 | Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Russian: ?????? ???????????) (born January 17, 1980), is a 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 has appeared since season two.
Background Born on January 17, 1980, in Odessa, Ukraine, Maksim began dancing at the age of four. In his native land he was one of the leading junior couples in ballroom dancing before his family immigrated to the United States in 1994. Immigration was very hard on Maksim and his family due to financial and language barriers. At the age of thirteen Maksim broke his leg in a skiing accident. Doctors said he would probably always walk with a limp due to the metal rod that was surgically implanted in his leg. However, he was able to make a successful recovery and continued to dance. Over the years Maksim has represented the United States at many world class championships, and currently is ranked seventh in the world and second in the U.S. in the Latin ballroom dance category. In addition to competing, Maksim is the owner of two dance studios in the New York City area, one of which, the “Rising Stars Dance Academy” is home to national and international champions and is known throughout the world. The second studio is "Dance with Me" Social Dance Studio and is just over one year old. In addition, Maksim is one of the creators, and on the board of directors of “Dance Team USA”, an educational and charitable organization dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and training future DanceSport athletes. “DanceSport” is the term used to refer to Ballroom dancing in the United States. It is a very insular sport, mostly practiced by the children of families from Eastern Europe. DanceTeam USA tries to raise youth awareness and participation in the sport nationwide. |
