Sophia in Sapphire Dance Studio

"I relocated to Vegas in 2020 to pursue a new full-time career. My prior career was with the US Navy at the Pentagon Warfare Complex in our nation’s capital. In Wash DC the Business of Warfare is a big and serious business. One doesn’t find a lot folks laughing in the Pentagon. To my surprise, the Vegas culture which I was expecting to be lighter, wasn’t. Just like life in Wash DC, folks in Vegas are fighting very, very hard battles, physically and emotionally. Everyone here it seems is in such a fight, without exception. The effect of this battle is just the same, too: There’s an awful lot of seriousness, tension, and displaced drama in our town. This is where I find my experience at Sophia’s wonderful community practice themed to social dancing to be so refreshing. It’s not just about learning to dance from someone who is a masterful dance teacher and accomplished nationally recognized dance champion. It’s more than this! Much more! In her group class one senses immediately that Sophia is not just amassing a community of students but rather a community of friends who enjoy being with each other. It’s a beautiful thing to see and experience. In a way, Sophia’s presence in her dance studio is reminiscent of a Coastal Lighthouse: so helpful for troubled ships sometimes lost on a turbulent sea. Sophia’s pedagogical light undoes the darkness in a community searching for a way out of the Vegas darkness, battles, and seriousness of just going through life. There is some evocative prose in a Wordsworths’ s 19th century poem, viz. “The world is too much with us; late and soon… ….The winds that will be howling at all hours, And we are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune” Sophia uses the vehicle of dancing, music, and new friendships to put a few folks in Vegas ‘back in tune’. Because at times ‘The world is (truly!) too much with us”. Sure, sure you’re gonna learn how to up your social dancing game. But, Sophia is more than a Dance Instructor, more than accomplished danseuse. At Sophia’s Dance Studio you merge into a community of people looking for another way."

"We hired Sophia to choreograph our first dance and she did such an amazing job. We did the ten class pack. Every class she would add a little more. We loved showing up to class- it was so fun and like a little weekly date leading up to the wedding. We had a lot of compliments on our dance and when you watch the video back you can hear the guests oohing and ahhing. The dance was so romantic and she did a good job making it flow and not making it seem too staged or cheesy. We also got a lot of good photos, as she plans moments to be captured within the dance. Thank you so much Sophia!"

"Sophia is amazing. We wanted to do something special and more than the traditional 2-step for our first dance at our wedding and starting classes with Sophia was such a good decision! Our guests were very impressed, and I must say we were impressed with ourselves as well! We took 10 classes over the course of about 6 months. Sophia choreographed a dance to our song that we were comfortable with, but one that also pushed us to do moves we didn't think we were capable of. My now husband and I have no dancing experience, but on our wedding day you would never guess that . Sophia is such a sweetheart and is very experienced in what she does. You won't regret working with her!"

"My husband and I are so thankful to Sophia for working with us over the past two years to improve our dance skills AND to find our passion again in something we both enjoy! We are sad that we are moving and will have to find a new instructor. Sophia has been an amazing teacher and friend! She makes dancing so easy and enjoyable—we were brand new to dancing when we first started and were able to learn enough basics over the next two years to feel more confident and to have fun. Thank you Sophia!"

"Coming to this class and getting lessons from Sophia I have learned quite a bit of new dance lessons. The one that stuck out the most and that I enjoyed learning was Salsa. When it comes to going out and going to a club at my age you feel a little bit out of place because the dance moves are limited and a bit redundant so I wanted to learn something other than just your typical bump and grind. After taking many lessons I have learned and appreciated the complexity what it takes to do other dance that are quite fun. One of the best parts was making friends in Sophia's dance classes along the way. It was a great experience and great lessons that I can take with me for the rest of my life. Sophia makes learning dance easy and she teaches it step-by-step and breaks it down easy to understand. I would highly recommend taking a class if you have never danced before and want to learn some new steps."