Alec Mazo
Celebrity Partner:
Natalie Coughlin
Style:
Latin
Nationality:
Russian
Did You Know?
Studied acting at Playhouse West
PROFESSIONAL BIO
CELEBRITY PARTNER: Natalie Coughlin
BACKGROUND:
We all came to know this guy four years ago as the dancer who famously became the first professional champion of Dancing with the Stars, having successfully partnered with Kelly Monaco in Season 1.
Alec Mazo has been dancing since he was five years old. He moved to America from Russia with his family when he was 12. His mother started a dance studio in San Francisco, and today Alec runs two ballroom dance schools—one in the San Francisco Bay Area and another in Los Angeles.
Mazo and his wife—fellow DWTS pro Edyta Swilinska—only turned professional in 2005, having been successful amateur Latin competitors for the previous five years. He studied acting at Playhouse West. In 1998, Alec appeared in the Vanessa Williams (of ABC's Ugly Betty) movie Dance with Me. He has also had roles in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and CSI: NY.
Alec has a BA in Cognitive Science from University of California in Berkeley.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Emerald Ball Latin Amateur Champion
- 1st Place - 2001 International Grand Ball (San Francisco)
- 1st Place - 2001 Holiday Ball (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Six-time U.S. National Finalist
PRIOR CELEBRITY PARTNERS:
Toni Braxton
Josie Maran
Paulina Porizkova
Kelly Monaco
