Background
Sharna Burgess was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia to Ray and Lucy Burgess.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Sharna Burgess
Edit ProfileCareer
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.
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.
At age 18, Burgess moved to London, where she collected numerous titles and appeared in a United Kingdom tour with the show, Simply Ballroom. Post Simply Ballroom, choreographer Jason Gilkison gave her a spot on tour with Burn the Floor.
She was in the cast for six years. Burgess" first television appearances were on the Australian Dancing with the Stars and 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.
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. She remained on the troupe until the end of season 15. Foreign 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. Foreign season 18 she was 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 27.
Foreign season 19, she paired with talk-show host Tavis Smiley.
They were eliminated on Week 2, finishing in 12th place. Foreign season 20, Burgess was paired with combat veteran and motivational speaker, Noah Galloway. The pair made it to the finals and finished in third place.
Foreign season 21, she was paired with Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter.
The couple made it to the finals and ended in second place. Foreign season 22, she is paired with NFL player Antonio Brown.
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. Andy and Sharna continually received low scores and harsh criticisms from the judges.
However, Burgess was praised for her work with him.
With celebrity partner: Keyshawn Johnson (average: 175)
With celebrity partner: Tavis Smiley (average: 285)
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.
She dated choreographer and dancer Paul Kirkland from 2010 to 2015 Burgess also dances disco, club/freestyle, hip hop, jazz and swing.
Achievements
Membership
Burgess was a member of the Burn the Floor cast when the show moved to Broadway.
