Evoke Dance Movement

The studio's own definition of its name is a verb: to bring to mind or recollection, to re-create imaginatively. In Carlsbad, at 6102 Avenida Encinas, Suite K, that idea has a floor beneath it. There are four studios, the smallest 1,150 square feet and the largest 2,600. Each has raised hardwood floors, full-length mirrors, natural light and mood lighting that can be customized.

Evoke Dance Movement was founded by Stacy Sopher with a stated vision: a positive, inspiring space where students, teachers and families come together for a disciplined, respectful and heartfelt dance experience. Two of the four rooms are equipped for tap and ballroom training, so the building can hold nearly every style taught inside it.

The creative directors, Courtney Barclay and Trevor Lerma, are described as award winning, and they lead a faculty teaching contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, tap, ballet, modern, musical theatre, acro and ballroom. Their choreography makes up the company's repertoire: Lerma's Who Wears The West? and Too Darn Hot, Barclay's Up The Mountain and Inside I'll Sing, among others.

The training is built in tracks. MAKERS is for beginners ages two to five, MOVERS Company for intermediate dancers, MOVEMENT Company for the pre-professional, and MOTION for training only, ages six and up. The emphasis falls on proper instruction, conventions, master classes and industry audition opportunities. Competition is supported as a tool for growth, though it is not the primary focus. The company is now auditioning for Season 17, 2026-2027.