SOPHIE JEAN DANCE COMPANY
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Welcome to
Sophie Jean
Dance Company
WHO WE ARE
Sophie Jean Dance Company offers dance classes from beginners to pre-professionals, mini movers to advanced contemporary, tap, jazz, acro, and Hip Hop
We foster a supportive, family environment with strong values. We want our students to grow as individuals and find a genuine platform for creativity and expression in a place that is welcoming, safe, and totally free of judgment. Giving our students opportunities for overseas exchanges to learn from world-renowned choreographers and teachers.
We work with each of our students based on their needs, offering more advanced and in-depth training for those who are working toward full-time courses, competitions, or greater achievements within the arts. But we also understand everybody is different, and we embrace that, ensuring each individual within our studio walls feels valued- regardless of their progression or training needs. we have something for everybody in order to allow our students to be as creative, open, free, and as incredible as they can be.
SOPHIE FOLLETT:
Sophie started Sophie Jean Dance Company in 2016. She studied a Bachelor of Dance Studies with Honours at the University of Auckland. Sophie is currently teaching NCEA dance in secondary schools and is working on a new choreography that is being performed at the Hawkes Bay Art's Festival. She has also created an overseas education experience for her senior dance students to head over to Canada to attend a summer dance camp with Stacey Witt at MacDonald Island Dance Company. Her choreography has been presented in Tempo Dance Festival in 2015 (performer & choreographer), Short and Sweet Dance Festival (2013) where she was awarded People's Choice Award, The University of Auckland Blues award ceremony (2013), and in 2012 Sophie was awarded The University of Auckland Blues award for Chorography. She has been a part in many performances including Camelle Pinks Choreography Unfurl performed in Sydney, Short and Sweet Festival (2013/2015), and Auckland of University Action show (2014), Monster Valley experiment her own choreography and in Helen Foy choreography (2014), Short & Sweet Dance Festival in my own choreography - 2013 (awarded People's Choice Award), Tempo Dance Festival – Tertiary Colours Choreographed by Pee Jung Lee (2012), Youth Dance Festival in Singapore collaboration choreography with Pee Jung Lee & Nita Latu – 2012, Lead performer in SACRE Performance choreographed by International choreographers Volker Eisenach & Royston Maldoom and guests Taiaroa Royal & Moss Paterson (2011)
STACEY WITT:
Stacey is from Canada, and brings 28 years of dance experience to Sophie Jean Dance Company. She started teaching at Sophie Jean Dance Company in 2019 & was teaching dance for 4 years in Alberta, Canada (2014-2018). Stacey has studied a range of dance styles from contemporary, jazz, hip hop, modern, tap, ballet, African, Acro and musical theatre at various dance academies. Stacey has trained with the Canadian National Tap Team (2007-2009) & Canadian National Jazz Dance Team (2009) cas well as the Matthew Clark Dance Company, competing in world dance competitions in Germany, Poland and Spain and taking home 3 gold medals from the experience! She also was a part of the Tap Reloaded Euopean dance tour (2010), performing in Malta, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Stacey continued to develop her dance training at the University of Auckland in New Zealand for 3 years (2011-2014), where she also met Sophie! She also teaches private dance lessons at Iona College. She is extremely passionate and believes in providing a dance education that is fun, inclusive and inspiring for all ages & levels! She is excited to join the Sophie Jean Dance Company family!
Canada Dance Experience
In July 2018 a group of 8 Senior dancers from SJDC travelled to Canada to attend a summer dance camp. The students were immersed in a busy week of all genres of dance including Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Acro, Partnering & Lifts and Choreography. This experience was so much fun and they have made lifelong friends at the Mac Island Dance Studio.
We are going to be continuing with our Canada dance trips as soon as the world opens up and allows for safe travel! Our next trip to Canada will be to Toronto to do a full week of classes learning all different genres.
