Samira Saidi was born in Manchester and trained with Noreen Bush at the Bush Davies School where, at fifteen years old, she won the RAD Solo Seal Award and the Adeline Genée Silver Medal.  Continuing her training at The Royal Ballet School, she was chosen and coached by Sir Frederick Ashton, to dance the Fonteyn role in Birthday Offering. At 18, she joined Birmingham Royal Ballet where roles created for her included: title role in David Bintley’s The Snow Queen & Sybil Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Alice in Hobson’s Choice and many other principal roles in the company’s repertoire.   Ms. Saidi retired from dancing in 1999 to concentrate on teaching & choreography, initially working for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Education department. She has taught both the RBS Junior and Senior Associate and in 2004, she joined Elmhurst School for Dance as teacher and tutor to the graduate women, Ballet Mistress and Resident Choreographer and most recently conceived and managed Elmhurst’s satellite Associate Programme run throughout the UK.   Ms. Saidi has served as the Director of Dance for English National Ballet School since 2012.