I’m not super into the whole “throwback Thursday” thing. I’m not a very nostalgic person by nature and I don’t have a lot of old pictures of myself, because honestly, it’s only been in the past few years that I’ve come to be OK with pictures of myself, and maybe the past year or so that I’ve been OK with pictures of myself where I’m not in some sort of costume.
And yet, sometimes it IS fun to look back at old pictures of myself and see how much I’ve changed. The picture above is over 4 years old. I was relatively new to dancing then. I’ve since sold that skirt, thrown out that veil (one of the dogs chewed holes in it!) and I don’t think I have that tie-dye crochet top anymore, and if I do, I’m sure it doesn’t fit. In this picture, I have no tattoo, my hair is my natural color, and of course I don’t have braces yet. Four additional years of dance training has given me better waist definition and better arm posture. And it’s been years since I’ve seen the dancer behind me, although we’re still Facebook friends.
Of course, some things are still the same. I still have that belt and I wear that necklace all the time. It’s almost embarrassing how many of my photos feature that necklace. It’s like, c’mon Sophia, you make jewelry. You have a zillion necklaces. You could wear a different one occasionally. Nope. If I’m doing a green tribal thing, I always reach for that necklace. And I still enjoy a little tribal jam even if it’s not my main focus anymore.
Four years ago, I didn’t have a stage name. I didn’t have very strong plans for what I wanted to do as a dancer, other than probably teaching someday. I certainly didn’t think I’d ever organize and co-host a monthly event, or pose in a bikini while eating pizza to promote body love, or perform a solo on the Tribal Fest stage, or write an almost-weekly beauty blog. I’ve grown a lot in those four years, and I think there’s more yet to come.