Sophia Koo
Born: Newport Beach, California, USA
Trained: The Royal Ballet School
Joined: 2026
Other companies: During my graduate year at The Royal Ballet School, I had the opportunity to dance with The Royal Ballet in their productions of The Nutcracker and Giselle. I performed as a Snowflake in The Nutcracker and as one of the Willis in Giselle.
Awards: Natalia Makarova Award for Artistry, YAGP Finals, 2023; Grand Prix Award, YAGP Semi-finals, 2023; Young Arts Winner 2023; Gold medal, YAGP Paris 2023
Favourite BRB ballet: Sir Peter Wright's Swan Lake because of its dynamic, classical choreography and the magnificent stage sets and costumes. It is such an iconic 19th-century classic to perform, and I particularly love the great mix of characters in Peter Wright's version.
Favourite full-length ballet:Sleeping Beauty because of how enchanting and magical the classic fairytale story is. I love every single act and how different they contrast to one another, but my particular favourite is Act III. Together with Tchaikovsky's glorious music, the whimsical characters, and the stunning Wedding pas de deux, it has to be my all time favourite.
What inspired me to start dancing: My parents put me into my first ballet class at my local recreational centre because I think they saw that I just had so much energy and loved to move my body. Whenever I could, I would always play dress up in my living room and start dancing anytime I felt happy or heard a piece of music. From my first ballet class, I fell in love with dancing and later discovered my passion for ballet.
Dream role: Aurora or Juliet. Both of these characters are roles that I have admired for a very long time because of how beautifully captivating and transformative their stories are. They both require immense technical strength and stamina to perform, while also demanding a high level of artistic maturity and emotional depth.
Most enjoyable onstage moment: My graduate performance at the Royal Opera House, where I performed a beautiful pas de deux choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, and I remember feeling the most at peace and in the moment I had ever felt on stage. The feeling of it being my last performance as a student, seeing my fellow graduates in the wings, and knowing my family was in the audience made me lose myself into my own world and completely pour my heart out onto the stage.
Career if not a dancer: Most likely be a nurse or a sports medicine doctor. I have always been fascinated by the human body since I was young, and would love to be in the medical field.