Sophie Christine Martin (born 1984) is a French ballet dancer. She was a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

with the Scottish Ballet between 2008 and 2022, before joining the Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe in the 2022/23 season.

Early life

Sophie Martin was born in

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

, France. As a teenager she moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and started her vocational training at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris.

Career

Martin joined the Scottish Ballet in 2003 under the directorship of

Ashley Page Ashley Page OBE (born August 1956) is a British former ballet dancer, choreographer and was artistic director of Scottish Ballet for ten years. Ashley Page was born in Rochester, Kent in August 1956. Page trained the Royal Ballet School, and joi ...

. She was promoted to

coryphée A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

in 2005, soloist in 2006 and principal in 2008. In 2014 she performed at the XX Commonwealth Games opening ceremony and at the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

Gala Concert in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. In September 2022 Martin joined the Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the 2022/23 season.

Selected repertoire

Martin's repertoire with the Scottish Ballet includes: Martin's repertoire with Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe:

Awards

* The Herald Scottish Culture Awards, Outstanding Dance Performer 2019 * Sunday Herald Culture Awards, Best Dance Performer 2016 * Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards, Outstanding Female Performance (Classical) 2011 * Number 20 in The List magazine’s Hot 100 poll of influential figures in Scottish culture in December 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Sophie Scottish Ballet principal dancers 1984 births Living people French prima ballerinas French expatriates in Scotland 21st-century French ballet dancers