Hi! I’m Sophia.

I am the founder and content creator behind The Dancing Fern.

I named my company after my grandmother Fern whose

love for dance gave me my first introduction as a

movement teacher. (Fern is also my middle name!)

I am a certified yoga instructor and multidisciplinary artist training to be a Dance/Movement Therapist. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and am currently living in New England.

My work centers on the connection between mind, body, and environment, stemming from my lifelong love of movement and the outdoors. With a dual focus on improvisation and accessible movement practices such as yoga, I create fun, full-body workouts that promote bodily awareness and mindfulness. Pranayama, or breath control, is at the heart of my movement practice because it promotes emotional regulation and calms the nervous system.

With each class or workshop I teach, I aim to provide holistic somatic practices that students can incorporate into their daily lives.

With each nature-based improvisational video I create, I aim to inspire viewers to get outdoors and rekindle their connection with their immediate surroundings.

Training & Education

  • I am a graduate student in Lesley University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy program in Cambridge, MA. This three-year program provides extensive training in clinical techniques with a focus on trauma-informed somatic practice.

  • I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training with the InnerSea Yoga Academy in Uvita, Costa Rica, a school that intentionally explores the connection between body, mind, and environment. I learned correct alignment and facilitation technique for Vinyasa and Hatha yoga asanas as well as traditional pranayama and meditation techniques. My studies focused on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar.​

Teaching Experience

  • I facilitate hour-long restorative yoga sessions in the evening for adolescents admitted to the in-patient psychiatric unit, as well as group expressive therapy sessions in which we explore mindful movement, art creation, and drama/theater activities.

  • I facilitate Yoga, Chair Yoga, Core & More, and Stretch & Strengthen fitness classes for seniors through HealthFitness, a company partnering with BlueCross BlueShield of RI.

  • Participate in and assist with dance facilitation for the older adult programming a local ballet studio and a nursing home.

  • Co-facilitated weekly dance/movement therapy sessions for children with complex disabilities during the school day at the Perkins School for the Blind and Deaf, working in 1-1 and full group settings.

  • Taught weekly, hour-long ballet and jazz dance classes to youth ages eight to sixteen for 4+ years.

  • Taught weekly, open-to-the-public ballet classes adapted for the physical abilities of a diverse older adult population at a local senior center.

  • Taught a weekly dance fitness class to students and staff. My class combined high-energy jump routines with slower-paced stretching activities.

  • Participated in weekly dance workshops at a daycare center for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), co-leading the group through a variety of activities such as movement sculptures and leader/follower games.

Live Performances

Dancer in Kimberly Bartosik’s “The Encounter: Providence” (Feb. 2024)

Motion State Dance Festival, WaterFire Arts Center, Providence, RI

Performer in “Dancify That!” - Embodied Storytelling Show (Jan. 2023)

Wilbury Theater Group, WaterFire Arts Center, Providence, RI

Dancer in Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company’s “What Problem?” (Nov. 2022)

The VETS Theater, Providence, RI                                                                                        

Acting

Babysitter in Matthew Osubor’s “It’s Not Paint!” Feature Film (2023)

Premier at the Salem Horror Film Fest in Salem, MA (October 2023)