Sarah Larson
 

Toha (Sarah Catherine Jones), formerly a very popular teacher at the Cassandra School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was also a member of the professional touring group Jawaahir Dance Company. She has taught literally thousands of very popular and well-attended dance classes over the years at a wide variety of venues.

At age 10, Toha made her stage debut in New York’s Lincoln Center performing Classical Spanish Dance with New York’s Philharmonic Orchestra. Already adept on the castanets at age 12, she appeared in The Philadelphia Opera Company’s Carmen with Robert Merrill and Joanna Simon. She danced with Philadelphia’s Ballet Des Jeunes for five years, performing ballet, jazz, and Spanish dance throughout the New Jersey and Philadelphia area, with semiannual European tours.

At age 15, she joined Ecos De Espana in New York City, performing Classical Spanish, Escuela Bolero, Jota, Flamenco, and folk dances of Puerto Rico. She performed as a Flamenco soloist at The Sangria in Greenwich Village on weekends, and after completing high school in New Jersey, moved to Manhattan to pursue a career in dance full time.

Later, she danced with the ACT Studio Dancers in Denver, Colorado, and in Minneapolis has performed with Zorongo Flamenco and Theatre De La Jeune Lune.

Toha joined Jawaahir in 1994, which inspired her to immerse more deeply in Arabic music and culture. In 1999, she completed two years of Arabic at the University of Minnesota, then spent two months traveling alone in the Arab world to practice her language skills.

In 2001, with Cassandra and other members of Jawaahir, Toha performed at the Second International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance in Costa Mesa, California. Later that summer, she made her Arabic singing debut with the Georges Lammam Ensemble in "Orientalia" in Minneapolis.

She has taught stage makeup for Oriental dancers for the Guild of Oriental Dance, at Oasis Dance Camp, regional workshops, and for individuals since 1994.

Toha is known for her grace, compelling taxims, and excellent technique, and is an expert on the finger cymbals. Arab audiences say she has the correct feeling for the music. She was regularly seen twice a month at Jerusalem's Restaurant in Minneapolis until her recent move to Philadelphia. In trips to the mideast, she has brought back costumes and products for dance students. She has presented dozens of educational talks on mideast family culture to schools and non-profit organizations.

Outside of dance, Toha (under her birth name, Sarah Jones) is in demand as a voiceover performer. She has provided the voice on hundreds of commercials, training videos, telephone systems, and even a few computer games. She has also worked as a radio announcer (on-air name: Salina Jones) in New York, Philadelphia, Denver, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Her most recent radio show was on every afternoon in Philadelphia at Smooth Jazz WJJZ 106.1. Her accomplishments in radio are detailed at www.voiceresults.com. Also, as an actress, she has performed on-camera or live for Comedy Central, 3M Medical, AMC Jeep, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and others.

Her community involvement has led her to present dozens of educational talks on Mideast family culture to schools and non-profit organizations. Additionally, she co-founded New Reality Delivery for disadvantaged youth (with her husband) to teach group skills to adult volunteers, theater skills to youth, and provide targeted theater services for disadvantaged youth.

 
 

     "Sarah is an excellent and much-requested dance instructor with an extensive vocabulary of movement, exercises and vocalizations. She is proactive about presenting dance material in ways the student will find effective and fun, and has done much work to increase the impact of her instruction, including research trips overseas.

     "Sarah is a dedicated artist, fine entertainer and excellent dance instructor, and was a respected member of my dance company, Jawaahir, for over 10 years.

     "She works well with and respects others, and is admired and respected in turn by other instructors and dancers. Sarah always arrives promptly for performances, classes and rehearsals. She would fit nicely into any teaching staff environment."

- Cassandra Shore
Founder, Jawaahir and the Cassandra school
cassandr @ jawaahir.org

 

 

 

     "Sarah's commitment and dedication is that of a serious teacher. She works well in an organization, using her professional dance company experience as an asset.

     "As an educator, she reveals a depth found in very few dancers of this genre. She has achieved an innate understanding of the principles of Middle Eastern dance.

     "I am delighted to recommend her! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions."

- Habiba
Founder, The Habiba Studio
(215) 925-5436
611 S. Leithgow St., Philadelphia, PA 19147

 

 

 

     "Sarah had quite a loyal following for her belly dance classes in several cities. Her teaching style and warm, easy-going personality made people feel at ease and they definitely had fun!

     "Many of her students continued through several levels. Sarah was easy to work with and thorough when planning upcoming classes and administering current ones.

     "I highly recommend hiring and working with Sarah!"

- Allyson Rudy
Adult Programs Planner, Minnesota, District 112 · allyson_rudy @ yahoo.com

 

 

 

     "Highly competent, inspirational, wise, and compassionate, Sarah encourages and challenges students across all levels. She is a master teacher.

     "She creates a safe and fun learning environment with humor and humility, and draws usefully on her experience presenting seminars nation-wide, developing fit-dance in fitness centers, instructing professional dancers and maintaining a demanding rehearsal and performance schedule.

     "Her lifelong classical and ethnic and dance training and her knowledge of alignment and fitness principles gives her teaching the grounding, inter-cultural zest and style dancers are seeking these days, from beginner to advanced, fitness-dancer to professional.

     "I value her work very highly for students of every level. Please contact me should you need more specific detail on her work."

- Karma Carpenter
LICSW, RYT · Professional yoga teacher, dance therapist · 971.241.7011