Sara Al-Hadithi

Sara Al-Hadithi was born in Baghdad and raised in London before later relocating to the United States. Her family background gave her direct exposure to Iraqi music and folklore, including through her father, a respected Iraqi vocalist and authority on traditional culture. After entering the broader Middle Eastern dance community, Sara became increasingly concerned by how Iraqi dance was being represented internationally. She began teaching Iraqi movement with a strong emphasis on context, regional differences, music and the distinction between Iraqi dance and generic belly-dance vocabulary. Her work also explores how Iraqi popular dance continues to evolve rather than presenting culture as a fixed historical museum piece. Today she combines dance education with cultural consulting and acting, making her an important contemporary voice for Iraqi representation within the international dance community.