Sophie Alpern, a native New Yorker, has been dancing since age five. She trained at the School of American Ballet, Steps on Broadway, North Carolina School of the Arts, Houston Ballet Academy, and the Royal Ballet School.   Sophie holds a Masters degree in Dance Education with a concentration in ABT Ballet Pedagogy from New York University, and a B.A. from Vassar College with honors in Sociology. She is also a graduate of The Brearley School in NYC. Sophie danced leading roles with the Vassar Repertory Dance Theater for four years, culminating in the principal role in Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie. She has worked in the Education Department at American Ballet Theater, taught open ballet classes for faculty and students at Vassar, and helped bring dance to underprivileged children across the world, through Ballet Tech, Ballet Ambassadors, and the Village of Hope in Ghana. Sophie has successfully combined her dance career with ongoing academic pursuits. She is the author of an acclaimed sociological study entitled “The Perception and Role of Dance and Classical Ballet in the Liberal Arts Academy” and has published an article in Dance Spirit Magazine called “Best of Both Worlds: Balancing Dance and Academics.” In addition to teaching at the ABT JKO School, Sophie also teaches at American Youth Dance Theater. She is the daughter of the world-renowned ballet teacher Nancy Bielski, who remains her model and greatest influence.