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VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE DANCER BELOW
Local personalities trade their day jobs for dancing shoes to raise money for Alzheimer’s or related dementias. The Dancing With The ARK’s Stars fundraiser pairs local celebrities with professional dancers. These local personalities and professional dancers work hard and practice for several weeks leading up to their live performance. Each dancer is paired with a professional dance partner from the sponsor, Ballroom Dance Charleston. This event will take place at the Lowcountry Conference Center on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Lowcountry Conference Center Summerville Hilton for our 15th Annual Dancing With The ARK’s Stars. Lowcountry Conference Center & Hilton Garden Inn are offering a special low rate of $129 to book a one night stay at the hotel for the evening of the event! You can book your one night stay here using this link: https://group.hiltongardeninn.com/tadn3n
Learn more about Lowcountry Conference Center
MEET THE PROFESSIONAL DANCERS & INSTRUCTORS
Hannah is a current amateur competitor who resides in Charleston, SC. Before joining the ballroom team at the Ohio State University, Hannah grew up dancing since the age of 4, training and competing extensively with the LeDance Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, her hometown. Ballroom accolades include: Former Finalist, Adult Championship Rhythm, USA Dance Nationals Former Champion, 9-Dance, USA Dance Nationals Current 2x Champion, Adult Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals Current 2x Champion, Senior I Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals Current Finalist, Adult Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals Current Vice Champion, Senior I Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals
Outside of dance, Hannah is a physical therapist and works full-time as the Inpatient Adult Therapy Manager at the Medical University of South Carolina. She enjoys spending time with her husband and dance partner, Justin Chiou and their cat, Sasha. The likes to travel and considers dance the pathway that lead to so many wonderful aspects of her life. She and Justin moved to the area last Spring and they like if very much, though miss their families back home.
Justin is a current amateur ballroom dance champion (with his wife Hannah), recently moving to NoMo (North of Morrison) in March. Since learning to dance on his competitive ballroom team in college, his interest in traveling to various parts of the United States to compete (and to enjoy the places!) never stopped. Accolades includes: Former President of Case Western Reserve University’s Ballroom Dance Society (Cleveland, OH), Former Member-at-Large of USA Dance Chapter #2024 (Cleveland, OH), Former President of USA Dance Chapter #2006 (Cincinnati, OH) (past roles: secretary, member-at-large), Former World Finalist, Adult Championship Smooth, WDSF, Former World Champion, Adult Championship Smooth, WDO, Current Champion, Adult Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals, Current Champion, Senior I Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals, Current Finalist, Adult Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals, Current Finalist, Senior I Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals, Outside of dancing as a serious hobby, Justin maintains his position as CTO/Co-Founder of two tech startup companies (Wunderfund, Sodalis Health) operating in the equity crowdfunding sector and also remotely works as the Lead Software Architect for Dance Vision.
James Jiang, a seasoned ballroom dance instructor with over 15 years of experience, has dedicated his life to transforming lives through the art of dance. Teaching is his way of sharing the profound positive impact dance has had on his own life, enabling others to discover the confidence, connection, and joy it can bring. During his younger years, James achieved remarkable success, winning multiple national competitions. Now, as a father of two, he continues to share his passion through live performances, television
appearances, and teaching. James is honored to be part of the Dancing With The ARK's Stars community,
where he has proudly won the Judges Award twice with his partners in previous years. This marks his fifth time participating in the cherished fundraiser supporting families affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias. For James, the event is a meaningful opportunity to celebrate the art of dance while contributing to a cause that aligns with his passion for enriching lives through connection, creativity, and care.
Anna McSwain is a multifaceted professional with a passion for both the creative and performing arts. By day, she serves as the Marketing Administrator for Economic Development in Dorchester County. Her experience includes teaching jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary classes at
Charleston Southern where in 2017 she also re-established and led the university’s dance team. Her commitment to the performing arts extends to musical theatre as she holds a degree in Theatre and has contributed her talents to numerous stage productions. From variations of “The Nutcracker” to iconic musicals such as “West Side Story”, Anna’s contributions have been instrumental in bringing stories to life on stage.
Charlene Mims is an artist from North Charleston, South Carolina. Having been raised in her family's Panamanian and Gullah roots, music is in her blood. She began taking formal dance lessons from many instructors at the age of 16 and has been dancing all around the world since. In the last few years Charlene has become an entrepreneur as well as a stay at home mother of two future dancers, and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with everyone she meets.
Born and raised in Phoeniz, Arizona, David joined the US Navy in 1975. He served for nearly 10 years and was a submarine sonar technician. After his term, he was offered a job as a
dance instructor in 1985. It was fun then, has been, and still is to this day. “What a great job, I love to teach”.
Alex Spencer is a licensed USA Dance Adjudicator and certified instructor, with credentials from DVIDA and ISTD. He has over 30 years of experience as an international competitive ballroom dancer and has numerous noteworthy accomplishments such as being a guest choreographer for Cirque du Soleil's 'Verikai' and being featured Tim Janis's "Enchanted Evening", where he performed in a celebrated PBS program live at Carnegie Hall.
Alina Spencer is a former Ukrainian National Latin Champion & European Cup Latin Champion; and is a licensed USA Dance Adjudicator and holds professional certifications from DVIDA and ISTD. She has a master’s degree in choreography from Lviv State University in Ukraine and has over 20 years of experience providing extensive knowledge and skill as a dance trainer and performer.
Thank you for supporting the
2024 Dancing With The ARK's Stars