The American-Ukrainian professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy is best known for twice taking home the trophy on the American version of “Dancing with the Stars.” In Odessa, Ukraine, he was born into an upper middle class family. The family relocated to the US soon after the nation’s breakup with the USSR. Valentin had his initial instruction in a dance studio that his parents ran. He was already proficient enough to compete in various international dancing competitions by the time he was 12 years old. His first international dance competition, the “IDSF World Championship,” he won at the age of 15. He received the distinction for the first time ever in the United States. He has won the title of “US National Latin Dance” champion 14 times over the years. Additionally, he has triumphed in numerous other national and international dancing competitions. He has competed on 13 occasions on the American version of “Dancing with the Stars,” which is a dance reality competition. He has twice won the competition when competing with Rumer Willis and Laurie Hernandez in the twentieth and twenty-third seasons, respectively. Additionally, he owns a dance studio and performs as the part-time rapper known as “Val C.”
Early Childhood & Life
Aleksandr and Larisa Chmerkovskaya, two prominent dancers from the upper middle class, welcomed their son Valentin Chmerkovskiy into the world on March 24, 1986, in Odessa, Ukraine. In their native country, his parents owned a dance studio. Maksim, Valentin’s older brother, was a dancer aspirant when they were little. Additionally, Maksim appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” multiple times.
The early 1990s saw political unrest in Ukraine, which in 1991 declared its independence from the Soviet Union. A few mafia figures began following the family, and gradually their prosperous business suffered. In 1994, the family relocated to the US in search of better employment options. At the time, Valentin was 8 years old and had already begun his dance instruction.
The family had a challenging first several months in the US. Their savings were depleted. For a period, Valentin’s father was a pizza delivery boy. Furthermore, Maksim and Valentin experienced bullying at school.
The family moved to New York shortly after. Two years after relocating to the nation, Valentin’s parents opened their own dance studio. One of the dancing academy’s students and subsequently one of the most accomplished young dancers was Valentin.
Valentin attended “The Hudson School” and grew up near Brooklyn and New Jersey. He was an excellent student, but dance was his genuine passion. Valentin quickly enrolled at “Pace University” and graduated with a business management degree.
The Career of Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Valentin began his dance instruction at the age of 8. He was an expert ballroom dancer. He started dancing at age 12 and quickly advanced. He had already achieved multiple national victories and had taken part in his first-ever international competition, “The German Open,” by that time.
Valentin put up a remarkable performance and made it to the finals, but lost. They were the only Americans competing in the tournament, along with his brother, which was an accomplishment in and of itself.
He competed in and won the ‘IDSF World Championship’ when he was 15 years old. He did so by becoming the first American to ever receive the distinction. He competed in the ‘World Junior Championship’ alongside Diana Olonetskaya.
By the year 2006, Maksim, his older brother, had achieved considerable success on the American version of the dance reality competition “Dancing with the Stars.” In the second season of the show, Valentin made his entrance. But he presented himself as his brother’s pupil and was matched with Valeriya Kozharinova. On the show, the couple sang two songs.
He missed the third season and returned in the 2007 fourth season. He did not participate this time either, and his sole appearance was in an episode of the results show, where he competed against his brother. The show received positive reviews and helped Valentin establish himself.
Valentin returned to the show in the results episode of its tenth season after a three-year hiatus. He and his brother engaged in a western dance routine. He also made an appearance in the results episode of the eleventh season and engaged in a musical battle with Mark Ballas. Throughout his concert, Valentin played the violin and demonstrated his musical abilities.
He made his first official appearance as a participant in the thirteenth season, paired with actor and model Elisabetta Canalis. The performance, however, fell short of expectations. The second pair to be eliminated was them. After finishing in eleventh place, they were forced to give up.
Valentin was paired in the following season with comedian and broadcaster Sherri Shepherd. They were the third pair to be eliminated, but this time the performance was a little bit better. They reached the tenth position on the show before calling it quits.
Season fifteen was significantly superior. Kelly Monaco, who also happened to be the inaugural season’s victor, was partnered up with him. The couple did remarkably well and came to an end in third place.
Estimated Net Worth of Valentin Chmerkovskiy
The estimated net worth of Valentin Chmerkovskiy is around $1 million.