Sonia Rodriguez

Principal Dancer

Sonia Rodriguez View Gallery

Quick Facts

Born: Toronto, Ontario
Trained: With Pedro de la Cruz in Spain and the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco
Joined: 1990
Principal Dancer since: 2000

 

Five Things to Know

  1. 1In her more than 20 years as Principal Dancer, Sonia has performed virtually every principal role in the classical repertoire, giving acclaimed performances in Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Manon, The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa and Marguerite and Armand, among others.
     
  2. 2Sonia has collaborated with some of today’s leading choreographers, including Alexei Ratmansky, Crystal Pite, John Neumeier, Jorma Elo and Wayne McGregor. She also performs an extensive repertoire of works by George Balanchine.
     
  3. 3In 2005, Sonia performed the lead role of Dulcinea in the world premiere of Suzanne Farrell’s restaging of George Balanchine’s Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
     
  4. 4One of Sonia’s signature roles, Cinderella, was created especially for her, by James Kudelka in his 2004 ballet of the same name. Kudelka also created the role of Anaïs for Sonia in his 2005 ballet An Italian Straw Hat.
     
  5. 5Sonia is the co-author of the popular children’s book T is for Tutu: A Ballet Alphabet. It was published in 2011 with illustrations by Wilson Ong.

 

Favourite Ballets

  1. 1Cinderella
     
  2. 2Giselle
     
  3. 3The Seagull
     
  4. 4The Winter’s Tale
     
  5. 5Onegin

 

Videos

 

Articles

A Beautiful Finale: Sonia Rodriguez Retires as Principal Dancer

Sonia Rodriguez Answers Your Questions

Reviews

Cinderella
“Sonia Rodriguez, who created the title role, remains youthfully fresh but also finds opportunities to refine her interpretation.”
– Toronto Star

The Merry Widow
“The darkly beautiful Rodriguez, dances with rapturous abandon, investing her flirtatious character with just the right dollop of sauce.”
– Hamilton Spectator

Apollo
“Sonia Rodriguez was a delightful Terpsichore, winning the god’s love in a sensual duet where at one point he held her on his bent neck while she swam, back arched, above him.”
– The Times Colonist

Awards

Rolex Dancers First Award for her performance as Blanche DuBois in John Neumeier’s A Streetcar Named Desire (2017)

Honoured Among “The 100 Spaniards” for Her Achievements in Dance (2014)

Inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame (2012)

Spain’s Officer’s Cross of the Civil Merit (2011)

Enrico Cecchetti Award (Grand Prix) at the Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition (1989)