Stephanie Lopez
Owner / Artistic Director
Sophie Sea Silnicki
Master Teacher / Asst. Artistic Director
Stephanie Lopez, owner /instructor/choreographer of Movements in Dance in Fairmont, WV has been teaching for 31 years. She has been dancing since the age of three. At the age of 16, Ms. Lopez graduated from Dance Educators of America Teacher Training School in New York City, igniting her passion to offer quality dance education to children.
Stephanie is a graduate of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. with a BA in Dance and a concentration in ballet. While at PPU, Ms. Lopez taught ballet classes for the Community Arts Dept.
Ms. Lopez is the founder of the MID Company Kids. She has led her students to many scholarships, high score awards, regional & national titles. She has received choreography awards from Sheer Talent, Dance Educators of America, Dance Masters of Pennsylvania, Dance Masters of America, Stars of Tomorrow, Starpower, Dancetheatre USA, and New York City Dance Alliance. Her students have been showcased in the Faculty show of Tremaine Dance Conventions and New York City Dance Alliance. MID has consistently won the NYCDA Class Act Award for age appropriate costuming and choreography.
Stephanie is certified by test to teach by Dance Educators of America & Dance Masters of America. She has taught for many conventions including; Extreme WorXshop, Dance Educators of America, and Dance Masters of America. She has judged the final round of DEA Ballet Seminar Competition and is a past faculty member of West Virginia University Creative Arts Dept. teaching beginner and advanced ballet. Stephanie is a past board member of Dance Masters of PA, Chapter 10. She was recognized for her contribution to the community by the city of Fairmont Arts and Humanity Award.
Ms Lopez continually attends workshops and conventions around the country to further her dance training & bring her students the finest in dance education. Her students have danced in regional theaters, ballet companies, university dance departments, and the final round of YAGP, the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition in Switzerland, the World Ballet Competition, on tour with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and the Radio City Rockettes.
Miss Stephane strives to make her students the best they can be in the dance world and in everyday life.
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Miss Stephanie along with the Movements in Dance company just won Performance of the Year at Tremaine Dance Convention Nationals in Orlando Floridia.
Sophie Sea Silnicki began her dance training with her mother, Stephanie Lopez at Movements in Dance in Fairmont, WV studying ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and acrobatics and attending many dance conventions, winning national titles, scholarships, and high score awards. At the age of 11 and 12, Sophie danced the role of Clara with the national tour of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, touring Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Seattle. She also trained at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and danced with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Company in productions of the Nutcracker, Coppelia, and the Holiday Pops with Marvin Hamlisch.
Sophie danced on the David Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center stage in New York City for the final round of the Youth America Grand Prix international ballet competition and has traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland to compete in the Prix de Lausanne as one of only 5 American women competing in the International Ballet Competition where she was awarded a full scholarship to San Francisco Ballet Summer Intensive. Sophie trained at San Francisco Ballet School Pre-professional division for two years and danced with the SF Ballet Company under the direction of Helgi Tomasson in productions of The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, Don Quixote, and Swan Lake.
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Sophie has worked with Susan Stroman in development lab for the musical, Little Dancer/Marie, Dancing Still and danced the soloist role in the 2017 production of the Merry Widow at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center.
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For the past holiday seasons, Sophie has performed in over 200 performances as a Radio City Rockette in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. She performed live on NBC with the Radio City Rockettes in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She is featured in the web series, Road to becoming a Rockette and From Clara to Kickline.
Miss Sophie is a sought after teacher sharing her love of dance with students and studios globally. She has taught and judged for many leading dance conventions including Deviate Dance, Sheer Talent, Creative Dance Lab, Extreme Talent Showcase, and Dance Teacher Web in Las Vegas.
She has also appeared in Law and Order, Blue Bloods, The Deuce, Homeland, Instinct, and the music video Carmin by Romeo Santos.
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Miss Sophie just recently completed touring internationally as the lead role in Sweetbird Production's Rock The Ballet in Hamburg Germany.