Alexander "Sasha" Farber is an Australian professional dancer known for his appearances as a pro and troupe member on Dancing with the Stars.
Personal life
Farber was born in Moscow, Russia, but moved to Australia in 1986. His family is Jewish. He began dancing at the age of 13. When he was 17, Farber won the Australian Youth Latin Championships twice and represented Australia at the World Latin Championships. He was also featured in the 2000 SydneyOlympic Games closing ceremony and featured in the second season of the Australian Dancing with the Stars. He was also an original cast member of Broadway production of Burn the Floor. He dated fellow Dancing with the Stars member Emma Slater from 2011 to 2014. In December 2015, Farber made a post on his Instagram account confirming that he and Slater were back together. On October 4, 2016, Farber proposed to Slater during a broadcast of Dancing with the Stars after performing a dance together. The two are now married as of March 25, 2018.
Professional career
''Dancing with the Stars''
Farber began appearing 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. The pair were eliminated in week 7 despite good scores and praise from the judges. He was placed back in the troupe for the next four seasons. On March 8, 2016, Farber was again announced as a pro for season 22 and paired with actress Kim Fields. The couple was eliminated on May 2, 2016, along with Von Miller and Witney Carson, tying for 7th place. Farber returned for season 23 and was partnered with 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 gymnastSimone Biles. The couple was shockingly eliminated one week before the finals on May 15, 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 skaterTonya 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. The couple was eliminated on week 6 of competition, finishing in 9th place. Farber also did a junior version of the show mentoring Scottie Pippen’s daughter Sophia Pippen and pro Jake Monreal. They got out on week 3. He returned again for season 28 where he was paired with Fifth Harmony singer Ally Brooke. Faber once again made it to finals with Brooke and finished in third place for the second time.
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; '''
1Score given by guest judge Pitbull 2Score given by guest judge Idina Menzel