Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy ( ; 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. Chmerkovskiy said he chose New Jersey because there was a plethora of dance studios that he disliked already established in Brooklyn. The studio relocated a few times until it ended up in Saddle Brook, 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."