Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim Chmerkovskiy was born in Odessa, Odessa Oblast, Ukraine on January 17th, 1980 and is the Dancer. At the age of 44, Maksim Chmerkovskiy biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 44 years old, Maksim Chmerkovskiy has this physical status:
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 Odessa, 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.
Personal life
Chmerkovskiy is a Russian speaker, but understands the Ukrainian language. Chmerkovskiy did not speak English when he moved to the United States. He says he learned English from reading street signs in Brooklyn. Chmerkovskiy lives primarily in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He was engaged to fellow DWTS pro and Ukrainian Karina Smirnoff for nine months in 2009. In 2012, Chmerkovskiy began dating another DWTS pro, Peta Murgatroyd, but the relationship ended in 2013 after 10 months. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd reunited in October 2014. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd became engaged on December 5, 2015, when he proposed while onstage for a performance of Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Miami, Florida. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd's son Shai Aleksander was born January 4, 2017 and they were married in a contemporary ceremony in Long Island, New York on July 8, 2017.
In March 2022, Chmerkovskiy confirmed that he had fled from Ukraine to Poland, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also documented scenes from the invasion on social media and joined the movement "#StandWithUkraine".