- Maksim Chmerkovskiy
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Maksim Chmerkovskiy 
Maksim Chmerkovskiy on May 2, 2007Born Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy
January 17, 1980
Odessa, UkraineOccupation Dancer
Choreographer
InstructorMaksim (Maks) Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy (Ukrainian: Максим Олекса́ндрович Чмерковський, Maksym Oleksándrovych Čmerkovsʹkyj, pronounced [mɑkˈsɪm olɛkˈsɑndroβ̞ɪtʃ ˈtʃmɛrkou̯sʲkɪj]; Russian: Максим Александрович Чмерковский; born January 17, 1980) is a Ukrainian-American Latin Ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is best 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 ten appearances on the show, Chmerkovskiy has made it to the final round four times, with two runner-up and two third place finishes. His most recent partnered is soccer superstar Hope Solo. He is also known for appearing on the reality show Holostiak, a Ukrainian version of The Bachelor.
Contents
Early life
Born on January 17, 1980, in Odessa to Aleksandr and Larisa Chmerkovskiy, he began dancing at the age of four. His brother, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, is also a champion dancer.[1]
The challenges of immigration for Chmerkovskiy and his family included financial and language barriers. A skiing accident as a child broke Chmerkovskiy's right leg. Doctors informed him that there would be difficulties with his leg and that dancing might not be possible.[2] He made a successful recovery and went on to become a professional Latin Ballroom dancer.
Chmerkovskiy owns four dance studios in the New York City area, one of which is the Rising Stars Dance Academy (RSDA).[3] The other three studios are social dance studios located in Ridgefield, New Jersey, and Glen Head, New York, as well as the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan. He has been a resident of Edgewater, New Jersey.[4]
Chmerkovskiy is one of the creators and directors of Dance Team USA, a non-profit educational and charitable organization dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and training future DanceSport participants. This sport is particularly popular with Eastern European families. Through his company Maksim Chmerkovskiy Productions, he organizes performances globally.
A ballroom and DanceSport choreographer, among his professional works is the Wynn Las Vegas's water-based show Le Rêve.[5] He implemented ballroom-inspired numbers in the Franco Dragone production.
Superstars
Chmerkovskiy and freestyle skier Kristi Leskinen won the 2009 edition of Superstars.
Dancing with the Stars
Chmerkovskiy first appeared in the 2nd season of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars partnered with actress Tia Carrere. 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, the daughter of Muhammad Ali. They made it to the finals and finished in third place. In Season 5 of Dancing with the Stars, he was partnered with Mel B and had his best finish to date; the couple received second place. Chmerkovskiy did not participate in Season 6, although he and former partner Mel B made an appearance for the 100th episode.
He returned for the show's 7th 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 4 on October 6, 2008. During a practice for their jive, May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon and required surgery. Her withdrawal gave them a finish in tenth place.
On February 9, 2009, on Good Morning America it was 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, on March 24, 2009, giving the pair a finish of 12th place. In the ninth season, he was paired with actress Debi Mazar, during which they were eliminated 4th. In season 10, Chmerkovskiy, returning for his 8th season, was partnered with Erin Andrews.[6] They ended up coming in 3rd 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 on November 16, 2010, giving them a 4th place finish.[7] For Season 12, he was paired with actress, Kirstie Alley. On week 3, his leg gave out causing the couple to fall, earning 21 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; they earned 22 out of a possible score of 30. They made it to the finals and finished in second place.
For season 13, he was partnered with Hope Solo and they finished in 4th place.
Season Partner Place 1 None N/A 2 Tia Carrere 6th 3 Willa Ford 7th 4 Laila Ali 3rd 5 Mel B Runner Up 6 None N/A 7 Misty May-Treanor 10th 8 Denise Richards 12th 9 Debi Mazar 12th 10 Erin Andrews 3rd 11 Brandy 4th 12 Kirstie Alley Runner up 13 Hope Solo 4th Performances
With celebrity partner Mel B 27.6
Week # Dance/Song/Musician(s) Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli Cha Cha Cha/ "A Deeper Love" 8 8 8 Safe 2 Quickstep/ "Take on Me" 7 8 8 Safe 3 Jive/ "Sweet Soul Music" 9 9 9 Safe 4 Viennese Waltz/ "Breakaway" 8 9 9 Bottom Two 5 Samba/ "Spice Up Your Life" 10 9 10 Safe 6 Rumba/ "A Woman's Worth"
Rock N' Roll/ "Rockin' Robin"10
No10
Scores10
GivenSafe 7 Foxtrot/ "Jimmy Mack"
Paso Doble/ "Free Your Mind"8
108
108
10Safe 8 Tango/ "Personal Jesus"
Mambo/ "Mambo Jambo"9
99
109
10Safe 9
Semi-finalsViennese Waltz/ "Somebody to Love"
Paso Doble/ "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"10
1010
1010
10Safe 10
FinalsCha cha cha/ "Car Wash"
Freestyle/ "The Way I Are"
Mambo/ "Mambo Jambo"9
9
109
9
1010
9
10Second Place With celebrity partner Misty May-Treanor
Week # Dance Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Foxtrot/"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" 6 8 7 Safe Mambo/"Black Mambo" 7 7 7 2 Paso Doble/"Take Me Out" 7 7 7 Safe May-Treanor was forced to withdraw before Week 3 due to injury.
With celebrity partner Denise Richards
Week # Dance Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Cha Cha Cha/"Nothin' but a Good Time" 6 6 6 No Elimination 2 Quickstep/"We Go Together" 7 7 7 Safe 3 Samba/"Take a Picture" 5 6 5 Eliminated With celebrity partner Debi Mazar
Week # Dance Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Salsa/"Complicacion" 6 5 5 Safe 2 Tango/"El Tango de Roxanne" 7 7 7 Bottom Two 3 Samba/"Love Is in the Air" 6 5 6 Eliminated With celebrity partner Erin Andrews
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"TiK ToK" 7 7 7 No elimination 2 Foxtrot/"Love Story" 8 7 8 Safe 3 Waltz/"See The Day" 8 7 8 Safe 4 Tango/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Technique 6 6 6 Safe Tango/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Performance 7 7 7 5 Jive/"You Never Can Tell" - from Pulp Fiction 7 7 8 Safe 6 Samba[disambiguation needed 
]/"When I Get You Alone"9 7 9 Safe Swing Marathon/"In the Mood" 9 7 Quickstep/"Dancing Fool" 9 9 9 Bottom 2 Cha-Cha-Challenge (Team Madonna)/ "Holiday" 8 8 8 8 Argentine Tango/"Una Música Brutal" 9 10 9 Safe Rumba/"Missing You" 8 8 9 9 Viennese Waltz/ "February Song" 9 9 9 Last to be called safe Paso Doble/"U Got the Look" 10 9 10 10 Night 1 Samba/"Mi Swing Es Tropical" 10 10 9 No Elimination Freestyle/"Alone" 9 8 9 10 Night 2 Argentine Tango/"Una Música Brutal" 26 Third Place With celebrity partner Brandy
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Viennese Waltz/ "Cry Me Out" 7 8 8 Safe 2 Jive/"Magic" 7 7 7 Safe 3 Samba/"Put it in a Love Song" 8 8 8 Safe 4 Rumba/"This Woman's Work" - Technique 7 8 7 Safe Rumba/"This Woman's Work" - Performance 9 8 9 5 Quickstep/"I'll Be There for You" 9 9 9 Safe 6 Tango/"Holding Out for a Hero" 8 9 9 Safe Rock 'n Roll Marathon/"La Grange" 10 7 Cha-Cha-Challenge (Team Apolo)/ "Bust a Move" 9 9 9 Safe Foxtrot/"Fever" 9 10 9 8 Waltz/"Dark Waltz" 9 10 10 Last to be called Safe Cha-Cha-Cha/"Teenage Dream" 9 9 10 9 Paso Doble/"Firework" 9 9 9 Eliminated Argentine Tango/"Taquito Militar" 10 10 10 With celebrity partner Kirstie Alley
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Cha Cha Cha/ "Forget You" 8 7 8 No Elimination 2 Quickstep/ "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" 7 6 7 Safe 3 Rumba/ "Over the Rainbow" 7 7 7 Safe 4 Waltz/ "The Flower Duet" 7 7 8 Safe 5 Foxtrot/ "American Woman" 8 7 8 Safe 6 Samba/ "Hit Me, Baby, One More Time" 8 9 9 Safe 7 Cha-cha-cha/ "We R Who We R" (Cha-cha-cha challenge) 7 8 8 Safe 7 Jive/ "La Bamba[disambiguation needed ]"7 6 8 Safe 8 Argentine Tango/ "Cite Tango" 9 9 10 Safe 8 Salsa/ "Cobrastyle" (Instant Dance) 8 9 8 Safe 9 Viennese Waltz/ "One and Only[disambiguation needed ]"9 9 9 Safe 9 Paso Doble/ "White Room" 9 9 9 Safe 10 Samba/ "Magalenha" 9 9 9 Runner-Up 10 Freestyle/ "Perfect" 9 9 9 Runner-Up 10 Cha Cha Cha/ "Forget You" 10 10 10 Runner-Up With celebrity partner Hope Solo
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Viennese Waltz/ "Satellite" 7 7 7 Safe 2 Jive/"Girlfriend" 6 7 6 Safe 3 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" 8 8 8 Last to be called Safe 4 Foxtrot/"You've Got a Friend in Me" 8 8 8 Safe 5 Tango/"Livin' on a Prayer" 8 8 8 Last to be called Safe 6 Rumba/"Seasons of Love" 7 6 7 Last to be called Safe 7 Samba/"Werewolves of London" 8 8 8 Safe Team Paso Doble/"Bring Me to Life" 9 8 9 8 Quickstep/"Valerie" 9 9 9 Safe Instant Jive/"The Best Damn Thing" 8 9 8 9 Paso Doble/ "Can't Be Tamed" 7 7 7 Eliminated Argentine Tango/ "Whatever Lola Wants" 8 8 8 Cha-Cha-Cha Relay/ "I Like How It Feels" Awarded 4 Points Dancing titles
- 2005 Yankee Classic Professional Latin Champion[8]
- 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
Awards and achievements Preceded by
Joey Fatone & Kym JohnsonDancing with the Stars (US) runner up
Season 5 (Fall 2007 with Mel B)Season 12 (Spring 2011 with Kirstie Alley)
Succeeded by
Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinskacurrent
Preceded by
Joey Lawrence & Edyta ŚliwińskaDancing with the Stars (US) third place contestant
Season 4 (Spring 2007 with Laila Ali)Season 10 (Spring 2010 with Erin Andrews)
Succeeded by
Marie Osmond & Jonathan RobertsReferences
- ^ Moreno/Lyons Productions, LLC. "America's Ballroom Challenge: Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing". PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ballroomchallenge/competition-s2-ep4.html. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ "Maksim Chmerkovskiy". Maksim Chmerkovskiy. http://www.maksimchmerkovskiy.com/content.php. Retrieved 2010-07-17.[dead link]
- ^ Bonchak, Jean (Thursday, January 22, 2009). "News Pros diggin' the dancing teen". The News Herald, local news, sports and weather serving Lake County and Northern Ohio Serving Northern Ohio. http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2009/01/21/news/doc497805f058640813185763.txt. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ Staff. Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Bio, Us Weekly. Accessed March 17, 2011. "He is an owner of three dance studios in the New York City area and resides in Edgewater, New Jersey."
- ^ Rocchio, Christopher (2008-02-19). "'Dancing' professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 'I'll be back next season'". WWW.realitytvworld.com. http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/dancing-professional-maksim-chmerkovskiy-ill-be-back-next-season-6572.php. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ "Erin Andrews & Maksim Chmerkovskiy — Maks a Romantic Defender?". National Ledger. April 16, 2010. http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272631362.shtml. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ "'Dancing' cuts yet another front-runner"
- ^ Mirador, Sthanlee (THURSDAY NOVEMBER 01, 2007). "The Sexy Men of Dancing with the Stars". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20154290_20155819,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
External links
Categories:- 1980 births
- Living people
- Ukrainian ballroom dancers
- People from Edgewater, New Jersey
- People from Odessa
- Ukrainian expatriates in the United States
- American people of Ukrainian descent
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