Sasha Farber | |
|---|---|
| Born | Aleksandr Mikhailovich Farber 9 May 1984 |
| Nationality |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | |
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 .
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]
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]
Farber's tenure on the American version of Dancing with the Stars began on the fourteenth season as a member of the troupe. [5] He was promoted to pro for season 17, where he was partnered with Jersey Shore cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi. [6] Despite receiving good scores from the judges, the pair were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on 28 October 2013, finishing in eighth place. [7] Farber was placed back in the troupe for the next four seasons. [8] For season 22, Farber was promoted to pro again and was paired with actress Kim Fields. [9] They were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on 2 May 2016 in a double elimination alongside Von Miller and Witney Carson; both couples finished in seventh place. [10]
For season 23, Farber was partnered with Little Women: LA cast member Terra Jolé. [11] They reached the semi-finals and were eliminated during the tenth week of competition on 14 November 2016, finishing in fifth place despite tying for the top of the leaderboard. The season marked Farber's first appearance in the semi-finals. [12] For season 24, Farber was partnered with Olympic artistic gymnast Simone Biles. [13] They were shockingly eliminated during the semi-finals on 15 May 2017, finishing in fourth place despite receiving two perfect scores from the judges. [14] Farber returned to the troupe for the following season. [15]
Farber appeared as a pro again for the Athletes season, and was paired with Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding. [16] The couple reached the finals and finished in third place on 21 May 2018. This season marked Farber's first appearance in the finale and his highest placement to-date. [17] For season 27, he was partnered with Olympic artistic gymnast Mary Lou Retton. [18] They were eliminated during the sixth week of competition on 29 October 2018, finishing in ninth place. [19] During the season, Farber also appeared on the spin-off series Dancing with the Stars: Juniors as a mentor for Scottie Pippen’s daughter, Sophia, and pro dancer Jake Monreal. [20] They were eliminated during the third week of competition on 21 October 2018, finishing in ninth place. [21]
For season 28, Farber was paired with singer Ally Brooke of the girl group Fifth Harmony. [22] They reached the finals and finished in third place on 25 November 2019. [23] For season 29, Farber was partnered with actress Justina Machado. [24] They also reached the finals and finished in fourth place on 23 November 2020. [25] For season 30, Farber was partnered with Olympic artistic gymnast Suni Lee. [26] They reached the semi-finals and were eliminated on 15 November 2021 in a double elimination alongside Melora Hardin and Artem Chigvintsev. Farber and Lee ultimately finished in fifth place. [27]
For season 31, he was partnered actress Selma Blair. [28] 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.
| Season | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Snooki | 8th |
| 22 | Kim Fields | 7th |
| 23 | Terra Jolé | 5th |
| 24 | Simone Biles | 4th |
| 26 | Tonya Harding | 3rd |
| 27 | Mary Lou Retton | 9th |
| 28 | Ally Brooke | 3rd |
| 29 | Justina Machado | 4th |
| 30 | Suni Lee | 5th |
| 31 | Selma Blair | 12th |
| 32 | Alyson Hannigan | 5th |
| 33 | Jenn Tran | 7th |
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 [29] Semifinals | Rumba / "Scars to Your Beautiful" Trio Tango / "Hideway" | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | Eliminated |
| 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 [30] | 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.
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "When You Believe" | 8 | 8 | 7 | Last to be called safe |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Redneck Woman" Team Freestyle / "...Baby One More Time" | 8 8 | 8/91 8/91 | 8 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "See You Again" Cha-cha-cha Dance-Off / "Dance" | 8 Awarded | 8/92 2 | 8 Points | Safe |
| 4 Finals | Viennese Waltz / "The Time of My Life" Freestyle / "I Will Survive" | 8 10 | 9 10 | 9 10 | 3rd place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Score given by guest judge Rashad Jennings.
2 Score given by guest judge David Ross.
| 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 |
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Guest | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Work from Home" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Viennese Waltz / "Iris" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "Dreaming of You" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Jive / "Proud Mary" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Contemporary / "Beauty and the Beast" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Quickstep / "Take On Me" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Tango / "Sweet but Psycho" Team Freestyle / "Somebody's Watching Me" | 9 9 | 9 9 | 9 9 | 9 9 | Safe |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "Higher" Jive Dance-Off / "Don't Stop Me Now" | 10 No | 10 Extra | 10 Points | 10 Awarded | Bottom two |
| 9 | Samba / "Wannabe" Jazz / "Step by Step" | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | Safe |
| 10 Semifinals | Viennese Waltz / "Perfect" Charleston / "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" | 10 10 | 9 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | Bottom two |
| 11 Finals | Jive / "Proud Mary" Freestyle / "Conga" | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | 3rd place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue score given by guest judge Leah Remini.
Purple score given by guest judge Joey Fatone.
| 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 |
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Jive / "Stay" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha / "I Like It" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot / "I'm a Slave 4 U" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Colombia, Mi Encanto" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Safe |
| Viennese waltz / "I Put a Spell on You" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | ||
| 5 | Charleston / "Born to Hand Jive" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Tango / "Bad Habits" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Paso doble / "We Will Rock You" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| Viennese waltz relay / "We Are the Champions" | +1 | – | – | – | ||
| 8 | Samba / "All for You" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Safe |
| Salsa / "Made for Now (Latin version)" | Awarded 2 points | |||||
| 9 | Foxtrot / "Haven't Met You Yet" | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Eliminated |
| Contemporary / "Gravity" | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | ||
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Viennese waltz / "The Time of My Life" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 2 | Jive / "Jailhouse Rock" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "For Your Eyes Only" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep / "The Muppet Show Theme" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe (later withdrew) |
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Salsa / "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" | 5 | 4 | 4 | Safe |
| 2 | Tango / "Can't Remember to Forget You" | 7 | 6 | 6 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot / "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | 6 | 6/61 | 6 | Safe |
| 4 | Jazz / "Be Our Guest" | 6 | 6 | 6 | Safe |
| 5 | Viennese Waltz / "Perfect" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "Supermassive Black Home" Hustle & Charleston Marathon / Stayin' Alive & Grim Grinning Ghosts | 7 Awarded | 7/72 2 | 8 Points | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "Candyman" Team Freestyle / "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" | 8 9 | 8/93 9/103 | 8 9 | Safe |
| 8 | Contemporary / "The Greatest Love of All" Rumba dance-off/ "One Moment in Time" | 8 Awarded | 8/94 3 | 8 Points | Safe |
| 9 Quarter-finals | Cha-Cha-Cha / "You Belong with Me" Jive relay/ "Shake It Off" | 7 Awarded | 7/85 3 | 7 Points | Safe |
| 10 Semi-finals | Jive / "Footloose" Waltz / "Come Away with Me" | 9 8 | 8 9 | 8 9 | No elimination |
| 11 Finals | Salsa / "Get on Your Feet" Freestyle / "Enchanted & Papi" | 9 9 | 8 9 | 8 10 | 5th place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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.
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. [31] The two married on 25 March 2018 in Los Angeles, California, [32] and gained American citizenship together in December 2020. [33] Farber and Slater separated on 1 April 2022 after four years of marriage. [34] Slater filed for divorce in February 2023, citing "irreconcilable differences". [35] Proceedings were finalised on 16 May 2024. [36]
Farber started dating his Dancing with the Stars partner Jenn Tran while on the 33rd season of the show. [37] [2] The two broke up in June of 2025. [38] [2]
Farber, meanwhile, was born in Belarus in a town not far from Chernobyl.