Full Biography... Originally from the UK, Shema's great-grandfather was Romany and the gypsy blood still flows through her, driving her to travel and explore aspects of other cultures which constantly inform her art, such as language, visual art, music and social environment. She began her studies in 2001 with Aliya Burch, an accredited 'Raqs Sharqi Society' teacher in the UK whilst studying for a BA degree and continues to learn from many inspirational teachers such as Morocco of New York, Amel Tafsout, Ozgen Ozgec, Khaled Seif and local dancers in Egypt and Morocco. She launched her performance career early on, dancing in restaurants and private events across the south of England and traveling to Morocco regularly to stay with a family and learn about the local culture. After graduation, the 'Dar Tangerina Academy of Dance & Music' was born with the aim of passing on Shema's knowledge and joy for Arabic and Moroccan dances through regular classes, workshops and themed events. The highlight for her students was a chance to perform for thousands of visitors at the Bristol Harbourside Festival in 2008 and Shema is proud to have enabled students across the UK to progress to teaching and performing themselves. In 2008, Shema was so inspired after studying on the 'pro-course' with Yasmina Ramzy in Toronto that she returned to Canada, auditioned, and was offered a place as a member of the prestigious Arabesque Dance Company where she also played violin in the orchestra (Directed by Prof. Bassam Bishara) and instructed in the Arabesque Academy. She also used this time to design and copyright 2 unique classes, 'Flexibelly' (c) and 'BellyDRILLS' (c) aimed at increasing dancers' fitness and flexibility for dance and drilling the basic moves for muscle memory. After returning to the UK in 2009, Shema began work on re-launching the Dar Tangerina Academy and from 2010-11 this was realised as the UK's 1st dedicated permanent studio for Arabic Dance and Music based in Bristol, UK. As a teacher Shema is positive and encouraging, ensuring that students feel safe and comfortable while they learn and adding a healthy dose of fun too! Tuition focuses on correct posture, accurate movements and understanding the connection between music, dance and culture. She currently runs classes, workshops and private lessons (in person and online) as well as running a mentor program for professional dancers who are striving to improve their knowledge, technique, props, folklore and etiquette. In May 2010, Shema ran auditions for the Tangerina Dance Company (www.tangerinadancecompany.com)- a professional dance company specialising in Middle Eastern, Arabic and Maghrebi Dance which launched at the Bristol Harbourside Festival July 2010 and now specialises in creating artistic projects and collaborations for events and festivals across the world.