Sharna Burgess Biography
Sharna May Burgess is an Australian professional ballroom dancer and choreographer born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. She holds both Australian and American citizenship and is best known internationally for her long career as a professional dancer on the American television show Dancing With The Stars.
From representing Australia in world championship ballroom competitions as a teenager to becoming a fan favorite professional on one of American television’s most enduring dance competitions, Sharna Burgess has built a career defined by discipline, versatility, and reinvention. This article covers her early life in Australia, her rise through the international dance world, her television career, and her personal life today.
Sharna Burgess Early Life
Sharna Burgess was born on June 21, 1985, in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, to parents Ray and Lucy Burgess. She began training in ballet, jazz, and gymnastics at the age of five, and by age eight she had added ballroom dancing to her training regimen. Her natural talent and work ethic quickly became apparent, and within her first few years of competitive dancing, she had already won numerous local and national titles in Australia.
At the age of fifteen, Burgess was selected to represent Australia at the World Championships in both the standard and Latin ballroom styles, a significant achievement for such a young competitor. Her rising national profile eventually earned her the honor of performing at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, a moment that placed her burgeoning dance career on a global stage even before she reached adulthood.
Sharna Burgess State of Origin
Sharna Burgess is originally from Wagga Wagga, a regional city in New South Wales, Australia, known for its strong community sporting culture. Her early training in the city, combined with her family’s support, laid the groundwork for a competitive dance career that would eventually take her around the world. At eighteen, she left Australia to move to London, marking the beginning of a career that would carry her far from her regional Australian roots, first to the United Kingdom and later to the United States, where she remains based today.
Although she has spent most of her adult life and career abroad, Burgess has continued to identify closely with her Australian heritage, frequently referencing her upbringing in interviews and returning to Australia to work as a judge on the Australian edition of Dancing With The Stars.
Sharna Burgess Career
Competitive Ballroom Beginnings
Following her early success representing Australia internationally, Burgess moved to London at eighteen years old, where she was cast in a United Kingdom theatre tour of the show Simply Ballroom. This role served as her introduction to professional stage performance beyond pure competition.
Burn The Floor and Broadway
In 2006, choreographer Jason Gilkison selected Burgess to join the international dance production Burn The Floor, a show that toured for six years and sold more than four million tickets across over thirty countries and one hundred sixty cities. During her time with the production, Burgess also made guest appearances on Dancing With The Stars Australia, Dancing With The Stars in the United States, and So You Think You Can Dance in the Netherlands. In 2009, Burn The Floor transferred to Broadway, where Burgess became one of its original American cast members. She also served as assistant choreographer to Jason Gilkison on the American and Australian editions of So You Think You Can Dance.
Dancing With The Stars
Burgess joined the American version of Dancing With The Stars as a member of the dance troupe in season thirteen and was promoted to a full professional partner by season sixteen. Over the following years, she partnered with a range of celebrities, including Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, NFL player Josh Norman, and IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, reaching high placements without a win. Her breakthrough finally came in season twenty seven, when she won the Mirrorball Trophy alongside radio personality Bobby Bones. After a five year absence from the American version of the show, Burgess returned as a professional dancer for its thirty fifth season in 2026.
Choreography and Film Work
Beyond her work on Dancing With The Stars, Burgess has built an extensive choreography career. In 2012, she moved into film by choreographing the British dance drama Street Dance 2 in 3D, working alongside choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega to blend hip hop and Latin dance styles. She has also choreographed for the television series How To Get Away With Murder, the reality series Strictly Come Dancing, and Backstreet Boys’ Las Vegas residency show. Her film and television credits as an actress and producer include the movies Waxman and The 3 Killer Pigs, along with the upcoming coming of age film I Won’t Dance, which she is choreographing and starring in.
Judging and Return to the Ballroom
Since 2019, Burgess has served as a judge on the Australian version of Dancing With The Stars, alongside fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood and Tristan MacManus. During her years away from the American professional cast, she also worked as a choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance, continuing to shape the dance careers of new performers even while stepping back from active competition herself.
Sharna Burgess Awards and Achievements
Sharna Burgess’s most notable competitive achievement in American television came in season twenty seven of Dancing With The Stars, where she won the Mirrorball Trophy partnered with Bobby Bones. She also placed second on three separate occasions with different celebrity partners across her career on the show. Her performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games closing ceremony remains one of the standout honors of her early competitive career, and her extensive choreography work on major stage and screen productions has further cemented her reputation as one of the most respected figures in professional ballroom dance.
Sharna Burgess Personal Life
Sharna Burgess is engaged to actor Brian Austin Green, whom she met in October 2020 through a mutual business connection. The couple made their relationship public in early 2021 and made their debut as dance partners on Dancing With The Stars later that year. They welcomed their son, Zane Walker Green, in June 2022, and Green proposed on his fiftieth birthday in July 2023. Green also has three children from his previous marriage to actress Megan Fox, as well as another son from an earlier relationship, making Burgess part of a large blended family based in the United States.
Conclusion
Sharna Burgess’s career reflects decades of discipline, adaptability, and reinvention, from her early days winning Australian ballroom titles as a teenager to becoming one of the most recognizable professional dancers on American television. Her willingness to move across countries, take on choreography and acting projects, and return to competition after years away demonstrates a career built on continuous growth rather than settling into a single role. With new film projects and a return to the Dancing With The Stars ballroom, Sharna Burgess’s career continues to evolve well into its third decade.
FAQs
Who is Sharna Burgess?
Sharna Burgess is an Australian professional ballroom dancer and choreographer best known for her long career on the American television show Dancing With The Stars.
When was Sharna Burgess born?
Sharna Burgess was born on June 21, 1985, in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
Did Sharna Burgess win Dancing With The Stars?
Yes, she won season twenty seven of Dancing With The Stars alongside radio personality Bobby Bones.
Is Sharna Burgess still on Dancing With The Stars?
After a five year absence, Burgess returned as a professional dancer for the show’s thirty fifth season in 2026.
Who is Sharna Burgess engaged to?
She is engaged to actor Brian Austin Green, with whom she has a son named Zane Walker Green.
Has Sharna Burgess worked outside of Dancing With The Stars?
Yes, she has choreographed for film and television projects including Street Dance 2 in 3D and How To Get Away With Murder, and she has judged the Australian version of Dancing With The Stars since 2019.