Sophie Martin Explained

Sophie Christine Martin (born 1984) is a French ballet dancer. She was a principal dancer with the Scottish Ballet between 2008 and 2022, before joining the Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe in the 2022/23 season. Martin is currently a dancer with Ballett Am Rhein, in Düsseldorf.

Early life

Sophie Martin was born in Cherbourg, France. As a teenager she moved to Paris and started her vocational training at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris.^[1]

Career

Martin joined the Scottish Ballet in 2003 under the directorship of Ashley Page. She was promoted to coryphée in 2005, soloist in 2006 and principal in 2008.^[2] In 2014 she performed at the XX Commonwealth Games opening ceremony and at the Ryder Cup Gala Concert in Glasgow. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

In September 2022 Martin joined the Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe in Germany in the 2022/23 season.^[6]

Selected repertoire

Martin's repertoire with the Scottish Ballet includes:^[2]

Martin's repertoire with Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe:^[6]

Awards

• The Herald Scottish Culture Awards, Outstanding Dance Performer 2019^[7]
• Sunday Herald Culture Awards, Best Dance Performer 2016^{[8] [9]}
• Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards, Outstanding Female Performance (Classical) 2011^[10]
• Number 20 in The List magazine’s Hot 100 poll of influential figures in Scottish culture in December 2008^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: What My Teacher Taught Me: Scottish Ballet's Sophie Martin. Rachel. Rizzuto. 20 May 2015. Dance Teacher.
2. Web site: Sophie Martin - Scottish Ballet. Scottish Ballet.
3. Web site: Meet The Stars Of Scotland's Performing Arts. Sarah. Clark. 20 January 2017. VisitScotland.
4. Web site: Sophie's choice: Scottish Ballet's star dancer on tackling David Dawson's new Swan Lake. Barry. Didcock. 3 April 2016. The Sunday Herald.
5. Web site: Ryder Cup teams welcomed to Scotland with Gala Concert.
6. Web site: Sophie Martin Ballett Ensemble. Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe.
7. Web site: Scotland's best talent celebrates the latest Herald Culture Awards. 12 July 2019.
8. Web site: Sophie Martin wins Best Dance Performer at inaugural Culture Awards - Scottish Ballet. Scottish Ballet.
9. News: Duffy . Judith . And the winner is ... Scotland! . 4 July 2023 . . live . . 2016-07-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180524003611/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/sunday-herald/20160710/282699046457994/ . May 24, 2018 . . en.
10. Web site: The 12th National Dance Awards - The Critics' Circle. 23 January 2012.
11. Web site: The Hot 100 2008. 11 December 2008.