Sophia Apollonia is a dancer, model, movement director and actress. After training on the Royal Ballet School, Sophia has danced in productions like Swan Lake and Manon as a part of The Royal Ballet. She has also performed at events including the BRIT Awards and The Royal Variety Performance. As a model, Sophia has worked with publications including Vogue and iD magazine and industrial clients like Vivianne Westwood, Charlotte Tilbury, Gareth Pue, Gucci, and Roberto Cavalli.

My insecurities with beauty all began on the tender age of 11 once I joined the Royal Ballet School. Being the one ethnic minority in my 12 months group highlighted my awareness of being “different” to my white peers. My large afro hair was often remarked on. “Your hair is so big,” people would say, “Wow take a look at that texture.” I knew they weren’t being malicious, they were just curious, however it made me feel insecure and unsure about my very own beauty. My difference was compounded each time I used to be in uniform. During that point there have been no options for tights or ballet shoes that matched my skin color, so once more, I used to be made to feel “other” than the norm.

Between magazines, music, film and tv, I grew up being bombarded with Caucasian beauty standards. Surrounded by images of gorgeous women like Michelle Pfeiffer, with their slender noses, slick blonde hair, lovely pale skin and striking colored eyes, I never saw anyone who looked like me. I remember the immense pressure I felt growing up – that feeling of wanting to belong with the opposite dancers in my class. I started relaxing and straightening my hair, eager to make it smooth and glossy like those beauties I used to be exposed to. But it surely never appeared to make a difference. As a young person, not one of the boys fancied me. I used to be all the time being pigeonholed as “the sassy mate” or “the joker” while my white female peers were seen as “the gorgeous ones” who had all of the boys chasing after them. I resented looking different and yearned to be considered beautiful.

Growing up, my father would all the time play ska and reggae music in our household. I loved it since it got me in contact with my Jamaican roots. On the time it felt exotic and served as a tremendous escape from my reality. The beats had a lot vibrancy and I felt my dance training enabled me to discipline myself into strong shapes to extenuate certain classic dancehall moves. I remember so clearly as a young person performing Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like Its Hot” underneath classical music for a performance in front of my class. I desperately desired to bring some cultural variety into classical ballet because I knew the kind of dance had room for growth and the chance for a latest wave of movement. I remember the roar of applause within the dance studio from my peers and teachers for showcasing this newness and from that moment, I realised I had a bonus – not only do I stand out, I’m different and being different is cool and it’s extremely beautiful. I desired to proceed to shock audiences being the mixed-race girl with the massive afro hair who could ballet dance. It was something they’d never seen or have expected.

I now embrace and champion my mixed heritage by showcasing my beauty to others through modelling which I fell into purely due to dancing. I’d have casting directors approach me for campaigns due to my ambiguous look and my ability to bring a photograph to life through my ballet skills. This led me to grow to be a movement director where I teach other models learn how to pose and construct their body to look more dramatic and tell more of a story.

Throughout my portfolio of labor as a ballet dancer and movement director, I aim to encapsulate the aesthetic of a typical fashion campaign whilst showcasing the sheer discipline and great thing about ballet in addition to distinctively combining my British-Jamaican heritage. Using elements of traditional dancehall with the classical movement of ballet, the 2 juxtapositions of cultures are a natural marriage of latest movement and one I think we should always see more of. I hope my work will encourage others to broaden the best way they consider diversity inside dance and promoting, and in addition the best way by which it’s captured. 

Today, I now not calm down or straighten my hair; I absolutely love my natural hair and feel comfortable in my very own skin. I’m proud to be different. I’m extremely honoured to represent women of color within the dance world and need to encourage others to explore this amazing industry and be happy with their heritage.