After being selected for a Sedona Dance Academy summer scholarship and two weeks of training with Ballet Arizona in Phoenix, 15-year-old Sedona student Sofia Wolf experienced a globe-trotting adventure over the summer in pursuit of her dream as she boarded a plane to train at her aunt Natasha Medvedeva’s dance studio, Viva La Danza, in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia. Wolf has had the goal of becoming a ballerina since the age of 2. Wolf was selected by the Rotary Club of Sedona Village for a summer scholarship to train at the Sedona Dance Academy.
“It takes full dedication to become a professional ballerina and this is an important [milestone],” Sedona Dance Academy founder Jessica Phillips said. “Summer training starting from [age] 14 is important for creating your resume and getting high-level training outside of your own regular space that you’re training in. She’s been my student since I opened the school [in January 2020] … when I opened the school, she was just elated, and decided she really wanted to do this as a career, and I’m supporting her.”
Wolf’s Russian experience was followed by a summer intensive program at the International Dance School in Alicante, Spain, with the Russian Masters Ballet Camp that ran from July 8 through 27 and included five hours of training six days a week. Wolf said that during the rest of the year she typically trains 20 hours a week, focusing on ballet and also incorporating elements from modern, jazz and hip-hop styles.
“She’s extremely intelligent, and very strong willed,” Phillips said. “Which are two qualities you have to have to be any type of a professional athlete. She has no problem making sacrifices. In fact, I don’t feel like they even feel like sacrifices for her, like waking up early before going to school for training or stretching. She’s also very gracious and humble and just a lovely student to work with.”
Wolf’s Russian trip was facilitated by her ability to speak Russian, given her family background, and during the Spanish leg of the trip she helped to translate for her fellow students, who hailed from more than 30 countries.
“My uncle lives in Moscow,” Wolf said. “So I got to stay in Moscow, and I went around the Red Square, and the Bolshoi Theatre, which has the best ballerinas in the world. And then just spending time with my grandparents.”
After deciding to pursue dance as a career, Wolf originally set her sights on attending a summer intensive in New York City as part of a long-held dream of dancing for American Ballet Theatre. However, she ultimately chose the Russian itinerary because of her family relationships.
“Just learning all about all these different people and how different countries live, and their morals, their traditions was the best part,” Wolf said of her travels. “One of my favorite memories in Spain was when the soccer games were going on, and Spain is known for being crazy about soccer, and you could just hear everyone stomping and beeping their horns whenever their team would score a goal.”
Apart from dance, Wolf is also interested in sports medicine and how it relates to her dance training and performance. She is the SRRHS sophomore class president, a member of the Interact Club and is looking forward to the Sedona Dance Academy’s annual production of “The Nutcracker.”
“Don’t let things hold you back. It’s good to go outside of your comfort zone, because that’s the only way you’re going to grow,”
Wolf offered as advice to others considering a summer program.
“[Wolf] will be doing some competitions in New York this year,” Phillips said. “It’s [been] a huge deal for her and will really help catapult her training to become a professional.”