Sofia Doroshyna
Sofia Doroshyna is a Latin and ballroom dancer and coach based in Cobh, Co. Cork, and the founder of Sofi Dance School. She has competed in Latin since 2014, trained in Kyiv, holds a Children's Fitness Instructor certificate, and teaches children, women and wedding couples in East Cork from October 2026.
In her words
"I started dancing at three and never really stopped. I tried many styles, but I always came back to Latin. I trained and competed in Kyiv as a teenager, then I became a teacher, and I worked for years as a tutor and a school teacher. I am also a young mother. I took a short break from dance for my son, and I came back to it in Ireland, where I now live, because it is what I love.
Sofi Dance School is the school I always wanted to open: a place where children learn real dances and real posture while having fun, and where women can dance for themselves without needing a partner. If you have been thinking about starting, this is your sign."
Dance career
- 2014 to 2017: competitive Latin dancer in Kyiv, Juniors 1+2 Solo Latin, in competitions of the Ukrainian DanceSport League, the Union of DanceSport Organisations of Ukraine and the IDU. Podiums: 2nd place, Soniachni Stezhky (April 2015); 3rd place, Champion Cup (May 2015); 1st place, Dance Show Formation, Premiere 2017.
- April 2016: Kyiv Spring Cup, International DanceSport Competition (WDSF), Juniors Solo Latin finalist.
- March 2026: The Emerald Open, Dancesport Federation of Ireland, Fairways Hotel, Dundalk. Adult Latin.
Teaching qualifications
- Children's Fitness Instructor, MASTER Academy Fitness & Dance, January 2019: anatomy and physiology of children aged 3 to 14, psychology, safety and class methodology.
- Languages and literature at Drahomanov National Pedagogical University, Kyiv, from 2018; studies interrupted by the war and the birth of her son. Years of experience as a school teacher and private tutor.
- Garda vetted.
How Sofia teaches
Small groups, one coach, the same structure every week so children feel safe, and real dances from the first block rather than "preparation". For adults: technique first, because confidence follows from knowing what your body is doing. Sofia speaks English, Ukrainian and Russian, and some French.
Where to find her
Cobh, Great Island Community Centre, Mondays. Carrigtwohill Community Centre, Tuesdays. Instagram @sofi.dance.irl. WhatsApp 085 756 24 30.