The Competition

Host Jasmine Guy.

© Jeffrey Dunn

Jasmine Guy

The host of 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."

Read more about Ms. Guy's experience hosting America's Ballroom Challenge.

Host Ron Montez.

© Jeffrey Dunn

Ron Montez

Former Latin dance champion Ron Montez will be sharing his insider's perspective on the new season of America's Ballroom Challenge.

Mr. Montez was the long-time co-host of public television's Championship Ballroom Dancing, which featured top competitive ballroom dancers from all over the country. He shared the stage and his expertise with legendary hosts Juliet Prowse, Rita Moreno, and Sandy Duncan. He is thrilled to be returning to television in 2008, this time paired with host Jasmine Guy. "It's like coming home," Mr. Montez says. "I'm very excited to work with PBS and help to continue its tradition and commitment to presenting the finest competitive ballroom dancing on television."

Ron Montez began dancing as a teenager at the suggestion of his sister, who was a dance instructor. He fell in love with the sport and soon began competing. Searching for ways to improve his craft, he entered Brigham Young University, where he studied and attended BYU's famous ballroom program. After leaving the program, he headed to the west coast, where he met his partner, Liz Curtis. They went on to capture many awards together. They won their first International Latin crown in 1979—and defended it successfully every year through 1985.

Mr. Montez says he feels lucky to have had a competitive career that allowed him to compete and perform all over the world. "It has been an enriching and rewarding experience," he says.

Since retiring, Mr. Montez has remained an active and integral part of the ballroom community as a teacher, coach, choreographer, and adjudicator in both American and International styles. Among his many projects:

• He was a choreographer on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance.
• As an examiner, he evaluates both professional and amateur dancers for certification.
• He organizes a dance workshop in San Diego, which exposes dancers of all levels to world class coaches.
• And, with his wife, Karla, he runs an annual dance competition in Chicago.

The Montez family lives in Arizona.

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