Sophia, Director of Born to Belly Dance, will stop you in your tracks with the combination of her charismatic presence, cheeky playfulness, mesmerising body isolations, graceful demeanour and elegance.
A master of props including, veil, isis wings, sword balancing, saiidi cane dancing, shamadan (candelabra), zills (finger cymbals) and live snake charming, Sophia will have you enthralled by her upbeat movements and incredible ability.
Combining the classical and modern, Sophia takes aspects of the dance from many parts of the world incorporating Egyptian, Greek, Lebanese and Turkish technique with a hint of South American flavour.
Studying the art of Middle Eastern dance for seven years and performing professionally for four, in this very short time, Sophia has been taking audiences by storm with her unforgettable, dynamic performances. She has been dancing since the tender age of three when she began her 18 year journey as a ballerina. Since then, she has undertaken various styles of dance including jazz, tap, hip hop and samba.
Sophia has learnt from and performed with some of the best Middle Eastern dance teachers in the world. On a trip to Egypt in 2010, Sophia experienced the art form in its authentic environment first hand. She was lucky enough to see and learn from performers such as the unequivocal belly dance legend, Dina, Randa Kamel and Leila while staying with fellow Australian and resident Cairo belly dancer, Caroline.
Sophia has also participated in workshops held locally by international 'Belly Dance Superstar' Kaeshi Chai, and Australian dancers such as Amera, Terezka, Eleni, and Ruth. Sophia believes that a dancer never stops learning and is always striving to add new flavour to her performances to keep it fresh and up to date.
Sophia describes her love of dance as her 'breath' and claims that her ability to dance is 'in the blood'. Being of Greek heritage, she has grown up with the flair of cultural dance and the passion with which it is inherently linked.
In addition to dancing professionally, Sophia also works within the Public Relations field and uses this talent to assist her colleagues and the industry where possible. Sophia was on the committee for The Farha Tour 2008, featuring famed Egyptian dancer Randa Kamel, as the Public Relations Manager and enjoyed tremendous success by gaining exposure for the tour in various high profile media outlets.