Valentin Chmerkovskiy

About

Valentin Aleksandrovich “Val” Chmerkovskiy (born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian and American professional Latin and ballroom dancer and choreographer. Born in Odesa and raised in Brooklyn, he started appearing on the ABC competition series Dancing with the Stars during its second season.
Chmerkovskiy was promoted to a pro on the series in 2011. He won the twentieth season with actress Rumer Willis, the twenty-third season with Olympic artistic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and the thirty-second season with actress Xochitl Gomez. Chmerkovskiy received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work with his wife, Jenna Johnson, on the series. He is also the author of the book, “I’ll Never Change My Name: An Immigrant’s American Dream from Ukraine to the U.S.A. to Dancing with the Stars.”

Valentin Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy was born on March 24, 1986, in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR (present-day Ukraine). His father, Aleksandr “Sasha” Chmerkovskiy, is a Jewish marine merchant, while his mother, Larisa Chmerkovskaya, is a Christian engineer. He has an older brother, Maksim, who is also a professional ballroom dancer.
Chmerkovskiy learned about the principles of dance through his…