Edyta Sliwinska Biography

Name : Edyta Sliwinska  

Date of Birth : 6 May 1982, Poland

Height : 5' 6" (1.68 m) 

Occupation : Ballroom dancer

Edyta Sliwinska was born in Warsaw, Poland on May 6, 1982, and grew up in a working-class neighborhood of the city. An early love for music inspired her to sign up for a local dance class when she was 11 years old, and she's been pursuing her passion ever since. She relocated to San Francisco in 2000 and became dance partners with Alec Mazo. The pair fared well on the amateur Latin ballroom circuit, winning such competitions as the Emerald Ball Latin Championships and the Holiday Ball. She also served as director and choreographer at Genesis DanceSport studios in San Francisco.

In 2004, the 5-time US Finalist Edyta Sliwinska easily beat other professional dancers for a part in the new reality dancing competition, “Dancing with the Stars.” In season 1 of the show, Edyta was paired with boxer Evander Holyfield and was able to reach 5th place. The following year, Sliwinska had a chance to dance with actor George Hamilton, but also came out in fifth place. Edyta had better luck in season 3 when she was partnered with actor Joey Lawrence and the pair finished third. From December 2006 to February 2007, Edyta and Joey danced for the show’s performance tour.

In the debut season of Dancing with the Stars in June 2005, Sliwinska partnered boxing champion Evander Holyfield, where they placed fifth in the competiton. For the second season, she was paired with actor George Hamilton, and again came in fifth place. With the third season, her partner was actor Joey Lawrence, and the couple achieved third place. Sliwinska and Lawrence were part of the first performance tour of the show from December 19, 2006 to February 11, 2007.