Winner of Season 1 – Alec Mazo

Date of birth April 5, 1978 (1978-04-05) (age 32)

Place of birth Russia (former Soviet Union)

Height 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)

Alec Mazo (born April 5, 1978) is a Russian-born American professional ballroom dancer based in San Francisco. He became known for his participation in the American edition of the reality television series Dancing with the Stars, the first season of which he won with partner Kelly Monaco.

About Life:

Mazo, who is of Russian Jewish descent, has been dancing since he was five years old, and at age twelve, moved from Russia to San Antonio, Texas, and later to San Francisco, where his former engineer mother, Natasha, began a dance school. Mazo began studying dancing there at 16 in order to improve his socialization skills with girls, and to ease his back problems. He later studied computer science, and then cognitive science at the University of California at Berkeley, in the hopes of one day becoming a dance teacher.

Mazo worked as the CFO of the Genesis Dance Sport studio in San Francisco. Expanding the studio into Los Angeles has been one of his goals. He has one brother, Genya, who also ballroom dances, and performed on the Dancing with the Stars tour.

Career:

Mazo appeared in the 1998 movie Dance With Me. Mazo turned professional shortly before producers of Dancing with the Stars began their search for dancers to star on the show.

Mazo won the first season of Dancing with the Stars with his partner, Kelly Monaco. Mazo returned to the ballroom on March 19 for Season 4, this time partnered with former supermodel Paulina Porizkova, but were the first couple eliminated.

Mazo appeared on the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars. Mazo and his partner, supermodel Josie Maran, were eliminated on September 26, 2007, after the first week of competition, making it the second time in a row he was eliminated first.

Mazo competed for the title with partner, Grammy Award-winning singer, Toni Braxton in Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. After six dances, Braxton and Mazo became the sixth couple to be eliminated from the season.

In Season 9, Mazo was paired with Olympic swimmer, Natalie Coughlin. They were the fifth couple to be eliminated despite relatively good scores and received a standing ovation from the crowd and judges.