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Sasha Farber
Australian and American professional dancer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Aleksandr Mikhailovich "Sasha" Farber (born 9 May 1984) is an Australian and American professional dancer and choreographer. He is best known for his appearances on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars.
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Early life
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Farber[1] was born to a Jewish family on 9 May 1984 in Byelorussian SSR (present-day Belarus).[2] The town he was born in was not far from Chernobyl, Ukrainian SSR (present-day Ukraine).[3] After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, his family emigrated to Sydney, Australia.[2]
Career
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Farber began dancing at the age of 13, while training for his bar mitzvah.[4] By 17, he won the Australian Youth Latin Championships twice and represented Australia at the World Latin Championships.[4] He was also featured in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics and appeared on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.[4] In 2009, Farber made his Broadway debut as an original cast member on the theatrical dance production Burn the Floor.[4]
Dancing with the Stars
Farber started out as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars in Australia before he moved across to the US version in season fourteen as a troupe member. However, he was promoted to professional dancer in season 17 when he was paired with Jersey Shore cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi.[5] The pair were eliminated in week 7 despite good scores from the judges. He was placed back in the troupe for the next four seasons. On 8 March 2016, Farber was again announced as a pro for season 22 and paired with actress Kim Fields.[6] The couple was eliminated on 2 May 2016, along with Von Miller and Witney Carson, tying for 7th place. Farber returned for season 23 and was partnered with Little Women: LA star Terra Jolé. Jolé and Farber were eliminated on week 10 of the competition, finishing in 5th place despite tying for the top of the leaderboard, marking Farber's first time in the Semifinals. He returned for season 24 and was partnered with Olympic artistic gymnast Simone Biles. The couple was shockingly eliminated one week before the finals on 15 May 2017, after receiving two perfect scores and praise from the judges. For season 25, he returned as a member of the troupe. He appeared as a pro again in season 26 and was paired with former Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding. The pair made it to the finals and finished in third place overall, marking Farber's first appearance in the finale. For season 27, he was partnered with former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton.[7] The couple was eliminated on week 6 of competition, finishing in 9th place. Farber also appeared on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors mentoring Scottie Pippen’s daughter Sophia Pippen and pro Jake Monreal. They were eliminated on week 3. He returned again for season 28 where he was paired with Fifth Harmony singer Ally Brooke. Farber once again made it to finals with Brooke and finished in third place for the second time.[8] For season 29, he was partnered with One Day at a Time actress Justina Machado. They reached the finals and finished in 4th place.[9] For season 30, he was partnered with Olympic gymnast Suni Lee. They reached the semifinals and finished in 5th place. For season 31, he was partnered actress Selma Blair.[10] On 17 October 2022, Blair and Farber were forced to withdraw from the competition due to Blair’s ongoing health condition with multiple sclerosis finishing in 12th place.
With Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
- Placed: 8th; (average: 25.0)
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Wild Ones" | 7 | 8 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Rumba / "Just Give Me a Reason" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" | 9 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Jive / "Mickey" | 8 | 81 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Jazz / "Work Bitch" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "Build Me Up Buttercup" | 9 | 9 | 9 | No Elimination |
| Switch-Up Challenge / Various | Awarded | 3 | Points | ||
| 7 | Samba / "Hey Mama" Team Freestyle / "Bom Bom" |
9 9 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
Eliminated |
1 Score given by guest judge Julianne Hough.
With Kim Fields
- Placed: 8th; (average: 22.9)
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Sax" | 7 | 6 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Salsa / "Conga" | 7 | 6 | 6 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot / "The Facts of Life Theme" | 8 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep / "I Wan'na Be Like You" | 8 | 8/81 | 8 | Safe |
| 52 | Viennese Waltz / "These Arms of Mine" | 8 | 6/63 | 8 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Jive / "You Can't Stop the Beat" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 7 | Samba / "ABC" Team Freestyle / "End of Time", "If I Were a Boy" & "Crazy in Love" |
9 8 |
9 8 |
9 9 |
Eliminated |
1 Score given by guest judge Zendaya.
2 For this week only, as part of "America's Switch Up", Fields performed with Keo Motsepe instead of Farber. Farber performed with Paige VanZant.
3 Score given by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
With Terra Jolé
- Placed: 5th; (average: 33.8)
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Jive / "Stuff Like That There" | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Bewitched Theme" | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Viennese Waltz / "Iris" | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Samba / "Simcha" | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Contemporary / "Stand By Me" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | Safe |
| 7 | Foxtrot / "Cheek to Cheek" Team Freestyle / "Embrace" |
9 8 |
8 9 |
9 9 |
8 9 |
Safe |
| 8 | Cha-cha-cha / "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" Salsa Dance Off / "Magic" |
8 No |
8 Extra |
8 Points |
8 Awarded |
Last to be called safe |
| 9 | Charleston / "If My Friends Could See Me Now" Team-Up Dance (Jazz) / "Big Noise from Winnetka" |
10 9 |
10 9 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
Safe |
| 10[11] Semifinals |
Rumba / "Scars to Your Beautiful" Trio Tango / "Hideway" |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
Eliminated |
With Simone Biles
- Placed: 4th; (average: 35.4)
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Tango / "Untouchable" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha / "Burnin' Up" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Viva Las Vegas" | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Viennese Waltz / "Good Good Father" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Contemporary / "How Far I'll Go" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | Safe |
| 6 | Samba / "Survivor" Team Freestyle / "My Boyfriend's Back", "No Scrubs" & "BO$$" |
9 8 |
9 8 |
81 91 |
9 9 |
Safe |
| 7 | Charleston / "Charleston" Cha-cha-cha Dance-Off / "Crave" |
10 Awarded |
9 2 |
92 Extra |
9 Points |
Safe |
| 8[12] | Foxtrot / "What Makes You Beautiful" Trio Paso Doble / "Don't Let Me Down" |
9 9 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
Safe |
| 9 Semifinals |
Jive / "Faith" Rumba / "Skyscraper" |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
Eliminated |
1 Score given by guest judge Nick Carter.
2 Score given by guest judge Mandy Moore.
With Tonya Harding
- Placed: 3rd; (average: 25.2)
1 Score given by guest judge Rashad Jennings.
2 Score given by guest judge David Ross.
With Mary Lou Retton
- Placed: 9th; (average: 23.1)
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Treasure" Cha-cha-cha / "Hot Stuff" |
6 7 |
7 7 |
6 7 |
Safe |
| 2 | Waltz / "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Samba / "Copacabana" |
8 8 |
7 8 |
7 8 |
Safe |
| 3 | Viennese Waltz / "We Are the Champions" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Trio Charleston / "V.E.S.P.A." | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Contemporary / "Reflection" | 9 | 8 | 8 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Tango / "Shame" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Eliminated |
With Ally Brooke
- Placed: 3rd; (average: 35.47)
Blue score given by guest judge Leah Remini.
Purple score given by guest judge Joey Fatone.
With Justina Machado
- Placed: 4th; (average: 25.5)
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Respect" | 7 | 7 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "When You Believe" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Charleston / “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” | 7 | 6 | 6 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / “Que Viva la Vida” | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Jazz / “Maniac” | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese waltz / "She's Always a Woman" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 7 | Tango / "Take Me to Church" | 9 | 9 | 8 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba / "Magalenha" Viennese waltz Relay / "I Have Nothing" |
9 Awarded |
9 2 |
9 points |
Safe |
| 9 | Rumba / "Crazy for You" Cha-cha-cha Dance-Off / "Telephone" |
8 Awarded |
8 2 |
8 points |
Safe |
| 10 Semifinals |
Tango / "El Tango de Roxanne" Contemporary / "Holding Out for a Hero" |
9 10 |
10 10 |
9 10 |
Bottom three |
| 11 Finals |
Cha-cha-cha / "Respect" Freestyle / "Let's Get Loud" |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
4th place |
With Suni Lee
- Placed: 5th; (average: 33.8)
With Selma Blair
- Placed: 12th; (average: 29.0)
With Alyson Hannigan
- Placed: 5th; (average: 22.3)
1 Score given by guest judge Michael Strahan.
2 Score given by guest judge Niecy Nash-Betts.
3 Score given by guest judge Paula Abdul.
4 Score given by guest judge Billy Porter.
5 Score given by guest judge Mandy Moore.
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Personal life
In 2011, Farber entered an on-again, off-again relationship with fellow Dancing with the Stars pro Emma Slater. He proposed to her on 4 October 2016 after they performed a contemporary routine to Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" during a results episode on the twenty-third season.[13] The two married on 25 March 2018 in Los Angeles, California,[14] and gained American citizenship together in December 2020.[15] Farber and Slater separated on 1 April 2022 after four years of marriage.[16] Slater filed for divorce in February 2023, citing "irreconcilable differences".[17] Proceedings were finalised on 16 May 2024.[18]
Farber started dating his Dancing with the Stars partner Jenn Tran while on the 33rd season of the show. [19][2] The two broke up in June of 2025.[20][2]
References
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