Sally Virgilio
Sally Virgilio is dedicated ballerina who trained at Soo Dance Academy from 2011 to 2017, performing leading roles such as Odette in Swan Lake and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. She also assisted pre ballet classes and served as a guest teacher for older students. In 2017, Sally joined The New Ballet School in San Jose, where she has now been accepted into their studio company for the 2018-19 season. She has spent two summers at Ballet West Summer Intensive, taking classes in a variety of styles and dance genres including hip-hop, modern, and contemporary. Most recently, she completed the Royal Danish Ballet summer school in Copenhagen, where she practiced Bournonville technique and had the opportunity to work with choreographers and teachers form all over the world. She has had the opportunity to perform in the historic California Theatre in San Jose, as well as the Royal Playhouse in Denmark. She plans on pursuing a career in classical or neoclassical ballet in the coming years, and to teach, dance, and laugh as much as possible.”
Sophie Kim
Roles Danced
Nutcracker: Clark, Sugar Plum Fairy, Flower Queen
Sleeping Beauty: Fairy
Swan Lake: Four Little Swans
Don Quixote: Kitri
2014 International Dance Challenge:
Don QuixoteL Overall Teen Ballet Age 11-14, Solo Division: 1st Place.
2014 Showbiz National Talent Competition:
Don Quixote: Overall Teen Showbiz Icon
Visiting Teaching Assistant 2016
Accepted into The Kirov academy, Washington, DC on partial scholarship.
Kirov Academy of Ballet’s summer program in Washington, D.C. and after receiving an invitation with a scholarship, she attended the school for two years. Ms. Kim continued her dance training with the illustrious Calvin Thomas, before moving to New York to learn from world renowned dancers and teachers, such as Cheryl Yeager, Elizabeth Walker, Joseph Malbrough, Olga Dvorovenko, Stacey Calvert, Wendy Whelan, Francis Patrelle, Tara Mora, and many more, at Ballet Academy East. There, she was introduced to Balanchine and the true scope of the ballet world, and is honored to have danced in Walpurgisnacht, Scherzo A La Ruse, Valse Fantasie, Alan Hineline’s Concerto in D, and her peers’ choreographed work during the school’s annual choreography workshop. She performed in Francis Patrelle’s Nutcracker as a Doll, Flower, Ice Skater, and Chinese dancer. In her last year at the school, Sophie worked closely with Maina Gielgud and Cheryl Yeager to prepare for her roles as the Canary Fairy and Princess Florine in BAE’s production of the Sleeping Beauty. The 2020-2021 season was Ms. Kim’s first year at Diablo Ballet, and she could not be more thrilled to be able to share the art of ballet with such amazing dancers. She is excited to continue her journey as a professional artist next season, and very passionate about teaching the new generation of dancers at Soo Dance Academy.
Sofia McAnulty
Roles Danced
Nutcracker: Snow Queen, Spanish, Clara’s Mother, Mother Ginger
Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Les Sylphides: Corps de Ballet
Competition Awards
Teaching Assistant 2014, 2015
Instructor 2015-2016
Completion of Soo Dance Academy Teacher Training
Accepted into NYU Tisch School for Performing Arts, New York
Recently hired by a national talent program in Oslo. The program is called TILT Grow and it is supported by Talent Norge, which is Norway’s national talent agency.
Jilian Schmidt
Jilian Schmidt dedicated 2019–2022 to Soo Dance Company and Academy, having excelled in her technique tremendously. Jill was on the competition team in 2018 as a soloist and in group dances, and Jill recognized her talent. Jillian has now graduated from high school at Dougherty Valley High School and will pursue college in the fall of 2022 at Cal Poly Pomona in pursuit of a business degree. Jill decided to expand her dance training by joining the Cal Poly Pomona Dance Team.
