Alec Mazo facts for kids

Alec Mazo was born on April 5, 1978. He is an American investor and a famous dancer. Many people know him from the TV show Dancing with the Stars. He even won the very first season of the show with his partner, Kelly Monaco. Alec has been on the show for five seasons and also joined four Dancing with the Stars tours. He has also helped create live stage shows for casinos and produced a big tour that visited 70 cities.

Early Life and Moving to America

Alec Mazo was born in a city called Gomel, which was in the Soviet Union (now Belarus). This city is about 50 kilometers from Chernobyl, Ukraine. He started dancing when he was only 5 years old!

When he was 12, his family moved from the Soviet Union to the United States. They first went to San Antonio, Texas, and then to San Francisco. His mother, Natalia, who used to be an engineer, opened a dance school there. Alec helped his family run the school. They came to the U.S. as refugees and had to work hard to build a new life.

Education and Family Life

Alec Mazo is very smart and studied at two well-known universities. He first went to the University of California, Berkeley where he studied computer science and then cognitive science. After his time on Dancing with the Stars, he went to Stanford University to earn a special master's degree in management.

He used to run a company that created live stage shows and TV reality programs. Today, he works as a partner at DGA Capital, where he invests money in different markets.

When he was a teenager, Alec was the CEO of a dance studio in San Francisco called Genesis Dance Sport. He wanted to open more studios in Los Angeles. Alec has a brother named Genya, who is also a ballroom dancer. Genya has even performed on the Dancing with the Stars tour.

Alec Mazo is married to another professional dancer, Edyta Śliwińska. She is from Poland. They got married in 2007 and have two children: a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2017.

Alec Mazo's Dance Career

Alec Mazo appeared in a movie called Dance With Me in 1998. He became a professional dancer just before the TV show Dancing with the Stars started looking for dancers.

Winning Dancing with the Stars

Alec Mazo became very famous when he won the first season of Dancing with the Stars. His celebrity partner was Kelly Monaco. They were the first champions of the show!

Other Seasons on Dancing with the Stars

Alec returned for Season 4 of the show. He danced with former supermodel Paulina Porizkova, but they were the first couple to be eliminated.

He also competed in the fifth season with supermodel Josie Maran. They were eliminated after the first week of competition.

In Season 7, Alec was paired with the Grammy Award-winning singer, Toni Braxton. They danced for six weeks before being eliminated.

For Season 9, Alec's partner was Olympic swimmer, Natalie Coughlin. They were the fifth couple to leave the competition that season.

Dancing with the Stars Performances Details

With celebrity partner Kelly Monaco

With celebrity partner Paulina Porizkova

With celebrity partner Josie Maran

With celebrity partner Toni Braxton

With celebrity partner Natalie Coughlin

See also

In Spanish: Alec Mazo para niños