Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is an enormously successful live reality show on ABC in which celebrities, such as Brazilian auto racing driver Helio Castroneves, comedian Margaret Cho and designer Betsey Johnson are teamed up with professional ballroom dancers. The couple receiving the lowest combined total of points from the three judges and audience votes is eliminated each week until the last remaining couple is declared champion.
The professional dancers, relatively unknown when DWTS first aired, have become celebrities in their own right. Once such person is ballroom dancer Maksim (Maks) Chmerkovskiy, who is again bringing his dance show, Sway, to The Space in Westbury. Chmerkovskiy left DWTS in a blaze of glory two seasons ago as he and his partner, Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, won the coveted first place mirror ball trophy.
Chmerkovskiy got his start on DWTS in 2006 during season two. His original plan was to perform one season and then return to competitive ballroom dancing, but it wasn’t until season five that he went back into competition. But the timing wasn’t right, so he returned to the show until leaving after season 18.
Chmerkovskiy, who has been called “ballroom dancing’s bad boy,” acknowledges that in the early years he had a hard time with the show and the demands of television. When he was asked to change a move in a samba to accommodate the cameras, his answer was, “Hell, no,” and his attitude, he says, was “how dare you ask me?” Over time, he acknowledged that he was wrong. He learned that the audience didn’t want to see the dancers in a bad mood.
“The idea is to please everyone,” he says, “and it’s better if I’m likable.”
Much was made of the relationship and chemistry between Chmerkovskiy and Davis. He says he was fascinated with her accomplishments and she with his. “I think ours was the best partnership in Dancing with the Stars’ history,” he says.
Chmerkovskiy noted three types of DWTS partnerships: one, where they have nothing in common and don’t like each other; two, where a lot of maintenance is required as the pro manages the celebrity; and three, where there is chemistry between the couple such as is his relationship with Davis.
Of the show, Chmerkovskiy says he feels that the judges have become a little predictable and need to be critical of the footwork first and foremost. The expression and drama should be the icing on the cake. He thinks that Tom Bergeron as a perfect emcee who, with his quick wit, keeps the live show on track and dilutes situations that could get out of hand. One of the many wonderful things about DWTS is the diversity of race and age and the inclusion of people with physical disabilities. Will there ever be a partnering of two men or two women? Chmerkovskiy doesn’t have an answer but says since an early age he was part of the art world with gay men and women. “As an adult, I don’t discriminate. You accept people around you,” he said.
Chmerkovskiy is an avid supporter of Childhelp, a child abuse prevention and treatment non-profit. A few years ago he participated in a celebrity golf tournament for Childhelp and immediately became involved, supporting their arts and crafts therapy program. He hopes to establish a dance therapy program there and capitalize on his celebrity status by fundraising for the organization. “There are a lot of good people out there with money,” he says and he hopes to convince them that this is a good program to support. “I’ve been given the opportunity.”
He sees coming to America in the same way. Born in the Ukraine, Chmerkovskiy is grateful to have come to the US and feels an obligation to do his best. “This country gives so much. To not be a wholesome person and not provide for you family…. it’s a sin.”
Regarding pursuing opportunities and dreams, Chmerkovskiy says we all have a choice—either get up or keep sitting. It’s simple mathematics, he says about dancing, but it can apply to anything: “If you spend three hours practicing, you’ll be better than someone who spends 15 minutes.” His philosophy is that if you stick to it through the pain, the feeling of accomplishment is amazing.
Chmerkovskiy joins other dancers from DWTS, including Davis, his brother Val and Tony Dovolani at Sway, a dance show that combines dance and live theatre, this week at The Space at Westbury. There are multiple shows Dec. 17-21. Visit www.thespaceatwestbury.com for more information.
