Anya Garnis (born 1982) is a Russian-born Latin dancer from New York City, with eight years of formal training in Russia. She started dancing at the age of 10 and has reached the finals at the 2004 U.S. Open Ballroom Championship. She lists Mikhail Baryshnikov as her favorite professional dancer. Garnis has lived in the United States since 2001 and has been dancing with partner and fellow finalist Pasha Kovalev for nine years. Although she has her ballroom costumes sewn by a dressmaker in New York City, Garnis designs them herself. She was eliminated on 19 July 2007 and went on tour as a special guest.
Garnis was the first contestant on Mary Murphy's Hot Tamale Train which is now a recurring theme on the show.
In 2005 she and Pasha Kovalev came in fifth in the American Ballroom Challenge finals. She and Pasha Kovalev appeared on the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars in a results show performance, dancing to "Come On Over" by Jessica Simpson. She also performed with him on the international dance show "Superstars of Dance", representing Russia in the duet category. She is also returning as an All-Star in Season 7.
Read more about this topic: So You Think You Can Dance (season 3) Finalists