Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Colleagues, her castanets and heels are forever silenced. Nicknamed Quebec’s flamenco ambassador, Sonia del Rio made an international name for herself in classical Spanish dance.

Last Friday, surrounded by her loved ones, my cousin Sonia Boisvenu, better known by her stage name, Sonia del Rio, left us at the age of 83.

Sonia was born in Rouyn-Noranda on January 29, 1940. That’s the same part of the province I was born in. She was very proud of her Abitibi roots. As the magnificent ambassador of flamenco to Quebec, Sonia led a remarkable career both here and abroad, living and working for many years in Europe and collaborating with the greatest masters of the vibrant Iberian dance. She became an international star of classical Spanish dance and flamenco, an art she also taught, in addition to performing castanet concerts.

In the 1950s, she studied classical ballet and Spanish dance. Her career took off in that same decade with numerous performances in Montreal cabarets. She shared the stage with Michel Louvain, Muriel Millard, les Jérolas, Monique Gaube and Jean Grimaldi, as well as actors such as Olivier Guimond, Manda Parent and Claude Blanchard. All were charmed by her grace and talent.

In 1960, my cousin Sonia went off to Europe to perfect her art and pursue her career there. She settled in Paris, where she performed at the Théâtre de L’Étoile, before moving to Spain, where she studied classical dance, folk dance and flamenco.

In 1974, she become the first and only Canadian to graduate from the Advanced School of Dramatic Arts and Dance in Madrid. Upon her return to Quebec in the 1990s, she taught ballet at Les Grands Ballets canadiens, a dance that was part of every fibre of her being.

I have very fond memories of my cousin Sonia, who was very proud of her Boisvenu family, her home in Abitibi, her province of Quebec and her country, Canada, which she put on the map overseas. I am very proud of her unique career, but I am especially proud of the woman and cousin she was.

She made every family gathering an emotional, caring and happy time, even though it was rare for her to attend such gatherings when she was living in Europe. The whole family was overjoyed when she returned to Canada in the 1990s. She had so many stories to tell about her career in the “old countries,” as our parents liked to say.

Sonia was laid to rest yesterday in Sainte-Adèle, and I want to once again express my condolences to her husband Claude, her son Sébastien, and all her loved ones who are with us or who are watching right now.

Rest in peace, my dear cousin, and go dance with the many members of the Boisvenu family who have already passed on to the other side. I am sure that you are already surrounded by loved ones.

[English]