Madonna is an "amazing and inspirational" woman, says her former back-up dancer Sofia Boutella.

The Algerian born French dancer-turned-actress performed on Madonna's Confessions and Sticky & Sweet world tours.

Sofia says that working with the singer was a dream come true and it was a learning curve she will never forget.

"It was such a great experience working with her," she told Cover Media at the London premiere of her new film Street Dance 2.

"She's very inspiring. She taught me a lot about going after what you want. She's an amazing woman."

Sofia was most recently seen in the promotional video for Michael Jackson's posthumous single release Hollywood Tonight.

The 29-year-old dancer has also shared the stage with Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani and The Black Eyed Peas. She has appeared in music videos alongside Chris Brown, Jamiroquai and Cesaria Evora.

Sofia can currently be seen in the movie Street Dance 2.

She plays Eva, a Latin dancer who joins a group of street dancers as they go head to head with the best in the business at a Paris competition.

The star is thrilled that the film gave her the chance to bring out her glamorous side.

"I was always inspired by Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson all those actresses I adored because everything they did was big and dramatic," she explained.

"When I read Eva, I loved that she was this amazing Latin dancer and she's very dramatic in her movements. People will love the glamour side of this movie. I also think that the story has a lot of heat, it's really warm and organic."

Street Dance 2 is set to hit UK cinemas from March 30.