We had the good fortune of connecting with Sofia Nelson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sofia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started LUMIA with the vision of bringing flow arts to the stage and theatre. Flow arts, or prop manipulation, is well-known in the festival and Burning Man community, and performers can be hired as entertainers at parties, private events, and other gigs. However, at the time, there were no performance opportunities available for flow artists outside of those avenues, and I felt that what we do is so unique that it deserves to be put on a stage. LUMIA provides an opportunity for flow artists and other circus artists to put on live shows and share our craft with our communities, hopefully also inspiring more people to pick up a prop and try it out!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always lived my life with one foot in two different worlds. I grew up dancing extensively, but also loved science and decided to pursue a career in medicine. Throughout my training at UCLA- from medical school, through Internal Medicine Residency, then Pulmonary Fellowship- I continued to take dance classes and perform whenever I could. After I finished training, I started my career as a Pulmonologist, splitting my time between seeing patients in clinic and consulting in the hospital. When I discovered flow arts, I was immediately drawn to the use of props as creative extensions of the body. I loved that you could create shapes, movement, and tell stories beyond the physical limitations of the human body. Once I established my Pulmonary practice, I decided to invest financially in starting my own dance company, with the vision of bringing flow arts to the stage and making it more accessible to both performers and our communities. Balancing my professional career and artistic endeavors is not easy, but my mind, body, and soul truly need both in order to keep balance. I cannot imagine my life without either. I have been able to walk down both paths largely because of the support of my friends and family, particularly my LUMIA family, who have cheered me on and have helped build this company alongside me. I have learned many lessons along the way, particularly the importance in the creative process of simply creating space- creating space for myself and others to fill with ideas and dreams. For it is only once that space is there, that those ideas can begin to get realized. I want the world to know that you can (and should!) have the best of both worlds- you can pursue your career and also pursue your passions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a big foodie so the day would be packed with visiting some of my favorite places to eat. We would start the day by grabbing breakfast at Urth cafe, then perhaps hitting the beach in Malibu. If the weather permits, we may do some hiking around Topanga or go thrift store shopping. We would then have dinner at Sugarfish and watch a movie at Cinepolis. After dinner, we might catch an Uber to go dancing in downtown, perhaps findings some cool visiting DJ to check out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this to my entire LUMIA Dance Company family, particularly my leadership team, without whom this crazy dream would never have been possible.

Website: www.lumiadancecompany.com

Instagram: @lumiadanceco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=lumia%20dance%20company

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOKT0sWSKuR9jhHIlfVH9jA

Image Credits
Grant Palmer, Kevin at Underground Exposure, Eric Allen, Amanda Lee

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.