Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Eliana.
Hi Sophia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
With rainbow silks in hand and hula-hoops swirling about my hips in a firehouse-converted studio, I fell absolutely and undeniably in love with dance. When I was just a squirmy three-year-old, my parents plopped me into Dianne Lyle’s Afro-Latin Jazz Dance Class in my hometown, Pacific Grove, CA. It was within the four walls of Chautauqua Hall, and under her instruction, that I found a life-long family, an appreciation of the human body, and a deep love for teaching dance.
I started assisting Dianne Lyle’s classes when I was around thirteen or fourteen years old. During the tail end of my college years in Downeast, Maine, I taught adult burlesque jazz and contemporary jazz fusion to students aged 6-16. I have a particular soft spot for those late-night burlesque classes.
Mothers, college students, and community elders tip-toed through the studio doors with fishnets hidden under raincoats and puffy jackets. Thursday nights were sensual, sparkly, and giggly. As a Denver-based artist, I currently offer “Plants & Dance” at Harmonist Sanctuary and “Bookstore Burlesque” at Petals & Pages.
Throughout my dance career, I have had the pleasure of studying under Dianne Lyle, Tatum May, Maryann DeAngelis, Laurel Weingand, Clara Barbera, Cameron McKinney, and Dani Robbins. Some of my most cherished performance highlights include being a dance soloist in Berklee a Les Arts: A propósito de Elektra in Valencia, Spain, directed by Magdalini Giannikou and Clara Barbera, as well as my collaborations with Dani Robbins in the dance-theatre piece “PLAYFIGHT.”
I had the honor of touring with Dani Robbins’ company, performing at venues such as Engine Biddeford, PortFringe in Portland, ME, NACHMO in Boston, MA, and the Reykjavík Fringe Festival in Reykjavík, Iceland.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have lost count of how many times I have gone into dance sessions with the intent to choreograph and instead wind up on the floor in a puddle of tears. The body is a fragile instrument made up of memory and emotions.
During my classes, I encourage students to explore their bodies in whatever way feels most meaningful, comforting, and safe for the state they entered the studio that day. That being said, I often find myself struggling to take a break even when my body is completely exhausted.
Over the years, I have stubbornly “pushed through” classes and performances with all sorts of injuries. It’s taken surgery and many, many ice packs to start practicing what I preach. Rest is humbling but absolutely crucial for the longevity of my dance career.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a folk musician, florist, and performing dance artist. I desire a life of color and beautiful chaos – and I believe to have found just that through the world of visual and performing arts. I spent a few years in Maine farming and found vegetable harvests to be incredibly inspiring for my artistic practice.
I couldn’t stop writing songs about flowers and dancing around like the itty bitty bugs I’d find roaming in the dirt. When I moved to Denver, I was eager to find a way to combine my love of plants with dance. In January 2024, I launched my weekly dance class, “Plants & Dance” at Harmonist Sanctuary.
“Plants & Dance,” regularly accompanied by Chad Irish and Dave Loudenslager, is a contemporary movement practice drawing inspiration from the fluidity, strength, and unique growth patterns of plants. I invite dancers to embody the intricacies of plants during improvisational scores and choreographic instruction. Excerpts from plant-related poetry and horticulture studies are woven into “Plants & Dance” to supplement body and plant explorations.
This dynamic class incorporates floor work, improvisation, mindful body alignment, and strength training through the lens of modern, contemporary, and jazz technique-based routines. As for all of my classes, “Plants & Dance” is open to all bodies, genders, and dance backgrounds.
I have also had the delight of teaching “Bookstore Burlesque” at the feminist and queer bookstore, Petals & Pages in Denver, CO. It is beyond my wildest dreams to teach a class where we warm up to Mariah Carey and cool down to Shania Twain.
“Bookstore Burlesque” is a flirty, fun, and energetic class offering folks the space to connect to their most sensual selves through jazzy routines. Cultivating dance communities of patience, empowerment, and inclusivity are integral to my teaching philosophy. It is an absolute joy to watch dancers really find their groove and let loose in my classes.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Let me paint you a goofy and accurate picture of my younger self. I wore bows in my hair, had a ridiculous collection of mismatched socks, was often sporting a teal skort, exclusively shopped for shirts in the boy’s section of Old Navy, and topped off my fits with thick-tongued skater shoes. I was a spunky kid with a loud personality. Without a doubt, I owe my enduring love of dress-up to years of dance costumes and dramatic stage makeup.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophiaeliana.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesophiaeliana/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064226400760
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK5YXUcwpetozMjDhvxoOnA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sophiaeliana
Image Credits
First photo (of me in purple striped shirt): Photography by Jo Babb, Styled by E Soto
Second photo (group photo posed): Bookstore Burlesque at Petals & Pages
Third photo (three dancers pictured): Barefoot Burlesque Workshop at Denver Dance Center
Fourth photo (socks & plants): Photography by Jo Babb
Fifth photo (dancers with arms reached out): Plants & Dance at Harmonist Sanctuary
Sixth photo (dancers dispersed in the space): Plants & Dance at Harmoist Sanctuary
