KOWALKSI: BROWNSVILLE'S OWN DAUGHTER IN HOLLYWOOD

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

When the call for auditions was made for the 1934 movie “Sweet Adeline,” hundreds of girls from throughout the country made their way to Warner Bros. Studios in California and Brownsville’s own daughter, Sonya Kowalski was one of them.

Sonya’s dream of becoming a famous dancer started when she attended this city’s Incarnate Word Academy, a catholic school then located at 714 E. St. Charles Street. As the passion for dancing continued, she left Brownsville to further her studies at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio.

She had the innate ability for rhythm that many wished they had – you might say that genetics had something to do with her stage presence. Sonya was a direct descendent of the famous Paris-born pianist and composer, “Prince of the Pianoforte,” Henri Kowalski.

After leaving San Antonio, her career progressed to the point that by the late 1920s she appeared with Russian born, ballet dancer, choreographer and actor, Theodore Kosloff in concert performances in Ravel’s “Bolero.”

By 1928, Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” was reputed as the world’s most frequently played piece of classical music.

The Brownsville dancer had already attained success before her trials for “Sweet Adeline.”

The impressive brunette was a natural, and Warner Bros. could spot talent when they saw it. Sonya was soon after chosen as a specially dancer in one of the most famous musicals of the era. (Herald ad for Kowalski School of Dance at
right.)

Although Sonya had many stage performances to her credit – this was the first opportunity to showcase her talent in the movies. Winning a spot in one of the most important musical productions of the year was a milestone as now Brownsville movie buffs could see one of their own on the big screen, at the “Capitol Theater.”

“Sweet Adeline,” was set during the Spanish-American war, in the title role was Irene Dunne, who sang beautiful numbers written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein.

Some of those songs included: The Polka Dot; Here I Am; We Were So Young; Why I Was Born; Oriental Moon; Lonely Feet and Pretty little Kitty Lee, just to name a few.

The dances for “Sweet Adeline,” were staged by Bobby Connolly, famous Broadway director, who selected only eight dancers from hundreds for special routines, among which was Sonya Kowalski.

Perhaps she was no Ginger Rogers, or never had a partner like Fred Astaire, but just like Ginger – “she did everything her partner did, only backwards, and in high heels.”

A beautiful brunette, 5 feet and 4 inches in height, Miss Kowalski was considered one of the most striking looking girls on the Warner roster. Weighing 118 pounds, adorned with charcoal black hair and deep brown eyes, along with a solid pair of legs – she was poetry in motion and made for the stage.

Robert Brault said, “Dancing is moving to the music without stepping on anyone’s toes, pretty much the same as life.”