The host of this year's America’s Ballroom Challenge is Jasmine Guy, an actress, dancer and singer whose career has included many leading roles on television, in feature films and on the stage.
Ms. Guy is best known for playing Whitley Gilbert, the memorably spoiled Southern belle in the comedy series A Different World, which ran on NBC from 1987 to 1993. Ms. Guy won six consecutive NAACP Image Awards for the role.
But Ms. Guy actually began her performing career as a dancer. Though born in Boston, she grew up in Atlanta, where her father, Rev. William Guy, was the pastor of the historic Friendship Baptist Church. Jasmine began taking ballet lessons at age 5 and, inspired by performers like the visiting Dance Theater of Harlem, she went on to study dance at Atlanta’s performing arts high school. At 17, she won a scholarship to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City, where she spent three years as a concert dancer.
In 1982, Ms. Guy took a leave from the Ailey company to play a dancer on the opening season of the NBC series Fame. The role introduced her to Los Angeles, to television – and to Debbie Allen, the actress/singer/dancer/choreographer who would become a role model for her own multifaceted performing career. Ms. Guy returned to New York but soon left the Ailey company for the stage, appearing as a singer and dancer in musicals like Dancin’ in the Street, Bubbling Brown Sugar, The Wiz and Broadway’s Leader of the Pack.
While working for A Different World back in Los Angeles, Ms. Guy began to land film roles as well. In 1988, Spike Lee chose her for a part in School Daze, starring Laurence Fishburne. A year later she appeared with Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor in Murphy’s 1989 gangster spoof Harlem Nights.
Since completing her run as Whitley Gilbert, Ms. Guy has divided her time between stage and screen. She appeared with Halle Berry, Martin Sheen and Paul Winfield in the 1993 Alex Haley miniseries Queen and later had guest appearances on many series, including Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After marrying and giving birth to daughter Imani in 1999, she returned to the stage, winning acclaim for her portrayal of Velma Kelly in Bob Fosse’s Chicago in performances all across America. Back on television in 2003, she starred alongside Mandy Patinkin in Showtime’s two-year hit series Dead Like Me. She will reprise her role in a movie version due out in 2008.
In 2004, Ms. Guy published “Evolution of a Revolutionary,” an absorbing profile of Afeni Shakur, the mother of slain rap star Tupac Shakur. Ms. Guy is active in many charities, including A Place Called Home, a community safe house that offers food, security, sports, music and educational activities to more than 2,000 children in south central Los Angeles. Among the center’s offerings is a dance school, founded by Ms. Guy and now run by her sister Monica.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to host America’s Ballroom Challenge, because it’s like returning to my roots,” Ms. Guy says. “I’m fortunate to have had many different kinds of roles as a performer. But for me it all began with dancing. That was my first love. So I’m very pleased to be joining a show that celebrates the very finest in ballroom dancing.”
Ron Montez
Jasmine Guy's co-host for this year's America's Ballroom Challenge is Ron Montez. Ron Montez is one of the most respected personalities in the dance business. He started dancing and teaching in 1964 at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Tucson. He was there for seven years and became a dance director before moving on to Brigham Young University. For two years he was under the direction of the famous Roy Mavor who was then the director of the dance program.
During his career, Ron won numerous ballroom and latin titles and especially made a major impact at the British Open. Ron was the 7 times undefeated United States Latin American Champion and achieved fourth place in the World Professional Latin Championships held at Royal Albert Hall in London. He has also reached the finals of the prestigious British Championship in Blackpool, England.
Ron Montez is recognized as a world-class adjudicator and dance coach for both American and International styles. He was the co-host and expert commentator for the previous PBS television series, "Championship Ballroom Dancing," which was co-hosted by Rita Moreno, the late Juliet Prowse, Barbara Eden and Sandy Duncan. Ron is also one of the judges on FOX's reality dance competition, "So You Think You Can Dance."
America's Ballroom Challenge 2008 on PBS
AMERICA’S BALLROOM CHALLENGE returns for a third season with five one-hour episodes. Shot in high definition at the world’s largest ballroom dancing competition, the OHIO STAR BALL in Columbus, Ohio, AMERICA’S BALLROOM CHALLENGE airs Wednesdays, January 30-February 27, 2008, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET on PBS.
Hosted by actress and dancer Jasmine Guy and seven-time U.S. National Latin Dance Champion Ron Montez, AMERICA’S BALLROOM CHALLENGE once again takes viewers onto the dance floor and behind the scenes as 24 world-class couples compete for the ultimate dance title. Each of the first four programs will focus on one of the four major styles of competitive ballroom dancing: American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Standard and International Latin. The six finalists in each style will first compete as a group, performing the five standard dances in the category, with expert judges scoring their performances. Then the dancers will have an opportunity to shine, performing a show dance solo. Each program will end with the crowning of one couple, named champions in that style.
In the fifth and final program, the four champions will compete across dance styles for the coveted title, with each couple performing two pull-out-all-the-stops solos.
Only one couple will be named “AMERICA'S BEST.”
Dance Network
