Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy ( uk, Максим Олександрович Чмерковський ; born January 17, 1980) is a Ukrainian-American Latin–ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series ''Dancing with the Stars'', on which he first appeared in season two. In his 17 seasons as a competing pro on the show, Chmerkovskiy made it to the final round five times, with two runner-up and two third-place finishes. On May 20, 2014, Chmerkovskiy, paired with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, won his first ''Dancing with the Stars'' title. Chmerkovskiy has also starred in the Broadway productions of dance shows '' Burn the Floor'' and ''Forever Tango''.

Early life

Chmerkovskiy was born January 17, 1980, in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR to parents Aleksandr "Sasha" Chmerkovskiy and Larisa Chmerkovskaya. He has a younger brother, Valentin Chmerkovskiy (born 1986), who is also a professional dancer. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian, and he has described himself as Jewish.

He began dancing at age 4 when Chmerkovskiy's parents enrolled him in a school of aesthetic education. The aim of the school was to train children to become young gentlemen or ladies, and the education included manners and ballroom dance. He eventually began competing in ten-dance, which includes both ballroom and Latin dances. As a child Chmerkovskiy also participated in tennis, soccer, and swimming.

At age 13, he broke his right leg in a skiing accident and had a titanium rod put in to stabilize his leg. Doctors foresaw long-term difficulties and little possibility of a dancing career; however, he recovered and was dancing again six months later.

The family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1994.
The challenges of immigration for Chmerkovskiy and his family included financial and language barriers. On his second day in the United States, Chmerkovskiy had a new pair of roller blades stolen. Moving to the United States also gave Chmerkovskiy the opportunity to rededicate himself to dance. At 15 he began working at a local Russian restaurant, dancing as entertainment. Working at the restaurant, Chmerkovskiy decided winning competitions as a dancer would be a way to argue for higher pay.

Competitive dancing

As a dancer, Chmerkovskiy competed at the professional level in the International Latin category. With partner Elena Grinenko, whom Chmerkovskiy competed with from 2002 to 2005, Chmerkovskiy achieved the rank of 2nd in the United States and 7th in the world among professional international Latin couples.

Dancing titles

*2005 Yankee Classic Professional Latin Champion
*2005 Blackpool Dance Festival Semi-Finalist
*2004 Manhattan Dancesport Professional Latin Champion
*2004 Nevada Star Ball Champion
*2004 World Masters Finalist
*2004 Moscow Kremlin Cup Finalist
*2004 Philadelphia Dancesport Festival Champion
*2003 All England Champion
*2003 Ohio Star Ball Latin Champion
*2003 La Classique du Quebec Champion

Opening Dance Studios

At age 16, Chmerkovskiy and his father opened a youth-oriented competitive dance studio, Rising Stars Dance Academy, on the second floor of a building his father owned in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He said in 2011 of choosing a New Jersey location, "I didn't want to open a studio that would become just one of the studios in the area. I wanted to open my studio somewhere where there was nothing like it and where people would look at it with no preconceived notions."

In 2001, Chmerkovskiy had his first major success as an instructor when he helped his brother, Valentin, then 16, and Diana Olonetskaya, 15—became the first U.S. dance pair to win a world junior championship. Chmerkovskiy also taught dancers Serge Onik and Kiki Nyemchek, both of whom competed on ''So You Think You Can Dance'', finishing in the top fourteen in season 11 and fourth in season 14, respectively.

In addition to Rising Stars, Chmerkovskiy owns several social and competitive dance studios under the brand "Dance With Me." Most are in the New York metropolitan area.

''Dancing with the Stars''

Pro dancer

Chmerkovskiy competed as a professional dancer on ''Dancing with the Stars'' for fifteen seasons. He was often referred to as "the bad boy of the ballroom."

Seasons 2–6

Chmerkovskiy first appeared in the second season of the ABC series ''Dancing with the Stars'' partnered with actress Tia Carrere. The pair's most successful dance was their tango. They finished in sixth place. The following season, he and partner singer Willa Ford came in seventh place. Chmerkovskiy returned to ''Dancing with the Stars'' in March 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with boxer Laila Ali. They made it to the finals and finished in third place. In Season 5 of ''Dancing with the Stars'', he was partnered with Melanie Brown and the couple received second place. Following the season 5 finale, Chmerkovskiy reportedly told ''TV Guide Magazine'' he would not be returning to the show, something he later told ''People Magazine'' he had announced his departure because of stress. Chmerkovskiy did not compete in Season 6, although he and former partner Melanie Brown made an appearance for the 100th episode.

Seasons 7–9

He returned for the show's seventh season, this time paired with two-time Olympic volleyball gold medalist, Misty May-Treanor. Chmerkovskiy and May-Treanor were forced to withdraw from the competition in Week 3. During a practice for their jive, May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon and required surgery. Her withdrawal gave them a finish in 10th place.

On February 9, 2009, ''Good Morning America'' announced that he would be paired with Denise Richards for the eighth season of ''Dancing with the Stars''. They were eliminated second in the competition, giving the pair a finish of 12th place. In the ninth season, he was paired with actress Debi Mazar, during which they were eliminated fourth. Halfway through season 9, Chmerkovskiy partnered Joanna Krupa for one week while Derek Hough was ill. Krupa and Chmerkovskiy danced an Argentine Tango and participated in the '70s themed group dance.

Seasons 10–13

In season 10, Chmerkovskiy, returning for his eighth season, was partnered with Erin Andrews. Andrews and Chmerkovskiy's partnership was notable for their good rapport and Chmerkovskiy was protective of Andrews as she coped with threats. They ended up coming in third place during the two-hour finale on May 25, 2010.

For season 11, Chmerkovskiy partnered with singer and actress, Brandy. They made it to the semi-finals but were eliminated with a fourth-place finish. Their elimination was viewed as shocking because they were consistently among the highest scoring couples each week.

For Season 12, he was paired with actress Kirstie Alley. On week 3, his leg gave out causing her to fall heavily on him, earning 21 points (out of 30). The next week, Alley's shoe fell off during their routine. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba called Alley "The Queen of the Unexpected Mishap." In April the show aired a rehearsal outtake of Chmerkovskiy giving a monologue which resulted in him often being referred to as "sex on a stick."
For season 13, he was partnered with Hope Solo and they finished in fourth place. In Solo's book, ''A Memoir of Hope'', she wrote that Chmerkovskiy treated her roughly, once slapping her during a rehearsal. Solo's claims were never corroborated.

Seasons 14–18

For season 14, he was partnered with actress Melissa Gilbert. In week 4, while performing the paso doble, Gilbert hit her head on the dance floor and suffered a mild concussion. She was rushed to the hospital and was unable to be at the results show the following night. The couple was called safe. Chmerkovskiy also suffered an injury, pulling a muscle in his shoulder. The couple was eliminated four weeks later, finishing in fifth place.

For season 15, an All-Stars season, Maksim returned to the dance floor with previous partner, Kirstie Alley. In week 1, they received the second-lowest score, 19. In week 3, Alley and Chmerkovskiy danced a Cha-Cha-Cha, they scored 17 . Alley and Chmerkovskiy earned 24. Alley and Chmerkovskiy were eliminated in week 8 alongside Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd in a double elimination.

In February 2013, Chmerkovskiy announced his departure from ''Dancing with the Stars'' for Season 16. Chmerkovskiy returned on the fifth week of Season 16 for "Len's Side-By-Side Challenge", where he danced with Anna Trebunskaya in an Argentine Tango with brother Val and his partner Zendaya and in a Jive with Jacoby Jones and his partner Karina Smirnoff.

Prior to the full cast announcement, ''US Weekly'' reported Chmerkovskiy would return to ''Dancing'' for season 18 after a two-season break. Chmerkovskiy was paired with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis. They were announced the winners on May 20, 2014, marking Chmerkovskiy's first win. At the end of Season 18, they had the highest average of any dancers of the show with a 28.4 average, and were tied for the most perfect scores, earning a total of six.

Seasons 23–26

On August 25, 2016, following the circulation of a reportedly new photo of Chmerkovskiy in costume for ''DWTS'', Chmerkovskiy confirmed his return to the show in an appearance on ''Good Morning America''. Season 23 was Chmerkovskiy's first as a competing pro since winning the competition in season 18. The full cast was officially announced on August 30, at which point ABC confirmed Chmerkovskiy was partnered with model Amber Rose. They were eliminated on week 6 of the competition, finishing in 9th place.

After his season 23 elimination, Chmerkovskiy said he did not plan to return for season 24. Nevertheless, in February 2017, Chmerkovskiy and his fiancée Peta Murgatroyd announced they both would return as professionals. He was partnered with actress Heather Morris. Chmerkovskiy however, missed 4 weeks of competition due to an injury. Morris and Chmerkovskiy were eliminated on week 6 after receiving a perfect 40 and finished in 8th place. Chmerkovskiy returned for season 25, and was paired with television personality Vanessa Lachey. They were eliminated on week 7 of the competition, in a double elimination and finished in seventh place. On April 5, 2018, Chmerkovskiy announced in an interview that he was officially done as a DWTS pro.

Results

Guest judge

For season 17, he was a guest judge during the semifinals in Week 10. Chmerkovskiy returned to the ballroom as a guest judge during Week 5 of Season 21. Chmerkovskiy again returned to the judge's desk in Week 5 of Season 22, switch-up week. Chmerkovskiy's fiancée, Peta Murgatroyd, was among the competing pros that week.Season 22