Sophie Yukiko

Sophie Yukiko is a German-American author, curator, and performer in the fields of dance and theatre and film. In 2009, Sophie Yukiko began working as freelance dancer and model. Her travels to Los Angeles and New York City, the influences from subcultural dance scenes, and the artistic exchange in Battle Dance Culture had a profound impact on her. Dance became a medium for Sophie to tell stories herself and expand from her role as a professional dancer in commercial context.
Her fascination with narratives and storytelling grew particularly through her encounter with space of Ballroom Culture. She has been active in the community for eleven years and is known there, as Founding Mother Yukiko Laveaux - the head of the collective House of Laveaux. She was the first queer German woman to be awarded a Legendary honorary title by the international Icons of the Ballroom Community – a title only held by 3 other German Scene members before her. She is also a member of Europe’s largest House – the House of Revlon.

With one and a half decades of experience in the corporate production world, TV and event, as well as theatre stages high arts projects, and storytelling in film - she merges artistic approach, carefully gathered references and aesthetics with showbusiness precision, reliable producing and work ethic. 

In her artistic work, she addresses themes of heritage, subculture, and rituals. In 2022, Sophie brought Ballroom culture to Berlins Volksbühne. During the Give me Life Festival, she took on the artistic direction at the Volksbühne under René Pollesch and ensured a sold-out house with the “Icons Galore Ball 2” she curated.

In 2019, Sophie Yukiko choreographed, staged, and produced the short film RatedX, in which she attempted to use dance as a vent for her life experiences and to demonstrate how collective excess can function as a ritual and create a trance-like state.

In 2024, she revisited this idea and successfully applied for a summer residency at Tanzhaus NRW to research whether, in the context of techno culture and the tradition of raves, a spiritual component can be found that has its origins in Vodou and West African culture. As a result of the residency, a solo performance was created. Ritual BPM was shown in 2024 at Tanzhaus NRW and at Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin. In this piece, Sophie Yukiko imagines the rave as a trance-like ritual in which she dedicates herself to rhythm and beat. A continuation of this work is currently in the works with as an ensemble piece in Berlin in cooperation with Berlins Volksbühne and Nightclub Berghain.

She still works as a movement director and Creative in the commerical industry for selected projects.