Benjimen Daniel Schwimmer (born January 18, 1984) is an American professional dancer, choreographer, actor and director. He was the winner of the second season of ''

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...

'' (2006) and has choreographed for both the U.S. and the international versions of the show. He is the only dancer in the world to hold World titles in solo, partner and group divisions at the same time. Schwimmer works on TV, film and stage both in front and behind camera. He was the specialties choreographer for

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

's " Once Upon a Time In Hollywood".

Early life

Schwimmer was born on January 18, 1984, in Newport Beach, California, and grew up in a Latter-day Saint (

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

) household in Moreno Valley, California. He is the son of choreographer and

West Coast Swing West Coast Swing is a partner dance with roots in the Lindy Hop. It is characterized by an elastic look that results from its extension-compression technique of partner connection and is danced primarily in a slotted area on the dance floor. The ...

dancer Buddy Schwimmer. His mother, Laurie Schwimmer, and sister,

Lacey Schwimmer Lacey Mae Schwimmer (born June 28, 1988) is an American ballroom dancer and singer. She is best known as a fourth place finalist of the third season of ''So You Think You Can Dance''. She is the daughter of noted dancer Buddy Schwimmer, as well ...

, are also renown partner and solo dancers. He began acting at 2, landing nationwide commercials for McDonalds,

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert a ...

Power Wheels Power Wheels is a brand of battery-powered ride-on toy cars for kids ages one to seven years old. Power Wheels ride-ons are built with kid-sized, realistic features – in some cases, real working features like FM radios, opening/closing doors an ...

and guest stint on

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...

. He started competing at five years old. He finished his studies early, and then taught dance at 17 years for one semester at

Crafton Hills College Crafton Hills College (CHC) is a public community college in Yucaipa, California. CHC is part of the California Community College system. It offers associate degrees and career and technical certificates. Since its opening in 1972, more than 200 ...

in Yucaipa. Schwimmer and his cousin,

Heidi Groskreutz Heidi Skletroz Groskreutz (born September 3, 1981) is an American ballroom dancer, specializing in the fields of Latin and swing dancing. She is known for making the final in the second season of the Fox TV series '' So You With Think You Can Dan ...

, (Top 4 finalist on the same season of ''So You Think You Can Dance''), are also U.S. Open and World Showcase Swing champions. Schwimmer put dancing on hold to serve a two-year

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) in the Mexican state of

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

. He returned afterwards to the dance circuit. He founded D.E.M.A.N.D., a non-profit organization that helps the less fortunate and provides health care for dancers with

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

and other illnesses, and was a co-owner of 5678 Dance Studio in Redlands since 2011.

Career

After his two year mission and stint on So You Think You Can Dance tours, Schwimmer reclaimed his titles as both US and World Swing Champion with a new partner, Kellese Key in 2008. He has never lost a routine competition. Schwimmer also appeared in the independent film, '' Love N' Dancing'', starring

Amy Smart Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school. Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...

. He was the cover story in a 10-page spread in "Dancer Magazine", January 9 issue, which featured his own photography. Schwimmer also costarred in the comedy "Leading Ladies". Paula Abdul hired Schwimmer as her creative director and choreographer for her final performance on American Idol and for her opening show for VH1's Divas:Live '09. He also danced alongside her in both performances. Working with his father, he choreographed the short program of American figure skater Jeremy Abbott, which was first performed at the

2011 Cup of China The 2011 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai on November 3–6. M ...

. Benji has since choreographed for 2 different Winter Olympics, includin
Adam Rippon's "O"
. In 2018, Schwimmer announced his retirement from competing at The Open Swing Dance Champions, being the only dancer to win 14 World Titles with 4 different partners, never taking a loss. Schwimmer is currently developing TV and film projects for 2022.

Personal life

Schwimmer is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

. He

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

publicly in 2012, after being put through

reparative therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cl ...

, struggling with his sexuality for a number of years. The catalyst for his decision was the death by suicide of two gay friends. He has since left the

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

and publicly criticized their policies against members of the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community.

Awards

* 1991 US Open, Young America Div. (ages 6–11), 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1992 "Future Stars" Champion, Sabado Gigante (TV), partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1993 "Future Stars" Champion, Sabado Gigante (TV), partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1994 World Swing Dance Championships Youth Division, 1st Place partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1995 World Swing Dance Championships Youth Division, 1st Place partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1995 US Open Swing Dance Championships, Adult Team Division, 1st Place Jump Start * 1995 Feather Award "Outstanding Dancer(youth)" * 1995 World Swing Dance Championships, Adult Team Division, 1st place, Jump Start * 1996 World Swing Dance Championships, Youth Division, 1st Place partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1996 World Swing Dance Championships, Adult Team Division, 1st Place, Jump Start * 1997 Skippy Blair "Footsteps Award" * 1998 Sabado Gigante's "Best Dance Couple" (multiple winner), partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1999 World Swing Dance Championships, Youth Division, 1st Place partner Heidi Groskreutz * 1999 World Swing Dance Championships, Team Division, 1st Place, Jump Start * 2001 World Swing Dance Championships, Youth Division, 1st Place partner Heidi Groskreutz * 2001 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz * 2002 USA Sing Net "Person of the Year" * 2002 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz * 2005 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Heidi Groskreutz * 2005 US Open Swing Dance Championships, Team Division, 1st Place Jump Start 2 * 2006 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, 1st Place, "America's Favorite Dancer", after a tally of 16 million votes for the Finale * 2007 - 1st Place: World Swing Dance Championships, Classic Division; Partner:

* 2008 LAPD Jack and Jill (improv) Championships, 1st Place, partner Deborah Szekely * 2008 USA Grand Nationals Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Kellese Key * 2008 USA Grand Nationals Cabaret Division, 1st Place * 2008 Dallas D.A.N.C.E. Cabaret Division, 1st Place * 2008 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Kellese Key * 2009 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Kellese Key * 2010 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Torri Smith * 2011 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Torri Smith * 2012 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Torri Smith * 2013 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Torri Smith * 2014 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Torri Smith * 2015 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Nicole Clonch *2016 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Nicole Clonch *2017 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Nicole Clonch *2018 US Open Swing Dance Championship, Showcase Division, 1st Place, partner Nicole Clonch

References

External links

*
Benji Schwimmer web site
(Benji Schwimmer official web site)
5678 Dance Studios
(Schwimmer family studio)
The Benji & Heidi Zone
(USA Swing Dance Network)
Benji and Heidi DVDs
- official website with instructional WCS videos taught by Benji Schwimmer and Heidi Groskreutz.
Benji Schwimmer photos and video clips
Benji Schwimmer photos and video clips from SYTYCD TOUR

Biographical information and an interview with Benji by USA Swing Net.

on ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

''
"Benji Shows Why He's Your 'Favorite Dancer'"
''TV Guide'' "Insider", August 21, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwimmer, Benji 1984 births American choreographers American male dancers American Latter Day Saints American Mormon missionaries in Mexico American gay actors Living people Male actors from Newport Beach, California So You Think You Can Dance winners So You Think You Can Dance choreographers LGBT Latter Day Saints LGBT dancers LGBT people from California So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) contestants 21st-century American dancers Crafton Hills College people 21st-century LGBT people