What's Up, Maks? The Dance Pro Rekindles His Burning Broadway Love

After strutting his way to outstanding reviews in the ballroom spectacular Burn the Floor last August, Maksim Chmerkovskiy headed back to Hollywood to partner Debi Mazar in season eight of Dancing with the Stars. They didn’t get far (more on his TV dance partners below), but Maks finished the season performing special numbers alongside guests such as Michael Buble. The good news is that this sexy fan favorite—newly single after breaking off his engagement to Karina Smirnoff—is back on Broadway for the month of December, this time partnered with DWTS champ Kym Johnson. The Ukrainian-born dancer chatted about how he’s juggling Broadway, Vegas and TV while building his bad-boy brand.

Why did you want to return to Burn the Floor?
It was the most amazing experience of my life as far as the magnitude of the stage. If you end up on Broadway, you’re forever in the history books. I had a blast, and [my initial run of] three weeks wasn’t long enough for me to truly appreciate it. But the most important reason is that the producers said, “If you promise to come back, we’ll extend the production.” I said, “Without a doubt, extend. I’m coming back!”

You got excellent reviews from some tough critics.
This is the first show of its kind on Broadway, so we were ready for some bad criticism, and it didn’t happen. I own [ballroom dance] studios, and now I can say to my kids, “If you work hard and stick with it, you can be financially stable. There’s Dancing with the Stars, there are choreographic ventures, there’s Broadway.” Doing this is a win-win situation for me, and the timing is perfect. I am home for Christmas, finally!

You’re not based in Los Angeles?
I’m a Brooklyn boy, come on! We moved in ’94 [from Ukraine] to the Brighton Beach area, the Little Odessa, and I opened my first studio in New Jersey when I was 16. I still lived in Brooklyn but commuted back and forth every day. I also went to Pace University in downtown Manhattan. Now I have two studios in Jersey, a studio on Long Island, and I’m looking into a place in Brooklyn and Manhattan. This is my town.

You’ve also been working with Steve Wynn in Las Vegas, right?
Yes. In my first season on Dancing with the Stars, I had taken my partner, Tia Carrere, to see my kids dance. The producers put it together so well, it really showcased the kids. One day, [contestant] George Hamilton said, “I have someone on the phone who would like to talk to you,” and the voice said, “My name is Elaine Wynn and I am interested in having you do a show for us.” I had no clue who she was or who Steve Wynn was. Long story short, I did seven or eight corporate events for Wynn Las Vegas. At one gathering, there’s a picture of Steve Wynn, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and myself.

Well, Maks, you belong in that group.
No, sweetie, not yet, not yet. Let me dance on Broadway for a while, and then maybe. But Steve gave us an amazing opportunity. I have a production company with all my kids, the best dancers in the country, and Steve literally put everybody on his 747 and flew us to Macau to dance at the opening of Wynn Macau. After one of those shows, he took me aside and said, “I want you to fix my show [La Reve at Wynn Las Vegas]. So I walk into the theater, and there’s a big pool. I thought, “You are such an idiot, you just signed up to choreograph ballroom numbers in a freaking pool of water!” But I’m happy I took up the challenge.

Would you like to choreograph on Broadway?
I would love to choreograph on the moon at this point! I just love putting stuff together.

Do you enjoy your reputation as Dancing with the Stars’ “bad boy of the ballroom”?
Sweetheart, honestly, I have no idea what that means. Like I cha-cha and kick someone in the face? What I enjoy is the fact that I can be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and walk up to someone like, “Hey, do you know who the bad boy of the ballroom is?” And it’s like, “Oh my god, you’re that guy from Dancing with the Stars.” People might not remember my name—certainly nobody can freaking spell it—but there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind when they hear that phrase who it is. In this industry, that’s what it’s all about, to create a brand. 

You’ve had more than your quota of bad partners on Dancing with the Stars.
Well, the production knows they can rely on some of us to make a celebrity happy. Tony [Dovolani] gets his share of terrible partners because they know he’ll make them look good. He gets a seven-foot-tall Kathy Ireland, who’s a sweetheart and can’t dance a step. Or Susan Lucci, who’s amazing but is also not a dancer.

Tony gets the old people and you get the tall people.
That’s not true. I got Denise Richards. Let’s just leave it at that.

Is it fair to say that this season of Dancing with the Stars was the worst ever?
I would love for you to say it. Obviously I can’t. I am proud of my job, but it’s never been, “Let me do Dancing with the Stars and forget about everything else.” I was fortunate enough to have an amazing family that made me realize you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. I’ve invested in a lot of things; I haven’t sat still since I was 16 years old. Doing Broadway is one of those investments. This is a notch in the belt like no other.

How long will you keep dancing? [Maks will turn 30 in January.]
Until the body says stop. I’m not tired; I’m not exhausted. When I am, I’ll let you know.