Sharna Burgess

Sharna Burgess
Sharna Burgess October 2, 2012 Just Dance 4 release party.
Born	Sharna May Burgess (1985-06-21) 21 June 1985 Australia[1]
Occupation	Professional dancer/choreographer
Years active	2000–present
Website
http://sharnaburgess.com/

Sharna May Burgess (born June 21, 1985)^[2] is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series Dancing with the Stars.

Biography

Sharna Burgess was born in Australia. Despite being a tomboy, Burgess found a love for dance. Growing up, she was involved in several sports and different styles of dance. At the age of five, she began training in ballet, jazz and gymnastics. When she turned eight, her study of ballroom began, and she went on to win many local and national titles. At age 15, she was chosen to represent Australia at the World Championships in both the Standard and Latin styles, and performed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games closing ceremony.^[3] At age 18, Burgess moved to London, where she collected numerous titles and appeared in a UK tour with the show, Simply Ballroom.^[4] Post Simply Ballroom, choreographer Jason Gilkison gave her a spot on tour with Burn The Floor. She was in the cast for six years. Burn The Floor appeared on Broadway, which has been a dream of hers and a memory that she will never forget. Burgess also had the privilege of dancing with the first ballroom show ever on Broadway.^[5]

Burgess' first television appearances were on the Australian Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance Holland aka So You Think You Can Dance (Belgium and the Netherlands). She joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars season 13 as a troupe member.^[6] While on the troupe, she also assisted So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Jason Gilkison on both the Australian and American versions of the show.^[7] She remained on the troupe until the end of season 15. For season 16, Burgess was bumped to regular pro and was partnered with Andy Dick. She returned as a professional for season 17, this time partnered with retired NFL star Keyshawn Johnson. They were the first couple eliminated. For season 18 she paired with olympic ice dancer Charlie White. They were eliminated during Week 9 (the semi-finals) and ended in 5th place despite raves from the judges and high scores throughout the season. Sharna was then confirmed for season 19 on August 27th. ^[8] For season 19, she paired with talk-show host Tavis Smiley. They were eliminated on Week 2, finishing in 12th place. For season 20, Burgess is paired with combat soldier and motivational speaker, Noah Galloway.^[9]

With celebrity partner: Andy Dick (average:19.3)

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Burgess admitted she knew nothing of Dick's wild past, due to the fact that she was living out of the country.^[10] Andy and Sharna continually received low scores and harsh criticisms from the judges. However, Burgess was praised for her work with him.^[11]

With celebrity partner: Keyshawn Johnson (average: 17.5)

With celebrity partner: Charlie White (average:27.0)

With celebrity partner: Tavis Smiley (average: 28.5)

With celebrity partner: Noah Galloway (average: TBA)

Other Information

After her performance in the World Championships semi-finals, Burgess discovered she had a small tear in her knee ligament. Rather than take immediate action, she insisted on finishing the competition. She needed knee ligament reconstruction surgery because she ripped two ligaments in half and lost all the meniscus in one knee.^[12] Burgess also dances disco, club/freestyle, hip hop, jazz and swing.^[13]

References

External links