Newest 'DWTS' Pro Dancer Erza Soza Is Pumped for Tour
Last September it was announced that "Dancing with the Stars" troop dancer Ezra Sosa was promoted to being a full time dance pro on the show's 33rd season. When the announcement was made, Sosa said he was excited to be representing the LGBTQ+ community on the show, which wasn't the case when he joined the show in 2021. "I had a huge sense of imposter syndrome because at the time, I wasn't out... and it wasn't until this year when I realized the power, the power of being fruity and the power of just truly just being yourself," he told GLAAD.
And he added that it was pop star and dancer JoJo Siwa, with whom he had toured, who gave him the courage to come out. "When I first met (JoJo Siwa) on the show, she knew I was in the closet, she knew I was gay, but she also knew how uncomfortable I was in my own skin."
He is part of the current "Dancing with the Stars" tour, which kicked-off earlier this month in Richmond, VA and visits 68 cities in the upcoming months. For a full list of upcoming dates, click here. Next up is Boston's Boch Center Wang Theatre on January 16.
Ezra Sosa joins the newest DWTS champion Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson, along with Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov, and Rylee Arnold. In addition there will appearances by Season 33 contestants Stephen Nedoroscik, Chandler Kinney and Ilona Maher at some dates on the tour.
On the show, Sosa was paired with Anna Delvey, the convicted con artist made famous by the 2022 mini-series "Inventing Anna." They were first couple eliminated, and when asked by host Julianne Hough what she got from the show, Delvey answered "Nothing." Sosa later told People that she was actually "livid" at being eliminated. "So when we're walking right next to Julianne, she asked her that question, I was — I'm not going to lie — I was a little nervous what she was going to say," he recalled. "But with what she said, I think it was very iconic."
He also is proud to be bringing Latin inclusion into the ballroom this season. He tells GLAAD: "Growing up in Utah, I wasn't really exposed to my culture and my grandma always called me 'gringa,' and I had a hard time just diving into it." He says, "When I moved to L.A., I started going to Salsa Clubs, started taking salsa class and I really just understood how amazing it is to be Hispanic and how much extra rhythm I got in these hips."
EDGE spoke to Sosa about becoming a dancer, working with Anna Delvey, and how JoJo Siwa helped him come out.
Watch Ezra Sosa and Anna Delvey on "Dancing with the Stars."
EDGE: What inspired you to become a dancer?
Ezra Sosa: I was brought into it because of my sister. If you saw this past season, but my sister, Stephani, was part of the troop. It was her first season on the show. I'm so freaking proud of her. When we were kids, she started dancing, and because we were close in age, I had to get into it. The studio director wanted all the guys to do ballroom, and I said, "This isn't going to happen, and how ironic now I do it for a living. So, I will forever be grateful to my sister.
EDGE: Was the transition from troupe to pro easy for you?
Ezra Sosa: Oh gosh, it was the fight of my life. It was so hard. But also, there's something really important about the troupe, and if I didn't have those years of being a part of it, I wouldn't be the pro that I am today. The purpose of being in the troupe is to become a pro. Honesty it is the training ground for becoming a pro.
EDGE: What is your favorite type of dance to perform and why?
Ezra Sosa: Right now, I'm living for jazz funk because I never get to perform it. I'm always one, two, three cha-cha. There's something sassy about it, which is my right now.
EDGE: For this past season (33), you partnered with Anna (Delvey) Sorkin. Tell us about that experience.
Ezra Sosa: Do you have an hour? Because this one's a tricky question. Honestly, I had such a blast with her. People on the internet saw I had a hard time. Did she want to dance? She would probably be the first to say she didn't want to, but everything outside of it was so much fun with her. Even though she gained nothing, I gained a good friend. We have a really strong bond and friendship. She's going to give me a painting for Christmas. She's very excited about it, and I'm excited to see what it is.
EDGE: Tell us about this year's tour.
Ezra Sosa: It's going to be so amazing. We met with Mandy Moore a couple of weeks ago about the rundown for the tour, and she said it best, "There's something about this season that brought a whole new audience." This means the tour will be a young and fresher demographic, and because of that, it will be a trendier show with great songs. And it doesn't hurt that Mandy choreographed the Eras tour, so we are in excellent hands. The one thing I'm excited about is I'll be performing some same-sex dancing in the show. Mandy sat all the pros down and asked them what their wish list for the tour was, and I just kind of lightly threw it in there, and she made it happen.
EDGE: And this is your first year touring with the show?
Ezra Sosa: This will be my first official touring slot, but I've been a part of the tour for the last two years. I've been a swing, meaning I must learn everything in case I need to fill in.
EDGE: How will dancing feel knowing you are not being judged?
Ezra Sosa: We will definitely be judged by the audience, but besides that, I think we're all excited to share what we are passionate about. One thing about dancing on DWTS, which we all love, is that we getSD: to dance with celebrities, but we don't get to showcase our best ability as dancers. The tour is great because we get to dance our faces off how we want to. It is a freeing feeling about it, but also a creative feeling, especially with choreographer Mandy Moore. Whenever we're doing numbers, she gives us creative freedom to choreograph and do whatever we genuinely want to try. It makes the entire tour something we're all so passionate about, which does translate on stage.
EDGE: JoJo Siwa performance was historic in season 30 as part of a same-sex couple. Will DWTS pair a male couple anytime soon?
Ezra Sosa: Theoretically, that has already happened with Shangela and Gleb, but the only difference was that Shangela performed as Shangela. I don't know when that's going to happen. I'm very excited and eager to know when it will happen because I don't know if you watched the finale, but Derek Hough and Mark Ballas did a tango called The Mango, which I think was funny. There is something refreshing about seeing two masculine figures dancing on the floor, and I hope it will happen on the show one day.
EDGE: Tell us how JoJo helped you come out.
Ezra Sosa: She helped me in so many ways. I think my friendship with her has developed to the point that we have truly become best friends. She was the first person in my life who did things for me out of love and wanted nothing in return. She helped me come out, become comfortable in my skin, and feel confident just being myself. It is a gift that I will never forget. After we became close friends, she saw me struggling with my sexuality, so she became a gay fairy godmother and helped me come out of the closet.
EDGE: Will you be coming back for season 34?
Ezra Sosa: You will have to ask the big bosses. I don't know. That's another lure of the show is that no one is guaranteed a season. I do hope I get to come back to the ballroom with a new partner.
You can catch Ezra Sosa as part of the "Dancing with the Stars Live 2025" tour. For a full list of upcoming dates, click here