Teaching Artist Statement
I feel passionate about sharing Hip Hop culture with the younger generation, because I know the freedom that Hip Hop has given me when it comes to exploring and appreciating my individuality. It’s exciting to know that others will be able to experience that too!
Teaching Bio
Sophia Maalouly holds a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Sciences with a focus on Dance, a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, and a minor in Physics from UMass Amherst. She grew up training and performing with the Dance Workshop of Hanover, and later continued in the Five College area. There, she served as Co-Captain of UMass Altitude’s 5:Dirty performance team where she led practices and set choreographic works on her peers. She has also worked with her peers to create two thesis-length dance works that focus on analyzing individual experiences and current events.
From fall 2021 through summer 2023, Sophia worked as a research assistant in Dr. Aston K. McCullough’s Laboratory for the Scientific Study of Dance, LAB:SYNC. She has continued to deepen her understanding of dance and science through disciplines such as Public Health, Feminist Science Studies, Neuroscience, and Medical Anthropology. Going forward, she aims to broaden her multidisciplinary view of dance through academic study and embodied practice. Sophia started with SSC in 2024.