Toni has spent the past 35 years dedicating her life to helping others achieve their health, wellness, and nutritional goals. She serves as the Director of Group Fitness at ABC Sports & Fitness where she teaches Group Fitness classes and trains her clients. She is a Coach at Orangetheory Fitness and recently celebrated her 2,000th class.
This past spring, she was the recipient of the 2024 Best of Personal Training Capital Living Magazine Award as well as secured second place in the Best of the 518 Personal Trainers for two consecutive years.
Since the start of her fitness career, she has chosen to use her platform to raise money and bring awareness to organizations such as Special Olympics, American Heart Association, Night Out for You, Boys and Girls Club, Make a Wish Foundation, and the Ronald McDonald House.
This year, she has chosen to fundraise for To Life! in honor of her sister who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is so blessed and grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of the Dancing with the Capital Region Stars and Alex as her partner!
Alex Ivashchenko had a passion for dancing at a very early age. He began dancing at just seven years old in his home country, Ukraine. There he competed in various dance championships in the Latin division, traveled to many different cities, and earned multiple awards.
After joining the Fred Astaire Dance Studios company in Latham, Alex began dancing with his professional partner, Ashley, who is now his wife. Alex and Ashley competed professionally for five years, attending various competitions all over the east coast, dancing in the American Rhythm division.
Alex has been recognized as a top teacher in the Fred Astaire Dance Studios – New York Region for several years, and has earned multiple top teacher awards. You can almost always find him in the final at competition with his competitive students.
Alex specializes in all types of dance styles including: Ballroom, Latin, and American Rhythm. He loves a good Salsa song! In his free time you can find him chasing around his little boy, Max.
