Sonïa was the first dancer signed to the Bellydance
Superstars and has performed on every show since inception. Born in Long Beach, California, she began her dance training with classical ballet, modern, and jazz dance, moving on to folk and
ethnic styles, including Mexican folk, Latin, flamenco, and Polynesian styles.
For three years, Sonïa performed with Ballet Folklorico de
Pacífico under the direction of Adriana Astorga-Gainey and Jose Vences of the world famous Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. She also performed regularly with Polynesian dance troupe, “Polynesian
Paradise” with director Akemi Welsh.
In 1994, Sonïa added bellydance to her repertoire immersing herself in the art form as her main pursuit. Soon performing in
restaurants and nightclubs in Southern California, she also performed with numerous Middle Eastern music artists and dance shows performing both in the US and internationally.
Joining the Bellydance Superstars project for the initial shows in November 2002, she performed all the shows in the summer of 2003, including 32 Lollapalooza dates, performing in front of over 600,000 people. She was also a featured dancer on the first official Bellydance Superstars show- the World Peace Music Awards held in Bali, Indonesia (June 2003)- in front of an audience of 10,000 and broadcast to an estimated 2 billion viewers.
The second Bellydance Superstars tour from February to April 2004 took in 58 cities in North America in 65 days. This tour also included many TV shows (Jimmy Kimmel, FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC morning news and morning programs plus MTV) as well as store promotions at Virgin, Borders, Tower Records, and Capezio stores. The grueling schedule and the fact that her versatility meant she was performing solos, as well as in all the troupe choreography as the most featured dancer of the show, could certainly have earned her the title, “hardest working lady in show business.”
Thankfully, the US tour was followed by a luxurious 26-show run in Barcelona, SpainVictoria Theatre (June 9-July 4). Arriving in Barcelona to find her photograph had been chosen as the main promotional photo, she was stunned to see her image on billboards, magazine front covers, posters on every street, and on busses. Her fluency in Spanish also meant that along with Amar Gamal and Michelle Campbell, she was called upon to handle all the press and TV interviews.
2004 also saw Sonïa begin actively teaching the art of bellydance, and with Bellydance
Superstars’ master percussionist, Issam, developed an instruction program to teach the “art of the drum solo.”
Issam
In August, she filmed this program with Issam for her first instructional DVD released in
March 2005.
Sonïa is a featured dancer in the first Bellydance Superstar performance DVD released in
February 2004. She is also featured in the full-length feature documentary, “American Bellydancer,” which was released in August 2005, as well as the documentary, “Behind the Shimmy: Bellydancers
on Lollapalooza.”
As a full-time member of the Bellydance Superstars show, Sonïa has performed on all
European and US dates (over 300 in 16 countries) to date. She is a feature performer in the DVD “Bellydance Superstars Live in Paris,” filmed at the famed Folies Bergere, and being released
internationally by EMI and in the US by Mondo Melodia/Universal. She holds regular workshops throughout the country.
Solos in Monte carlo in 2005
Tournée 2007
I took all the pictures on the website: http://www.beperstars.com/
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Anna et Yashazi mon amie japonaise,
lors d'un repas entre filles au "Persian Paradise"
Avec la danseuse orientale au centre
Avec ma prof Anna, que j'adore, que
j'aime à la folie, pour être toujours adorable avec moi, me donner des cours de chinois tous les mardis, des cours de danse aussi. Pour sa douceur, entre grande soeur, mère et amie, elle tient tous
les rôles.
