Born Driton Dovolani on July 17, 1973 in Pristina, Kosovo, Tony Dovolani is a professional dancer best known for his stint on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars. The ethnic Albanian’s first encounter with the art of dance was when he studied to become a folk dancer at the tender age of 3. His whole family relocated to the United States when he was 15 years old, and Dovolani jumped at the chance to enroll and study at the Fred Astaire Dance Academy. Since then, he went on to win numerous championships, such as the 2005 Ohio Star Ball American Rhythm Championships, the 2005 World Rhythm Championships, the 2006 PBS American Ballroom Challenge Rhythm Championships and the 2006 Emerald Ball Open Professional American Rhythm Championships. He made his film debut in the popular romantic comedy, Shall We Dance?, and served as a dancing coach for singer and actress Jennifer Lopez.
Although Dovolani is the current world and undefeated US champion, he had very little time to shine on the ABC reality series. For the show’s second season, he was partnered with actress Stacy Keibler , and they came short of becoming part of the Final 2. Dovolani’s second attempt to win the competition during the show’s third season was halted when his partner, country singer, Sara Evans , left the show in order to take care of her divorce proceedings. On the show's fourth season, he was been paired with radio and television personality, Leeza Gibbons, finishing 9th For the fifth season, he was paired with actress Jane Seymour. The two were the seventh pair eliminated. On season six, Dovolani was paired with Broadway star and comedienne Marissa Jaret Winokur. The understated pair ended up a surprise contender, reaching the semifinals before finally getting eliminated. For the show’s 7th season, Dovolani was cast as the professional partner of actress Susan Lucci.
Exclusive Interview: Tony Dovolani of 'Dancing with the Stars'