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Sonia represented Australia at the Amateur
British Ballroom Championships and was the Amateur Australian
Ballroom, Latin & New Vogue Professional Champion.
Her incredible talent helped to land her the
acting role of Tina Sparkle in the 1992 smash hit Australian
movie Strictly Ballroom. Her best memory is of the final scene,
dancing the Paso Doble. “We shot it live at the Victorian
Championships so the atmosphere was electric.” On set, Sonia
actually taught other cast members how to dance. Her skill as an
instructor has also been utilised by Sydney’s acting school NIDA
where Sonia taught dance for more than four years.
Following the Strictly Ballroom hype, she became
a reporter on Channel Nine’s revamped kids show Wonder World
and made several appearances in the ABC-TV’s Three Men and a
Baby Grand.
After completing an Arts degree at Sydney’s
University of Technology, she joined the long running current
affairs program 11AM in 1997 as its entertainment reporter.
Highlights of her job over the following two years included
interviews with Garbage, Matchbox 20, Gerri Halliwell and Vonda
Shepard. She also
had the opportunity
to dance with Irish Riverdance sensation Michael Flatley and the
Flamenco troupe in Paco Pena.
Two years later she moved to the prime time
program Today Tonight where she has interviewed many famous
names from Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis and Mike Myers to
Glenn Close, Sandra Bullock, Jodie Foster, Kate Hudson, Beyonce
Knowles and Kylie Minogue. She has also hosted several prime
time specials including Surprise Wedding and John
Farnham – The Last Time. Last year she appeared in Channel
Seven’s exclusive coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival as a
roving reporter and hosted Fashions On The Field for Myer.
Sonia still fuels her love of dancing with the
annual DanceSport Championships held in Melbourne each December.
The three day competition comprises a TV special, hosted by
Sonia, screened the Channel Seven as part of the network’s 19
year support to the sport.
Co-host of Dancing with the Stars since the show premiered in
2004, Sonia mingles with the celebrities and their dance
partners backstage as they receive their critique and scores
from the judges, providing viewers with an insight into the
ballroom dancing world.
In January 2003 she married partner James, whom
she’s still trying to teach to dance. “Let’s just say he’s got
his own special style!” |
