew her passion still lay within teaching. Jess has been a part of the Zayna team since opening back in 2021 and is looking to pursue primary teaching alongside Zayna.
Qualifications
• UKA Ballet Qualified
• Acrobatic Arts Certified
• First Aid Certified
Miss Saskia
Saskia obtained her BA (Hons) in Dance and Theatre Performance at Bird College. After graduating, she moved to Japan and portrayed a range of characters during her contract at Tokyo Disney Resort. She then expanded her character repertoire with Disney Cruise Line and was cast as Lead Female Dancer in exclusive productions across venues in the fleet, including Tangled, Twice Charmed - A Cinderella Story, Once Upon a Song, and Dreams. Alongside performing, Saskia has always loved to share her passion for dance and has over ten years teaching experience across a variety of ages, style and abilities. She continues to choreograph and perform regularly in Edinburgh, passing on her knowledge and experience to her students to ensure they get the best start in their professional careers.
Miss Lucy
Lucy started dancing at the age of 2 and gained many distinctions throughout her dance career in Ballet, Modern and Tap (Imperial Society of Teachers in Dance) and Vocational Ballet (Imperial Society of Teachers in Dance and Royal Academy of Dance and Royal Academy of Dance).
Lucy was also part of the Scottish Ballet Associate Program for 4 years as well as The Royal Conservatoire for an additional 3 years. She has also competed at a high level with her school competition team, where she won the title of UK and Scottish Championship.
From a young age, Lucy also competed in Artistic Gymnastics until her early teenage years. After reaching a high level in Artistic Gymnastics she decided to move onto Team Gymnastics where she competed for 3 years. From this, Lucy found her passion for Acro and is now a fully-qualified Acrotrix Assistant Teacher and a proud member of the Acrotrix Edinburgh Team.
Qualifications
• Acrotrix Assistant Teacher