Dancer, Actress & Creator Stephani Sosa Steps Up Brighter Than Ever and Embraces Her Boldest New Era
What's meant for you will come back to you. - Stephani Sosa
“May I Be Latina In Every Lifetime”
Stephani Sosa is entering a bold, new era in her career. Because guess what? Ballroom dancers can hip hop. And act. And turn heads during New York Fashion Week. One look at Sosa’s social media, and you’ll see exactly what we mean.
Whether it’s dancing in the ballroom, on stage at the Super Bowl with Bad Bunny, inside the studio teaching (she just joined up with the 2026-2027 Streetz Faculty, btw), or showing up as brother Dancing With the Stars Pro Ezra Sosa’s number one fan at the Season 35 season premiere, Sosa is in love with it all right now and ready to bring it.
In essence, she’s ready to take on everything her art has to offer. And then turn it up a notch. As GlamourBulgaria recently captioned in a high fashion shoot, “Triple-threat Stephani Sosa brings her singing, acting, and modeling talents to New York Fashion Week a la Carrie Bradshaw. Dressed in Hazel Noir and captured by New York’s premier runway photographer, Jasmine Gonzalez.”
At first glance, you might recognize Sosa as a member of the DWTS troupe during Season 33, or as a Top 10 finalist in Season 16 of So You Think You Can Dance. Most recently she was part of the summer premiere season of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. The new DWTS franchise featured 12 exceptional up-and-coming dancers who moved into one house and competed in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars.
Sosa said goodbye during a tough double elimination during episode 4 of the show, but that hasn’t stopped her from chasing her own DWTS pro dream. In fact, it’s fueled it, and inspired new dreams too.
“My first dream would definitely be a pro on Dancing with the Stars,” she told me when we chatted in late August. “And if not, then I would really love to star in a feature film where I can dance, sing, and act and just keep developing those talents. I’ve been doing that since I was a little girl—going back to my roots, keep building my acting resume, keep building my dance resume, and seeing what happens.”
The depth and breadth of Sosa’s dancing talent is as striking as her passion for the daily grind and her presence during her performances. A two-time National Latin Ballroom Champion who’s onscreen credits include High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Netflix’s Running Point and Ransom Canyon, she performs with an electricity that captivates you, and that just can’t be taught. She was so excited to chat about her next chapter, her family’s unwavering support, and the incredible dynamic and love for dance she shares with Ezra (who chimed in a bit in support of his big sis). She was also quick to openly share the pieces of her heart so deeply woven into her story so far.
Now living in LA, she’s reconnecting with her roots, working on her Spanish again and finding her way back to both her Mexican and Argentine heritage. As part of Latin American Heritage Month September 15-October 15, Sosa is ensuring she continues to place the spotlight on her background and what it means to represent all of the dancers out there who never thought they could make it.
Starting with her younger self.
From the beginning, dance was a lifeline for Sosa and her brothers, Ezra and Tristan Sosa. As the daughter of immigrants (a Mexican mother and Argentine father), growing up in Utah, Sosa and her siblings often felt they had to hide parts of their culture to fit in. After experiencing bullying, they spoke less Spanish, worried about having accents, and slowly made that part of themselves less visible.
“I feel like I alchemized everything I went through and kept pushing to get to where I’m at. I don’t think I would be where I’m at if I didn’t have those challenges,” she said. “That’s why I also fell in love with Latin ballroom, because I am Latina and listening to that music and I just felt so seen.”
Money was tight, but their mom did everything she could to keep them dancing, with some of Stephani’s earliest memories including traditional Mexican folklórico.
“[Growing up in Utah] was hard because I felt so different from the people that I was with. I had curls, my skin tone, we spoke Spanish. A lot of my childhood I felt like I had to conform and make myself small in a way to just fit in and not get bullied,” she said. “Dance was the one thing that I had. Without dance and my family, I don’t know where I’d be. But I’m just so grateful because now as an adult and I’m in the dance industry, and I’m able to be with people more like me—it’s been very healing.”
Ezra Sosa, who just started his third season as a Dancing With the Stars pro (he was part of the troupe Seasons 30–32), couldn’t be prouder of everything Stephani has accomplished to date on stage, but even more of who she’s become.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything she’s accomplished in her career, even outside of the show. Growing up, she was always the girl who got the auditions. She was very commercial and very bookable, so the fact that all of these things are coming to fruition for her is no surprise to me,” he told Inside Dance. “I’m just so proud that it’s happening. Off the dance floor, I’m really proud of the way she handled herself on The Next Pro. I remember watching the premiere with her, and she looked at me and said, ‘Wow, I look great.’ That meant so much to me because it really showed how much she’s grown and how much more accepting she’s become of herself.”
From their time together growing up and creating numbers and their own choreo to High School Musical, and dancing for their parents in their living room as kids, the two are ultra-close. Stephani started in hip hop, while Ezra began in ballroom and ballet. Both fast-tracked their talent to SYTYCD Season 16, and they still share a DWTS dream.
“It’s hard for me to be a pro and not have my sister there because I know how much she’s always wanted it and dreamed about being there,” Ezra said. “We’ve always shared that same dream. But what’s really special is that no matter where we are in our lives, or whether one sibling is more successful than the other at a certain moment, we support each other exactly the same. I think that’s what makes our bond so special.”
Front, Center, Full Circle
From early popstar influence including Michael Jackson and Selena Quintanilla, to DWTS trailblazer Britt Stewart, who spent five seasons in the troupe before making her professional debut in Season 29 as the first Black female professional dancer in the history of the show, Sosa continues to be influenced by what these artists created and is inspired to do things differently and trust herself to bold she said. “That era of pop stars really resonated with me. Just seeing how they were able to make beautiful art and just go for their dreams. And now that I’m an adult, when Britt was cast as a pro, she inspired me so much. I know what’s possible.”
A newfound confidence surfaced early in 2026 for Sosa when she performed at the Super Bowl as a dancer for halftime headliner Bad Bunny—something she’d love to do again because she was on stage proudly representing a culture she once felt she had to hide. When she hit the floor for The Next Pro, the process solidified her belief in herself. Both opportunities have ignited her next chapter.
“It was the combination of Super Bowl and The Next Pro that made me think I can do this,” she said. “Super Bowl was the beginning spark of that [confidence]. All of the lessons I learned from The Next Pro, and seeing the support from the fans, made me feel like I grew so much as a person and dancer. I’m more confident walking into even a dance class or an audition now just because I went through that intense situation. It’s a competition show, and you’re having to choreograph in three hours. To be able to come out of that and just be proud of the work that I did, even watching it back, I’m definitely a firm believer that I can get to where I need to be.”
Taking it back, she was inspired early on the convention circuit by the incomparable Director, Producer and Choreographer Brian Friedman, who noticed a spark in Sosa she hadn’t yet discovered in herself. It was Friedman who also gave her a piece of advice she keeps close to her heart.
“He told me that confidence is everything, especially if you don’t have it yet,” Sosa said. “If you have that confidence and you keep fighting and you keep just showing up, even if you don’t have the moves or you don’t have it perfect, eventually you will become that person that you want to be. Your body will catch up to you, who you are, and your spirit. A lot of dance is your confidence and it’s the way that you show who you are.”
Sosa also credits Friedman with changing the trajectory of her career and how she thinks of herself as a dancer by pulling her right out of her comfort zone from the getgo.
“He changed my life. When I was in Utah, and he would come and do dance conventions. He called me out for the first time and put me in a group with Maddie Ziegler. Did I know the moves? No. Did I mess up the whole combo? Yes. But Brian gave me the confidence I needed to move forward because I had so much going on in my mind and in my environment. I owe him so much. I feel like this next generation, we really need him because he does change people’s lives.”
Sosa’s time on the convention circuit has also come full circle in multiple ways this year as she dives into even more teaching opportunities. “I teach dance conventions and it’s my favorite thing ever. I love inspiring the next generation. Especially with Latin ballroom to being able to teach the five styles and the history behind it. I just feel so honored because I’ve always wanted to do that.”
As a teacher, she’s determined to give back to her students the same way Friedman did for her.
“Whenever I’m teaching a class and seeing somebody struggle in the back or someone that has “it” but doesn’t have that confidence, I just love being able to give them the reassurance that they need. Growing up, I had that from my mentors. I got to this point with the confidence I have, and I want to do that for others. So whenever I’m teaching, I always try to look for the underdog in the room or someone who has that star quality but just doesn’t see it in themselves yet. I tell them, ‘You’re a star. You just need to believe in yourself.’ I’ll give them the hype that they need. I just love changing people’s lives.”
Up Next, Sosa is focusing on expanding career opportunities across genres, continuing to embrace her best self and bringing that fire to every stage she graces. Becoming a triple threat is right up there on the list.
“I’m very excited just to keep expanding and growing my craft,” she said. “Obviously, I love ballroom, and I will always love ballroom forever, but I’m also excited to go more into acting and singing and do everything I can to see where I can go. Because last year, you know, I didn’t get asked back to troupe, and that was really devastating for me. Being able to alchemize that and then come back and book Super Bowl and do all those things, I feel like I can do anything now if I put my mind to it.”
And to that little girl growing up in Utah finding her voice, Sosa would simply say: “Just keep going, that everyone’s timeline is different and that you are right on time. Do not compare yourself to anyone else’s timeline because what’s meant for you will come back to you.”
See more from Stephani Sosa in the upcoming issue of Inside Dance magazine! Shop here for back issues!
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Photos Disney/Vince Valitutti
