Sophia Xiao

Sophia has been dancing since age 5 at Yoko’s Dance in Fremont, California, where she learned ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap. She has won numerous regional and national championships and awards over the years, including The Dance Awards National Top 20 Junior Best Dancers in 2022 and Top 20 Teen Best Dancers in 2023, and NYCDA national Top 25 Junior Outstanding Dancers in 2022 and Top 25 Teen outstanding Dancers in 2023. She has also danced as Clara in the annual performances of The Nutcracker from 2021-2023. In late 2023, at the age of 14, Sophia decided to focus more on ballet and joined City Ballet San Francisco on full scholarships and has since then been trained in the professional division. Despite spending more than 20 hours per week on dancing, Sophia still finds ways to achieve academic excellence and contribute to her school and community, including being an Airband leader for two years in high school and volunteering in various organizations. She hopes to continue dancing in the future as a way to express herself and explore her passion for the arts.