Introducing the stunning Miss Sofi, a 23 year old Art Director with a French American background. This black-haired bombshell talks about living with mental illness, surviving sexual assault and how Lyra has helped her find confidence in her sensuality.
How long have you been dancing Lyra?
I started learning Lyra approximately twelve months ago.
Did you feel nervous before your first lesson?
Definitely! It was a mix of nerves and excitement. I remember for the longest time I never wanted to go to classes because it meant I’d be doing things I’d never done all alone. However when I went to my first class I realised everyone including the instructor was so lovely, that I wasn’t alone at all.
What obstacles have you faced living with mental illness? How has this impacted on your self-love and body image?
Three years ago I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I was going through such a hard time, fighting for my life, and battling to find the right medication. I fell into an abusive relationship that lasted two years, I came out of this experience so broken but I managed to work extremely hard to seek help and found ways to improve my health and overall wellbeing. Starting Lyra was a pivotal moment in my life. Doing exercise has helped me so much in my journey to recovery. I feel like a confident, fitter version of myself that I was always supposed to be. Also as a survivor of sexual assault, finding confidence in my sexuality was extremely hard and really came from doing Lyra - Dreamgirls Lyra especially (I can’t even tell you how much it helped!).
How does Dancing on the Lyra make you feel?
Whilst I’m up in the air, I forget about all the stresses and worries of my day. Doing Lyra makes me feel absolutely amazing and learning choreography has actually helped me immensely with my memory too!
What do you enjoy most about coming to class?
There are so many things I enjoy about coming to class that it’s so hard to pick one favourite thing. I’d say it would have to be all the amazing people who teach and go to classes. The support system makes me feel extremely safe and as if I’ve really found a family.
How would you define Self-Love?
Self-Love is different for everybody, which is the beautiful thing about it. To me, Self-Love came after I accepted myself and came to love the person I am inside.
What is your most beautiful physical feature, and why?
I’d say it’s the little beauty spot above my lip because my great grandmother had the exact same one.
What advice would you give a Lyra virgin who was nervous about signing up?
I know that there are lots of scary reasons not to sign up, but there are WAY more amazing reasons why you should. Learning Lyra hasn’t ever just been an exercise for me - it’s changed my life!