Sarah Ingley

Sarah’s life work has been merging dance, education, and her love for people.

Sarah professionally performed three full-production national tours across the US, including Las Vegas, with Nashville’s Christmas With The Celts, as broadcast nationwide on PBS. She choreographed and performed with Gaelic Storm (the band in James Cameron’s blockbuster film Titanic) on the band’s 2022 and also 2023 Florida tours. Last year, she choreographed six mainstage theatrical shows, performed by Academy dancers, at Busch Gardens Tampa. In 2003 she danced for former United States President Jimmy Carter at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, GA, as contracted entertainment at an official Carter Center event. She Irish danced at major events like CLRG Southern Region Oireachtas and Celtic Fest Mississippi, where she also taught the children’s dance class. Sarah and/or her students frequently share the stage next to industry superstars like The High Kings, David Geaney, Tyler Schwartz, Cherish the Ladies, Donny Golden, Cara Butler, Lunasa, and Hanneke Cassel. Sarah’s students opened three times for world-renowned Riverdance - which we reprise in February 2025 - as the pre-show educational entertainment. We were post-show entertainers for a production of Celtic Nights on its US tour in 2014. One of our Academy pupils performed by invitation in the Florida leg of the 2024 “Celtic Throne” national tour, coached by legendary John Carey and composed by Golden Globe nominee Brian Byrne.

Sarah graduated highest honors from University of Florida’s Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. She is a five-time guest lecturer for her alma mater, presenting routinely for University of Florida Performing Arts. She holds a business certificate from The Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Cornell University, which she earned in 2024 on full scholarship. In 2025 she completes University of Limerick’s Education and Health Sciences inaugural Optimisation of Health for Performance in Irish Dance postgraduate program. Sarah is an ardent education enthusiast. She consistently brings in master teachers - most recently England’s Chris Naish, founder/director of social-media stars Fusion Fighters. Previous workshop teachers include World Champions, Riverdance principals, and Lord of the Dance cast members. Dancers from Disney’s Raglan Road have also guest taught. Sarah herself performed at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, as part of a 2015 New Year’s Eve special TV broadcast across the North, South, and Central Americas. She danced professionally on both Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises. She dances in a film documentary that premiered at Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera film festival, where it won the Jury Prize.

Outside of her dance career, Sarah is the library circulation supervisor at Santa Fe College, where she also serves on the Student Conduct Board, Career Service Council, and as an Achieve Mentor. Prior to this, she was a public-library teen specialist. A former K-5 charter-school teacher; she holds a full background check. For 13 years she was head dance writer for The Gainesville Sun. She is former copy editor of Dancer Magazine, a national full glossy publication. She was one of only 25 women nationwide chosen to be brand ambassador for Activyst, a Los Angeles-based clothing company funding improved social progress for underserved minor girls worldwide.

Guide to Greater Gainesville honored Sarah with the 2024 Fierce Award for area women in leadership. Sarah treasures her home town, raised her son here, and is honored to operate our Academy, where she is grateful for each dancer.