Sophie Williams, a California native with an international dance career, founded Aurora Skirts in 2017 on the belief that each dancer is unique, beautiful, and deserving of dancewear as creative and special as them!
She trained in Solana Beach at Ballet Arte Academy of Classical Ballet under Sara Viale and Erlends Zieminch, and in Miami City Ballet’s Pre-Professional Division. Her professional career has been a story of passion, perseverance, and resilience. Beginning with Ballet San Jose, and taking her on to dance with companies across the USA (Oklahoma City Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, BalletMet, Complexions, Richmond Ballet, and American National Ballet), and a few seasons overseas with the Royal New Zealand. In 2022, she returned back to the USA, where joined Texas Ballet Theater, under Ben Stevenson.
Williams’ repertoire includes principal roles in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco (First and Second Violins), Serenade (Dark Angel), and La Bayadère (Gamzatti). With performance highlights in Balanchine’s Rubies, Theme and Variations, contemporary gems such as Andrea Schermoly’s Within Without, Val Caniparoli’s Without Borders, and classical full length productions, including Giselles by Alicia Alonso, Ethan Stiefel, and Edward Liang, Liang’s Don Quixote, Cinderella, Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Patricia Barker’s Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, and Pas de Quatre, Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alice in Wonderland among other celebrated works. While freelancing, Williams has enjoyed engaging in the creative processes with the National Choreographers Initiative and Chamber Dance Project.
When not in the studios, Sophie runs the dancewear line Aurora Skirts, mixing design and art to create lifelong pieces of dancewear that transcend fast fashion. Every detail of her skirts is ethically considered starting with recycled materials through to carbon-neutral shipping, and local collaborations.
She trained in Solana Beach at Ballet Arte Academy of Classical Ballet under Sara Viale and Erlends Zieminch, and in Miami City Ballet’s Pre-Professional Division. Her professional career has been a story of passion, perseverance, and resilience. Beginning with Ballet San Jose, and taking her on to dance with companies across the USA (Oklahoma City Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, BalletMet, Complexions, Richmond Ballet, and American National Ballet), and a few seasons overseas with the Royal New Zealand. In 2022, she returned back to the USA, where joined Texas Ballet Theater, under Ben Stevenson.
Williams’ repertoire includes principal roles in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco (First and Second Violins), Serenade (Dark Angel), and La Bayadère (Gamzatti). With performance highlights in Balanchine’s Rubies, Theme and Variations, contemporary gems such as Andrea Schermoly’s Within Without, Val Caniparoli’s Without Borders, and classical full length productions, including Giselles by Alicia Alonso, Ethan Stiefel, and Edward Liang, Liang’s Don Quixote, Cinderella, Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Patricia Barker’s Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, and Pas de Quatre, Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alice in Wonderland among other celebrated works. While freelancing, Williams has enjoyed engaging in the creative processes with the National Choreographers Initiative and Chamber Dance Project.
When not in the studios, Sophie runs the dancewear line Aurora Skirts, mixing design and art to create lifelong pieces of dancewear that transcend fast fashion. Every detail of her skirts is ethically considered starting with recycled materials through to carbon-neutral shipping, and local collaborations.