"I am only in competition with myself"

Sarah Shelton has been dedicated to dance and the arts since the age of three. Despite profound loss in her childhood—losing her father to a heart attack at nine and her mother in a car accident at sixteen—Sarah continued to pursue her passion for dance with the support of her community. In 7th grade, she was accepted into the Alabama School of Fine Arts Dance Department, where she received intensive training that shaped her artistic foundation.

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In her late teens, Sarah moved to Memphis, where her drive and resilience carried her forward. She earned her GED and a degree in Hospitality Management, then went on to dance and work with companies worldwide throughout her twenties. Eventually, she purchased a home sight unseen in Diamondhead, Mississippi, where her son became part of the city’s Golf Academy and where she herself would lay the foundation for her future in arts education.

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Before founding the Diamondhead School of Fine Arts (DSFA), Sarah served as Ballet Director of Gulf Coast Performing Arts, where she produced and cast The Nutcracker at the Beau Rivage. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought life to a halt, she reflected on the importance of community and the need for accessible arts education on the Gulf Coast. From that reflection, DSFA was born in 2021.

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Today, Sarah leads DSFA as Founder and Executive Director, while still teaching ballet, appearing on stage, and hosting the school’s Annual Gala, which features a new theme each year. Under her leadership, DSFA has grown into a multi-department institution offering programs in dance, music, theater, art, language, and health & wellness—all with the mission of providing equal-opportunity arts education to the community.