Sophie Pierce’s dream of running her own dance studio began in early childhood. “In kindergarten, I started creating this imaginary dance studio in my house, and I would run imaginary classes,” she says. “I would take attendance, create schedules and had lots of—invisible shows. I loved it.”
Miss Sophie—as she is now lovingly known by her throngs of devoted students—was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley with four brothers and two kindergarten-teacher parents. From preschool through high school, she attended a recreational, noncompetitive dance studio while living what she describes as a very idyllic, “kid-centric” life—one filled with arts and crafts that she would later integrate into her own dance camps. She went on to graduate from Ithaca College with a degree in musical theater and a double minor in dance.
Originally moving to the west coast more than 20 years ago on a personal journey of self-exploration, Pierce quickly found herself filling a much-needed niche. She began teaching private, in-home dance lessons across the city—from Silverlake to Bel Air—and from there, the original Sophie Dance studio was born. Initially intended to be a one-woman show, the first location opened on Third Street in 2007—but due to high demand, it quickly took on a life of its own. “It grew really quickly, and that was a beautiful thing,” Pierce recalls. Nearly a decade later, Pierce opened what is now named Level Up, a competition, gymnastics, aerial and level-based studio, on the same street.
Eventually, Pierce realized that it was time to expand across the 405. “Moving to the westside was purely client- and employee-driven, in the sense that I had a lot of teachers who needed more hours and wanted more involvement,” Pierce says. There was also growing demand from families in the Palisades, Brentwood and Santa Monica who desired access to the Sophie Dance experience within closer proximity. Pierce launched her initial westside studio in 2019 in Santa Monica, partnering with her Third Street studio managers-turned-westside partners, Braelinn Johnson and Kat Rodriguez. The studio quickly outgrew its original space—even amid a global pandemic—prompting the move to the current, larger Brentwood location.
“I kept driving by and thinking that the location would be perfect,” Pierce says of her current studio, ideally situated in a spacious second floor area within the Brentwood Town Center on San Vicente, adjacent to the Brentwood Country Mart. “I guess you can say I manifested it. Just like I manifested the kids in the classroom as a child.”
Now home to over 25 staff members, the studio offers a wide array of classes—including tap, ballet, jazz and hip hop—for children ages 18 months to 18 years during the school year, along with a bustling summer camp program. It also hosts the Westside Players musical theatre program, competitive dance teams and even a mini boutique for her growing Sophie Dancewear clothing line.
In addition to inspiring other children to discover their love of dance, Sophie Dance has also given Pierce the opportunity to share her passion with her three daughters, who she shares with husband Neil Mahoney. “Aurora was in the studio while I was teaching right out of the gate when she was 18 months old,” Pierce recalls of her now 14-year-old daughter. Once a competitive dancer and now a volleyball player, Aurora still dances recreationally, while her younger daughters, Coraline, 10 and Blaise, 9, continue to compete. All three girls are dancers in different capacities, which only seems apropos of the Miss Sophie philosophy—that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and everyone is welcome just as they are.
It’s that inclusive feel that makes the Brentwood location so special. “What’s been really particularly enjoyable about being in Brentwood is that community feel and the connections between the people,” she adds. “It is the one studio that genuinely has that small-town feeling.” As you enter the second floor of the Brentwood Town Center, you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised by an encounter with a familiar face from a previous or present facet of your life, as you pass parents contently sitting on benches outside her studio windows.
And Pierce is giving back more than just a dance community to the families of Brentwood. In the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, she mobilized immediately to create a fire relief fund to support dancers who had lost their homes—100 students in total. “That we were able to feel like a second home to them and an important place to maintain was an honor and really special,” Pierce says, reflecting on the trying yet heartening time.
What began as a small-town vision in Pierce’s imagination has grown into a social cornerstone of the westside community—especially on display each June, when dancers and their families flock to the annual recital. This year’s celebration, held at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre, featured three full shows to accommodate the Brentwood location alone—each one a glittering who's who of nearly every girl mom on the westside. It was a true testament to the lasting impact that can follow when passion meets purposeful vision as Miss Sophie—and Sophie Dance—continues to successfully twirl forward.
Sophie Dance West; 13050 W. San Vicente Blvd., #201; 323-219-5930; sophiedancewestside.com
"Sophie Dance grew really quickly, and that was a beautiful thing."
"Brentwood is the one studio that genuinely has that small-town feeling."