Hannah is a current amateur competitor who resides in Charleston, SC. Before joining the ballroom team at the Ohio State University, Hannah grew up dancing since the age of 4, training and competing extensively with the LeDance Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, her hometown. Ballroom accolades include: Former Finalist, Adult Championship Rhythm, USA Dance Nationals Former Champion, 9-Dance, USA Dance Nationals Current 2x Champion, Adult Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals Current 2x Champion, Senior I Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals Current Finalist, Adult Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals Current Vice Champion, Senior I Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals

Outside of dance, Hannah is a physical therapist and works full-time as the Inpatient Adult Therapy Manager at the Medical University of South Carolina. She enjoys spending time with her husband and dance partner, Justin Chiou and their cat, Sasha. The likes to travel and considers dance the pathway that lead to so many wonderful aspects of her life. She and Justin moved to the area last Spring and they like if very much, though miss their families back home.

Justin is a current amateur ballroom dance champion (with his wife Hannah), recently moving to NoMo (North of Morrison) in March. Since learning to dance on his competitive ballroom team in college, his interest in traveling to various parts of the United States to compete (and to enjoy the places!) never stopped. Accolades includes: Former President of Case Western Reserve University’s Ballroom Dance Society (Cleveland, OH), Former Member-at-Large of USA Dance Chapter #2024 (Cleveland, OH), Former President of USA Dance Chapter #2006 (Cincinnati, OH) (past roles: secretary, member-at-large), Former World Finalist, Adult Championship Smooth, WDSF, Former World Champion, Adult Championship Smooth, WDO, Current Champion, Adult Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals, Current Champion, Senior I Championship Smooth, USA Dance Nationals, Current Finalist, Adult Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals, Current Finalist, Senior I Championship Standard, USA Dance Nationals, Outside of dancing as a serious hobby, Justin maintains his position as CTO/Co-Founder of two tech startup companies (Wunderfund, Sodalis Health) operating in the equity crowdfunding sector and also remotely works as the Lead Software Architect for Dance Vision.

Debbie is our Program Director and joined The ARK staff in December of 2019. In her spare time, Debbie enjoys teaching ballroom dancing and has over 40 years of experience. 

James Jiang, a seasoned ballroom dance instructor with over 15 years of experience, has dedicated his life to transforming lives through the art of dance. Teaching is his way of sharing the profound positive impact dance has had on his own life, enabling others to discover the confidence, connection, and joy it can bring. During his younger years, James achieved remarkable success, winning multiple national competitions. Now, as a father of two, he continues to share his passion through live performances, television

appearances, and teaching. James is honored to be part of the Dancing With The ARK's Stars community,

where he has proudly won the Judges Award twice with his partners in previous years. This marks his fifth time participating in the cherished fundraiser supporting families affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias. For James, the event is a meaningful opportunity to celebrate the art of dance while contributing to a cause that aligns with his passion for enriching lives through connection, creativity, and care.

Anna McSwain is a multifaceted professional with a passion for both the creative and performing arts. By day, she serves as the Marketing Administrator for Economic Development in Dorchester County. Her experience includes teaching jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary classes at 

Charleston Southern where in 2017 she also re-established and led the university’s dance team. Her commitment to the performing arts extends to musical theatre as she holds a degree in Theatre and has contributed her talents to numerous stage productions. From variations of “The Nutcracker” to iconic musicals such as “West Side Story”, Anna’s contributions have been instrumental in bringing stories to life on stage.

Charlene Brokenbrough-Mims is an artist from North Charleston, South Carolina. Having been raised in her family's Panamanian and Gullah roots, music is in her blood. She began singing and dancing around the age of 5 and has been performing all around the world since. Charlene is a Kinesiologist by day and an artist by night. She spends her free time performing with many music groups, occasionally including the late Jimmy Buffet’s Coral Reefers.  She also prides herself as the mother of two future dancers, and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with everyone she meets.

Born and raised in Phoeniz, Arizona, David joined the US Navy in 1975. He served for nearly 10 years  and was a submarine sonar technician. After his term, he was offered a job as a 

dance instructor in 1985. It was fun then, has been, and still is to this day. “What a great job, I love to teach”. 

Alex Spencer is a licensed USA Dance Adjudicator and certified instructor, with credentials from DVIDA and ISTD. He has over 30 years of experience as an international competitive ballroom dancer and has numerous noteworthy accomplishments such as being a guest choreographer for Cirque du Soleil's 'Verikai' and being featured Tim Janis's "Enchanted Evening", where he performed in a celebrated PBS program live at Carnegie Hall.