Dance Student Spotlight: Sofia Méndez Arévalo

My name is Sofia Méndez Arévalo, and I am 8 years old. I go to Pre professional training by VM.

@sofie.ballerina

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.

I started dancing at the age of 2 and immediately fell in love with it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?

Ballet is not easy! It is a daily hard work job. You need to work on technique, flexibility, turn out and many more things. I work hard every day to improve.

Has anybody ever tried to limit you on what you could do? If so how did you fight it?

Yes! My weakness is flexibility. In my old academy, they told me I would never be flexible, and I would never do the many things I can do now with my amazing new teacher, Violeta Meza.

How do you conquer negative talk?

I ignore it.

What is your favorite quote?

"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?

I am preparing for competitions and summer intensive.