Alan Bersten
Alan Bersten is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer. He was a contestant in 2013 on the tenth season of So You Think You Can Dance and is currently a professional dancer and choreographer on Dancing with the Stars. He was the winner in 2019 of season 28 of Dancing with the Stars with his celebrity partner, The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown.
Personal life
Bersten was born and raised in Minnesota. His family heritage is Russian Jewish. He started dancing at the age of 7. He graduated from Hopkins High School in 2012.In 2018, Bersten was on tour with Dancing with the Stars when he began to have severe stomach pain. A blood test showed he had symptoms of a tumor on one of his parathyroid glands called hyperparathyroidism. He underwent surgery the next day to remove his left parathyroid. Bersten returned to work after only a week of recovery.
As of April 2025, Bersten is in a relationship with fellow Dancing with the Stars member Emma Slater.
''Dancing with the Stars''
Performances
Bersten started working on Dancing with the Stars in season 20 as a member of the troupe. He remained in that role for four more seasons until he made his debut as a professional partner in season 25.During the second week of season 22, Bersten danced a salsa with Paige VanZant, as VanZant's regular partner, Mark Ballas, suffered a back injury during rehearsals. Bersten learned the entire dance routine on one day's notice and performed the dance for the live show the following day. In season 24, Bersten danced with Heather Morris for four weeks while Morris's regular partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, was recovering from an injury.
Bersten was promoted to a professional partner in season 25, where he was partnered with 1980s singer-songwriter and Broadway actress Debbie Gibson. They were eliminated in the second week and took 12th place. Bersten was also featured on the official promotional poster for the show that season alongside fellow cast member Sharna Burgess.
For season 26, Bersten was partnered with Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu. They were eliminated in the third week of competition, tying for 4th place with Chris Mazdzer and partner Witney Carson and Jennie Finch Daigle and partner Keo Motsepe.
For season 27, Bersten was partnered with model Alexis Ren. The couple reached the finals and took 4th place.
For season 28, Bersten was partnered with The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown. They reached the finals and were crowned the season's champions on November 25, 2019.
For season 29, Bersten returned to compete again and is paired with Disney Channel star Skai Jackson. They were eliminated week 10, finishing in 5th place.
For season 30, Bersten was partnered with The Talk co-host and dancer Amanda Kloots. They reached the finals and finished in 4th place.
For season 31, Bersten was partnered with country music singer Jessie James Decker. They were eliminated week 6, finishing in 10th place.
For season 32, Bersten was partnered with Zoey 101 actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears. They were eliminated on the second week of competition and finished 13th; Bersten's lowest placement to date.
For season 33, Bersten was partnered with Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher. They made it to the finale and finished as the runners-up on November 26, 2024.
For season 34, Bersten was partnered with actress Elaine Hendrix. The couple made it to the finals and finished in 5th place.
| Season | Partner | Place |
| 25 | Debbie Gibson | 12th |
| 26 | Mirai Nagasu | 4th |
| 27 | Alexis Ren | 4th |
| 28 | Hannah Brown | 1st |
| 29 | Skai Jackson | 5th |
| 30 | Amanda Kloots | 4th |
| 31 | Jessie James Decker | 10th |
| 32 | Jamie Lynn Spears | 13th |
| 33 | Ilona Maher | 2nd |
| 34 | Elaine Hendrix | 5th |
Season 25
With celebrity partner Debbie GibsonSeason 26
With celebrity partner Mirai Nagasu'''Notes'''
Season 27
With celebrity partner Alexis Ren'''Notes'''
Season 28
With celebrity partner Hannah Brown'''Notes'''
Season 29
With celebrity partner Skai Jackson'''Notes'''
Season 30
With celebrity partner Amanda Kloots'''Notes'''
Season 31
With celebrity partner Jessie James Decker'''Notes'''
Season 32
With celebrity partner Jamie Lynn SpearsSeason 33
With celebrity partner Ilona Maher'''Notes'''
Season 34
With celebrity partner Elaine Hendrix'''Notes'''
''Dancing with the Stars: Juniors''
Bersten joined the first season of Dancing with the Stars spin-off series Dancing with the Stars: Juniors as a professional mentor. He formed Team Alan with junior professional dancer JT Church and 10-year-old professional skateboarder Sky Brown. Team Alan ended up winning the Juniors Mirrorball trophy on December 9, 2018.'''Notes'''