Boutella was born in the Bab El Oued district of Algiers, the daughter of jazz musician Safy Boutella. Her mother is an Algerian architect. She started classical dance education when she was five years old. At the age of 10 in 1992, she left Algeria with her family and moved to France, where she started rhythmic gymnastics, joining the French national team at age 18.\n', '

Boutella took up hip hop and street dance, and was part of a group called the Vagabond Crew, which won the Battle of the Year in 2006. She also participated in a group called "Chienne de Vie and Aphrodites" created by Momo from the Vagabond Crew.\n', '

Sofia\'s father, Safy Boutella, is a jazz pianist and composer and graduate (1979) of the Berklee College of Music.\n', '

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