About Mariana Sobral

Born in Argentina, Mariana Sobral began her study of ballet in Argentina as a student of the Escuela Nacional Danzas. She later attended the University of Buenos Aires, where she studied dance in a newly created performing arts program. Her career as Soloist and Principal Dancer includes roles in classical and contemporary works. 

Upon moving to the USA, Mariana developed Ballet programs. She created award-winning choreographies for studios and companies throughout the Bay Area, teaching ballet and directing students of all ages and experience levels. Mariana is a certified instructor of the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum.

Mariana's goal as an educator is to guide dancers to realize what shapes their Artistic Vision, their individual and unique style, their "voice." She believes that by offering a comprehensive approach to their training, dancers will be more likely to connect to the intimate process of artistry in dance, bringing awareness to their voice as a dancer, an artist, and human beings. 

Her choreographic work has been seen in San Francisco as part of the RAW Artist residence at SAFEhouse Arts, SPF Festival, San Francisco International Dance Festival, San Francisco Movement Arts Festival, The DanceWright Project, Zohar Performance Series,  FLACC (Festival of Latin American of Contemporary Choreographers), San Francisco International Arts Salon, New Ballet's "Fast Forward", Los Gatos Ballet's "Beyond", and also in Regional, National, and International competitions where they earned her many choreography awards. In 2019 her choreography" Caritas" for eMotion Arts earned an" Audience Favorite Award" at PUSHfest. 

Mariana's choreographic style has been described as "an ethereal movement with a strong ballet influence" and "musical and moving". "She is a storyteller that likes to bring human emotions into her narrative".

Since 2019, Mariana has partnered with composer Peter Colclasure, creating several works together. Among them, "The Act of the Dreamer," which describes the journey of an immigrant, reflecting on Mariana's journey, premiered at the SPF Festival in San Francisco in 2019. In 2021 "Us. Still" premiered a work that ponders our resilience during the pandemic. This work was commissioned by New Ballet and presented as part of their Fast Forward show in 2021. Their latest collaboration, "Reflections", was premiered in March 2023 was also commissioned by New Ballet. Their new project "Dreamer" (which explores the concepts and intersections of identity and immigration) is in development and will premiere in full in April 2024 with a preview by the end of 2023. 

Mariana is the Artistic Director and founder of eMotion Arts, a Bay Area-based dance company with the mission of spreading a message of Oneness through Dance by bringing together dancers, artists, and their unique styles.

She is a faculty member of New Ballet (School and Company) and Los Gatos Ballet.