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Top 10 Remarkable Facts About Valentin Chmerkovskiy

Valentin Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy, popularly known as “Val C”, is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, Choreographer, and part-time rapper. He co-owns and runs several dance studios under the 鈥楧ance With Me鈥� brand. 

He has participated in and won many national and international dancing competitions and is a household name on the Dancing with the Stars reality series.  

Val C is a two-time World Latin Dance Champion (Junior and Youth) and a 14-time U.S. National Latin Dance champion. 

Here are the top 10 remarkable facts about Valentin Chmerkovskiy. 

1. Val C Moved To New York When He Was 8 Years Old 

Val C was born on 24th March 1986 in Odesa, Ukraine. His parents were Aleksandr “Sasha” Chmerkovskiy and Larisa Chmerkovskaya. His father is Jewish while his mother is a Christian. He has an older brother, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is also a professional dancer. 

Val c鈥檚 parents ran a dance studio back in Ukraine but after the country gained independence civil unrest forced the family to move to the United States in 1994. They settled in New York.  

The family’s first few months of life in the US were difficult. They ran out of savings and their dad worked as a pizza-delivery boy for a while. The two children, Maksim and Valentin, were bullied in school. 

2. The Family Opened A Dance Studio In New York 

People dancing. Photo by Ardian Lumi on

After overcoming the initial challenges and settling in the big apple, they established a youth-oriented dance studio. Val C was one of the students and turned out to be the most talented. 

Val C grew up around Brooklyn and New Jersey. He attended The Hudson School and although dance was his true passion, he was also academically good.

Afterward, he joined Pace University and earned a degree in business management. 

3. He Began His Dancing Career At A Young Age  

Val C started training as a dancer at eight years old and specialized in ballroom dance. He was a highly gifted dancer by the time he was 12 years. 

The two brothers, Val C and Maksim, participated in 鈥淭he German Open,鈥� It was Val C鈥檚 first international competition, where he reached the final stage. They were the only American participants in the competition which was an achievement.  

At the age of 15, he participated in the 鈥業DSF World Championship鈥� and won the tournament. In the process, he became the first-ever American to achieve the honor. He teamed up with Diana Olonetskaya for the 鈥榃orld Junior Championship鈥� title. 

4. Val C First Appeared on 鈥楧ancing With The Stars鈥� As His Brother鈥檚 Student 

By 2006, Val C鈥檚 brother Maksim had gained significant fame in the American version of the dance reality show 鈥楧ancing with the Stars.鈥�  

However, Val C made his debut on the show in its second season, when he appeared as a student of his brother and was paired with Valeriya Kozharinova. The couple performed two numbers on the show. 

He re-entered the show in its fourth season, where he was pitted against Maskim in the results show episode. This immensely helped him get established.  

Val C again came back in the show’s tenth season, where he performed a western dance routine paired with his brother.  

He performed against Mark Balla in season eleven in a music and dance duel. He re-entered again in season thirteen, paired opposite actor and model Elisabetta Canalis. They were second to be eliminated after attaining the eleventh spot.  

He has continued to make appearances in the show up to the 30th season, pairing and partnering with different people. 

5. He Co-owns And Runs Several Dance Studios 

Ballroom dance lesson in a dance Studio. Photo BY-SA 2.5 –

Val C is a partner and artistic director of Dance With Me dance studios. The studio chain, which is one of the nation鈥檚 leading social dance studios, has nine studios in different locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  

Other partners include his brother Maksim, dancer Tony Dovolani and several others.   

6. Val C Married A Fellow Dancer   

Dancers. Photo by Nihal Demirci Erenay on

In 2015, Val C began an on-and-off relationship with fellow DWTS dancer Jenna Johnson. In 2017, he confirmed that he and Jenna were dating again. On 15th June 2018, the couple shared their engagement on Instagram.  

They were married on 13th April 2019 at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palo Verdes, California. On 15th July 2022, the couple announced that they were pregnant and due with their first child, a boy, in January 2023. 

7. He Has A Million Followers On Instagram And He Has A Blog  

Val C is very active on social media sites. He has three hundred thousand followers on Twitter, close to half a million on Facebook, and a cool one million followers on Instagram. He is also a blogger. He blogged about his experience in Dancing With The Stars through the Clicker. 

His dog is also on Twitter. He refers to his dog Sir Sleep as his baby, and it made an appearance in his music video for the song 鈥榃hite Boy Boogie. The two are inseparable. 

8. He Plays The Violin 

A Person playing the violin. Photo by Joel Wyncott on

This dancer is a classically trained violinist and played concertmaster violin with the youth orchestra in Carnegie Hall. He also played the violin when performing in Dancing with The Stars and has performed at the Lincoln Center too.   

He also plays basketball and soccer, enjoys watching cartoons, loves attending fashion shows, and loves to show off his two guns. 

9. He Has A Clothing Line 

In 2013, Val C launched his clothing line VALENTIN which is a luxury streetwear brand. He collaborated with stylist Nicole Volynets Gamer to launch the line.  

In 2014, Zendaya modeled a Valent铆n T-Shirt from Val C鈥檚 clothing line. They were partners on the 鈥楧ancing With The Stars show.  

10. He Is A Philanthropist 

Val C is a philanthropist who supports hundreds of children in education and health. As an ambassador for the charity Pencils of Promise.  

With the support of family and friends, Val financially supported the construction of new classrooms and offices for teachers in a school in Ghana.  

The community was so excited that students now had access to a positive learning environment that supports every child鈥檚 unique potential.