February 24, 2025 • 57 mins
Discipline, dance, and drama go hand in hand for DWTS brothers, Maks and Val Chmerkovskiy.
Find out how humble beginnings and an after-school hobby helped shape their American dreams, and how they’re still coming true today!
Plus, what Maks says about being called a flirt, and what Val thinks when he sees another man trying to tango with his wife!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I am Kate Hudson and my name is Oliver Hudson.
We wanted to do something that highlighted our relationship and
what it's like to be siblings. We are a.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Sibling, Railvalry, No, no, sibling. Don't do that with your mouth, Revelry.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
That's good. We have some guests in the waiting room.
I move my body pretty goddamn good in certain situations
without any practice. I'm great. I'm great at making love.
We'll just say that. But these men, these boys, these brothers,
they can move Val and Max Schermarkowski from Dancing with
(00:55):
the Stars and much much more. Let's have a chat.
How are you well up, guys?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
How's it going?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Val has a shirt the most open I've ever seen
a shirt worn.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I have seen him with a moral.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And he's wearing a New York Yankees hat. I don't
know if that's for style or if he's a Yankees fan.
What do you say, Val?
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I mean, I knew he was gonna wear one. That's
why I didn't wear mine.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Also, I'm just in l A and I'm so proud
to be rocking my New York hat.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Yeah. I did the same. The morning after, felt felt
some kind of way. But I was proud. I was proudly.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, okay, no, I get that. I mean, look,
you have to represent I was. I was working in
New York. I'm doing a movie there, and so I
got to go to a couple of games, and you know,
I wore one of my Dodgers hat. You know, where
did you guys? Give me give me a little taste
of like sort of growing up? You know, where were
(01:56):
you where you grew up in Ukraine?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
You know, we're six years apart, so and very uniquely.
The timing is that I'm nineteen eighties, he's nineteen eighty six.
Nineteen ninety four, we immigrated from Ukraine to Brooklyn, New York.
I'm fourteen and he's eight, and that at that moment
(02:19):
we in the same household, have completely different views on
life and things of that nature because of the ages
and kind of the situation that we fell into. But
that was it. We immigrated ninety four. I graduated Brooklyn
Public High School, so as he went both six years apart. No,
that's not true about you already graduated. I'll let him
(02:41):
speak his facts. But went for a year to Pace
University Manhattan, dropped out after a year. Some six years later,
Val went also to pay just by lead here whatever.
But anyway, we New Yorkers and two five I joined
(03:01):
Dancing with the Stars and started going out into La.
What I'm saying is I never moved. It was always
kind of like, let's go to La to do the
show and then go back, you know, home. And so
I really had, you know, the drive to live here,
but ended up spending more time here. Uh the last
seven years permanent resident now permanent resident. Family, three kids,
(03:25):
two of them born and see the SINAI so.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Awesome, dude, That's where I was born. That's why all
my kids were born.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, pretty much did all the same thing.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
But he said, well, let me let me ask let
me ask a question though, Like moving from the Ukraine
you were eight, you were fourteen. Obviously of a fourteen
year old you have a deeper recollection of it. But
I'm sure you do as well, right, And what was
that like was there was it exciting you know, or
was it you're leaving your home?
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I did, I didn't, you know. Just to kind of
piggyback off of what Max said, we had a very
different assimilation, you know, process in this country and therefore
a whole different relationship with countries. So it was exciting.
I mean, I didn't understand that we're never coming back,
you know, so and it's been only eight years of
(04:19):
developing my relationship with Yesa, Ukraine is where we're from,
from Odessa, Ukraine. So for me, I was I was
excited to move. I saw that my parents were stressed.
I saw, you know, my brother got robbed for his
rollerblades the second day in America. You know, I experienced
a lot of these We experienced these things together as
(04:41):
a family. But it really educated me more than it
like traumatized me. Where I with Max, he was a
little older. I think he took it on a little
bit harder and so he had a very different kind
of molding process. But we, you know, we kind of
we were better friends. We shared a bung bed, so
we were like thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
We'll go and get into that a little bit more,
you know, because it's really interesting because you know, look,
we've been doing this podcast for years now and talking
to siblings. Even though they were came from the same place,
came from the same parents for the most part, were
raised the same way we are still such individuals in
(05:23):
the perception of how we have been raised. Even though
our parents did it the same, we take it differently.
A lot of these siblings have a way different idea
of who their father is than the other. Let's just say,
you know, and with that sexier age gap too, even
the way that you guys were parented probably was different.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah, I felt pressure vicariously through him.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
He felt pressure period, you know.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
So I think that that's the difference. I felt it
because I'd seen how, you know, the responsibilities that he
had had to embark on earlier on in his life.
So just one example is he's now fourteen, you know,
fourteen fifteen. Now I'm a father. I teach kids. You know,
for me, that's a child.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Back in.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
You're you know, you're strong and big and old enough
to go work. So we're a household. Bops is working,
Moms is working. You know, what are you doing? So
I feel like he immediately found a job teach dance.
Dance was already something he started back in Ukraine myself
as well, But like I said, I'm eight years old
(06:32):
and I just know it a little bit. At fifteen fourteen,
found the job dancing at a Russian restaurant on Brighton
Beach in Coney Island area, and he did it a
couple of times with his buddy, and then he approached me,
his twelve year old sibling, to join.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
He literally said, let's put on a show. I found.
I was like, yo, I have an element that nobody
has in town. I have a twelve year old who
does it better than most adults. And if on the
why not, it's in my household. I was a novel basically.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Bring on the twelve year old.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
With yeah, yeah, and again and again we we just
for me. That was exciting. I didn't realize that I'm
dancing for you know, mobsters and you know people. It's
midnight on a Friday and in cabaret, like.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Doing my thing.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
But those are the But now I'm doing the same
exact thing. You know, you fast forward what now? You
know close to thirty years more than thirty years yeah
about yeah, close to thirty years later. I'm doing the
same things, just on a different stage. Yeah. We do
alongside each other on many occasions. You know, we've been
working side by for thirty years now. And in my experience,
(07:55):
like I said, uh, those moments were so fun. For him,
they were just full of pressure, right to deliver, to
get the money to pay his brother, walk home and
not get brought rob on the home.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
These are things I'm like, life is amazing. Get to
earn I with my money. I bought myself a game
boy as a young man. Again, these are valuable lessons.
So I'm looking at hardships something I can always conquer.
There's nothing that I can't do where I feel like, again,
this is my diagnosis with my brother. He can diagnose himself,
(08:33):
but I feel like with him, he's now at an
age you know, like inside out I had joy running
my ship, you know, and I feel like he had
a little bit of sadness and anger running his ship.
And I think that's really just not a difference of
what's at heart, but really where we were at what
(08:54):
age and how life just shook us.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Do you think that if the roles were reversed and
you were the old one, then you would be operating
from sort of some sadness and fight and pain a
little bit. Or is your personality different do you take
on you would you take that shit on differently than
he would because everyone deals with emotion different. Everyone deals
with that hardship, that pressure, whatever differently. You know, yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Don't want to imply that I didn't have a toelugh
upbringing either, you know, right, I weren't, but yeah, I
think I would. Our life did do one eighty around
the time when he joined Dancing with the Stars, you know,
and yes, I'm skipping a lot of stuff and we've
you know, we grew up at that time. But he
(09:41):
kind of elevated himself into another stratosphere first, so he
went to Hollywood, Los Angeles. I mean, these are these
are places were not dream about because we competed. We traveled,
not to paint a picture that we were We've never
been outside of New York City.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
We were cold.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
We understood what's help to be, you know, to be
on American television and be south and be yourself. That's
the thing is you can be. There's plenty of people
that joined change their names, became someone else, to be
able to be highlighted in front of this country that
adopted us, that has take took u sin, you know,
(10:20):
it was it was a full circle moment of also gratitude,
but really the fact that now Maxim Schmerkovsky, the kid
that was laughed at that was told to go back
to Russia even though he was from Ukraine in school.
The kid is now, you know, in the houses of
millions of people in this country. So I think he
(10:42):
found I think he found a swagger at that point,
and so we kind of became adult, if you will,
and the older brother while he became this, you know,
I think he found his youthfulness and his spirit and
his like adventure and he I feel like he didn't
have to grow up in his teenage years, and he
did it when he came out to la and rediscovered himself.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Pretty accurate there, Max, Yeah, No, I actually felt like.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
I actually felt like, yeah, I just shifted my I
did it backwards. Fourteen to twenty five was what people
what I'd witnessed later in life, for people experience in
their late twenties to mid thirties, and then after that
case in point, all of these youngins are now with
(11:33):
families and young kids and sort of like studying that
part of life. I, however, went full tilt work mode
fourteen onwards, skipped through everything teenage years, completely did everything
up until twenty one, and then I turned pro in
my bowl of dance industry. I even skipped over this
(11:56):
whole category called amateurs. It's not amateur by the trade,
but it's like on the twenty one age category before
you turn pro, there's a whole group of like for
your entire thirties. You can compete in this category, and
it doesn't separate you in quality, it just separates there's
more participants in this amateur category than there are in professionals,
(12:20):
because that's already like older generation. So my point, I
just looked too mature for this category. And I had
very kind of like if he results. Once I turned pro,
and I was amongst these big grown men who were about,
you know, fifteen years older out and I stood out well,
(12:40):
and that's when I'm kind of like, oh, so I'm
that person. So I really had this grown outlook on life.
He's talking about buying game boys, and yes, that was
also what I saw. But I was very well aware
of our family being on food stamps, so like we
were getting x amount of you know, funding money that
(13:03):
we would then exchange in the lowest sort of all
the grocery stores that would accept it, you know, so
there's a lot of hustle going on. So I saw
the value of money. I understand that he can just
go and buy this thing, you know. Whereas he felt
that he was he was rightfully so growing up as
(13:23):
the kids that you know, has these sort of motivational
factors in front of them. So I'm looking at this
to be the case with my son now, and I'm like,
having the two options, what what would I rather? No,
I don't want him to know hard labor or even
like difficult labor before it's his reality, you know, like
(13:45):
why would I Why would I give him a little
bit of what you know, others don't have. It is
their reality. And so what I'm trying to do is
I'm trying to raise a level headed kid who at
the time when he's a child, does child things at
the time you does young adult things. So I feel
like that's my focus is not to skip over and
(14:05):
I let him out. This is where my sort of
like focus on my kids kind of ends as that
you know, Twins. We've all seen that movie Schwartzenegan, you know,
and so that's scene when young Schwartz's character comes out
of this island where he lived and thrived and was
(14:26):
you know, engineered to be the most perfect human and
so I feel like when I let my I can
believe it. I now have three boys growing up. So
when I let my boys out into the world, it'll
be in like young twenties and they'll be like, this way,
here you go, my son. Now you've got jiu jitsu,
ap science, you like, ahead of class and everything, beautiful,
(14:48):
six four muscle build, you know everything.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
But you know what I'm saying, like, this is your dream,
this is your fantasy.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Almost importantly as I wish for him to be. You know,
I listened to Val and no wonder our relationship. I
do look up to him a lot because I feel
like that's what I was missing. I did skip over
the stage thing, and it did, you know. It made
me do things at a time when I shouldn't have.
And it feels like that bravado that he described as
(15:15):
like youthfulness that I found, which is right. It was
also at the time when I could have applied different things,
and you know, I feel that youthful.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I'm saying that what it means is like during your
teenage years, you have the license to fuck things up.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah exactly, Yeah, yeah, I was doing that, feeling that
happy for that type of like look, I'm just being
free me, right. And I was looking at them and
Val and his friends that were growing up being that
way in their young twenties. But I wasn't registering that
I was a twenty nine year old man feeling that free.
(15:52):
And I'm not saying I was doing childish things, but
you know what I'm saying, like, yeah, you know, I'm
in La. Nobody here knows me. I'm just gonna have fun.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
No one here needs me, right.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
My dad, who's an.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Entrepreneurial spirit, very supportive father who's never danced in his life,
he saw, you know, Max come home. He was assisting
one of the studios and at sixteen Long Story Shore,
they decided to open up their own dance studio. My
dad's never taught. The only information is coming from his
sixteen year old son, and he will take care of
(16:26):
all the manager.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
I don't know anything business.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
We opened up a dance studio in which my dad
was the administrator, my brother was the coach, and I
was like the star pupil, you know, it's like and
this kind of relationship evolved, so I was close to
the stress. I was close to the thing, I you know.
But again I didn't have the responsibility.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
At the house six years younger. I mean, you know,
you can let that go. You don't have to take
on that responsibility if you didn't want to.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Who volunteer to take on a lot of it. Yeah,
but I didn't exactly, I didn't have to, right, And
I think when when again fast forward sixteen twenty, you know,
nine years later, when he found him after building a
very successful dance program in New Jersey, and then I
(17:19):
then became a part of it, I mean, and then
it just evolved into a big thing. He for the
first time moved to LA and was no longer responsible
for all of that and allowed himself like teenage license
of you know, just you know how LA is.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Were you able to move to LA knowing that you
had put that you had secured your family, and then
were able then to move to LA or was there
stress like when I move, Yeah, you know, I know,
I'm no longer here to make it all work.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
No. I felt fantastic because I was making a little
bit more money than before. And then all of a
sudden it felt like we're good. Everybody's everybody's good, everybody's eating.
You know, we got a big, big house everybody can fit. Now,
you know, I bought a huge place in one of
the best places and where exactly where I wanted to be.
(18:21):
I was buying myself forever home. And the next I
think what was two years, two and a half years.
I spent twenty two days in that house. But you know,
obviously Val lived there. We had three of my other
friends occupied three other bedrooms, and you quent essentially like
one of us made it ahead of time, and so
now kind of like everybody, come come with.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
I don't know if you remember, Entourage was a really
popular worst yeah in the city for men. We all
watched it and again we all dream like we're city
kid immigrants, you know, we dream about making it and
then making it so that you can bring bring.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
You, lift up everyone else around you.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Yeah, because you see that just to seeing it, but
we never had access to being part of it, whether
it's night live, high end, you know, food industry, uh,
any kind of like we were the entertainment, but we
were not the guests in that dace. So because we
were great quality caliber entertainment and we saw a lot
(19:26):
of we had access to see what it's like. But anyway,
the second I started making it. You know, my Grandma's
building knows me, you know what I'm saying, Like, there's
that notoriety, so there's a little bit of that pressure.
I definitely immediately felt like I wanted to win more
than anything. It was the pressure of trying to win
(19:46):
Dancing the Stars, and in that in this format dancing Stars,
the more you try your hardest, the more it's kind
of like it's almost like not it's a lot of
a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Fun.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Fun thing with that though, is like like he said,
he bought this forever home and he was like, wow,
you gotta you know, for you to live there. And
I did live there, but I was very conscious and
we had a conversation. I was like, that's this. I
didn't make it. Though you made it. I didn't. There's
no reason why I should feel the sensation of being
(20:21):
in this home. I should feel the sensation of where
I'm at, which is not listen to live in this home,
you know. But again, we grew up in such an
environment where it's what's mine is ours.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Yeah, And I and I was trying to tell him,
like yo, about how I feel and this senser is
your question. The very first like the difference, and I
was like, bro, I'm telling you, you can do so
much better from a platform where you're not stressed your coupable.
You have a big room to stretch, you can walk around,
(20:55):
you know, downstairs, down to your own stairs, your own
you know what I'm saying, because we will flap the
guess that we have a bridge inside the house. I
remember Valini with the two of us. I was like, bro,
we have a bridge inside the house. Had them like
some people have elidators. Like it was like the s from.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
They take shrooms and they're in Vegas room and they're
like these chairs.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Super straight. We were just like we could believe it.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Life mate, Where were Where? Where is his house?
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Jersey? Fourth shout out Forthly, New Jersey, right off a
beautiful area Fourthly Bluff overlooking the city. You know what
I'm saying, Like I right off of Hudson, you know,
right now Washington Bridge.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
You know, I just got back from New Jersey two
days ago. I was in Short Hills doing a movie
out there.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
Fun fact, Fourth Lee was the original Hollywood before Hollywood
took on the movie industry. Really yeah, it still has Uh.
I think I believe Charlie Chaplin Studios or whatever.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Wow, Actually Anglewood, well there's a Ridgewood Anglewood. It's like,
but that area, yes, right outside the city. We haulk
in New Jersey, which is a neighbor in town. Is
a place where shot Hamilton is in New Jersey where
I went to high school, home place of Frank Sinatra.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
You know, this is cool. I think.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Rebranded a little.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
I don't get it, dude, because again, I've been to
New Jersey, but I've never hung out there. And again,
grant I was. I was staying at the Hilton, you know,
just working. But I would go to the coast every
time I could get there because I would the fish
and just love the beach and the leaves were changing,
and I drive around. I'm like, dude, New Jersey is
the fucking shit.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
It's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I loved it. In fact, I didn't even have so
many friends and family in the city. I didn't even
go into the city one time except to go to
see the games. I was like, it was an hour drive,
not that bad. I'm like, I don't want to go
into the city. I like, enjoy the space of New
Jersey right.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
Now and the foliage and the defense and everything. No again,
love la love La can't be the weather. But I
also really do find a huge, deep and rooted connection
with East Coast in that track area. Like I'm not
going to claim you know that New Yorker, you know
(23:22):
what I'm saying some of our friends who never left,
We did move to Jersey. We did have the sort
of like out of the town kind of proximity, whatever
I claim, but that area period is just beautiful. Every
time I landed, like I do feel the more shy.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Home. So let's go back for a second, just dancing,
you know what I mean, Like, how did this happen?
How did you guys even get into this? You know
obviously started in Ukraine. Your father doesn't dance. You'd feel
like there would be some sort of you know, familial situation,
maybe your mom, But.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
We practiced this one. Gonna take this this in the beginning,
and then we'll hand it off to the well so
quick story at that point so that I can yeah, yeah,
I got you. Quick story is that my two my
my my eight nineteen year old parents had a kid
in the Soviet Union, and at twenty three, my father
(24:21):
lost his father, our grandpa passed away, so Val never
met him, his name after him ballancing. But I was three.
My parents are twenty three. This is a lower and
blue collar community, you know. So it's twenty three year
old pops, mom, three year old kid, and our grandma
and they're all in one one and a half room apartment.
(24:43):
And that's how we grew up. Val was born in
that apartment. That's where we emigrated to from. So we
grew up really like this type of closet space. And
it's not to cry about it. I remember massive room.
I remember Val, and I had no like I didn't
feel not until I visited Ukraine back maybe maybe decades later,
(25:05):
and almost like brought the apartment is matt type. But anyway,
so at four years old, they gave me into.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
This and jacuzzi in his house in New Jersey.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Yeah yeah, but I was four years old and my
parents again, my my father's father just passed the wet.
So I believe that a lot of things that he
felt were good parenting came from immediate surroundings. Some people
took him under their wings. You know, they were hard
man there were you know man men. You know, they
(25:37):
were like, hey, you gotta like slap him once in
a while, just rephylactically so they know what respect. You know,
like some of them, I'm being facetious, but a little
bit of that too. So they gave him one rule
and he took it on and he's like, look, if
you limit their free time, there's less chance they'll get
in trouble, and so perfect I can do that. Let's
(25:58):
just you know, put him in everything. And at four
years old, they gave me into School of Aesthetic Education.
And it was like saying dance eat with knife and fork,
open doors for girls. That's you know, grown out prints
and finishing school type of thing.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Finishing school.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
I remember vividly somebody coming in and pointing finger at
like three of us, four of us, and then they
spoke to our parents and they said, hey, if you
want them to dance, specific program for dance ballroom dancing
is called And now I remember they pointed at for
boys because there's a huge shortage of boys and dance
in general, and this is partner dancing. And so that's
(26:37):
how my ballroom career started at five years old. I
wasn't actually talented to be picked. I was just a boy.
It was just fid he'll do it, let's do it, yeah,
and then a case in point. Until we immigrated, I
didn't really have a good career. It was a very
sort of like not probably dance is not gonna these
thing no ize where am I? And I played tennis
(27:01):
and I soccer and that's a chemistry and biology made
all of that stuff. But it was like and dance
because my parents said go and I went, that was
me vow. This is where I meant. So now we're immigrating.
And yes he did start in Ukraine, but very basic
stuff and nothing to write home about, just one little thing,
(27:22):
little chicken dance. But when we immigrated Blendon and the
week one our parents decided, okay, so we have this
fourteen year old who looks like he's about to be
in trouble because no English, nothing, and we have this
eight year old. We got applied immediately and they thought
dance was it because I was already doing it long enough.
(27:44):
For some reason, pops thought that I had some potential
and so Baalamax went straight into a dance school in
Brooklyn that I was pointed at to be the best.
It was like in Brooklyn, you know, Bright Maria. We
went and the next day Okay, the facts. The next
this is Fridaday Saturday. There's a local in studio competition.
(28:06):
They give Valve, who's eight, a partner who dances. Val
doesn't know the steps yet, he's eight. He'd never danced
the steps. He just whatever. He smiled and did some
kind of little cute steppy thing. The girl did steps
around him. They won't landslide slow, but company and so
Val literally never lost ever since. In general's terms, speaking
(28:28):
of like he was that type of prodigy, I cannot
make this up. He didn't start with somebody said, yo,
he's a fantastic dancer. Said look, he smiled through the
entire competition, zero fox as they say, like, this level
of confidence is just bananas. And so immediately he was
the hottest project of like a ballroom, you know boy.
(28:52):
And it was that. So that's how he started dancing.
I started dancing back then, and in us I was
honestly personally was very hopeful that it would end. But
when I walked into dance studio, this is where I'll
throw it to him. Is that for me? It was
because I didn't speak English. If I spoke English, Val
(29:13):
spoken in two weeks it was fluent as an eight
year old I nine months later was honestly was probably
going through some cind of teenage depression because I was like,
why can't I can't understand anything, It's horrible. I don't
have any communication. But dance, as it turns out, felt
the same. And it felt like although I was very shy,
(29:35):
did not have this type of experience when I just
got to that dance studio and you know, I was
in the back of the class, thought that I was
really bad, you know, all of that stuff. So it
took me a second, but I felt more comfortable in
a dance space than I was outside of it because
the language varied, and then the Russian restaurants, the getting
(29:57):
a little bit of cash in return for my dancing
made me feel like this value to this.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
When did you begin to sort of fall in love
with it when you found some success in it, or
you still hate it.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Besides passion and pursuing your craft, there's also a relationship
with earning money.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Yeah exactly, I.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Hate Hey, Yeah, he's right, I tried.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I'm going to tell you what I get that, dude.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
I will tell you when I enjoyed dance. I started
in twenty sixteen, when when Val and I had a
Maximum Val tour we called it and Our Way. It
was our first national stage dance production, and we decided
not to just do the chart chat. We did that
for like twenty years already. We decided to write our
(30:55):
own story. We had a fantastic gentleman that we found
that became our friend, and then wrote this incredible stage
production for dances that's never been sort of done before
that capacity who told the story and we told our story,
coming to Brooklyn, coming of age, immigration, you know, things
that were important to us. And then that's when I realized,
I'm like, I cannot, I cannot believe it. I spent
(31:19):
at that time, well, I mean obviously almost all of
my life. I'm forty four years old. I only I
danced for forty years, just moving some kind of movement,
and most of it has been professional and most of
it has been money making. Most of it has been
about that type of exchange. I enjoyed starting twenty sixteen.
(31:40):
And last thing that I enjoyed was this last summer
with Val and I part of Saber, which is another
production that we were helped that would helped put together.
I mean those type of formats where it's not judged,
it's not it's not max.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Well, it's more of an expression of something personal, you know,
from an artistic standpoint, rather than you know, punching the
clock collecting a paycheck. Look, I'm an actor and I've
been doing it for twenty six seven years, right, and
I've had a very successful career doing it, made a
lot of money and all that, and I've loved every
(32:20):
part that I've done for different reasons, but not necessarily
because it has been creative fulfillment, Like this is how
I support my family. So I love being on set
and being in the world. Like, yeah, sure, but if
I done something in my life as an actor where
I'm like that was like fucking a true expression, you know, nah,
(32:41):
you know, because I'm doing other people's words. You know. Again,
you're an actor for hire. You've got to pay for
your kids, shit, So you know, it is what it is.
But so I get it when that's something comes along
where you are, it's true expression. It's just creativity and
the money's great, but it doesn't really fucking matter because
you're with your brother and you're actually telling some sort
(33:04):
of a story rather than just you know.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
But that was the most special opportunity for me in
dance so so far. Every time that it seems like
here and I mean, look, I'm not gonna we both
have fantastic moments outside of our relationship. I've also the
Broadway shows that I was a you know what a
privilege to be a b experience. You know, I started
(33:28):
those shows, so that was even more the marquee, the lights,
all of that stuff. So, you know, but you asked
about when I enjoyed it to the level that I'm like,
at the top of my head, it's always our shows
together now, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
And value the same way.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, I mean my relationship with dance has evolved through
the last thirty years. You know, it started from you know,
like like Max said, I won my first competition. So
because you do a lot of reflecting later on in
your life, you grow up and you're like, how did
I get here? And why did I get here? And
so you take your back and so one of the
(34:09):
questions like dance, why did I pursue dance? Is it
because I was good at it? Was it because I
loved it? My biggest like I was always when people
talk about who's really passionate about dance. Truly, to me,
it isn't the guys winning. It's the guys all the
way in the first, second, third rounds that get left behind,
that still show up, still show up. So they're not
(34:32):
feeding their vanity or their ego. They're just doing it
for the of the game. And so I traced it
all the way back. I never even got a chance
to see if I love the game, you know, because
I was now I'm like, well, I like this feeling.
It's giving me attention, it's giving me this, it's given
me all these like you know, vanity points, and so
(34:54):
I to do it. But dance, for us was a sport.
We competed in ballroom dance. This wasn't my artist stick
expression expression I joined. I started playing violin when I
was five, played in orchestras, and so music was my expression. Dance,
believe it or not, was my sport. You know, if
it wasn't dance, I would be maybe playing ball or
(35:15):
playing some other thing.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
You know.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
That was the level. There was this pressure of.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Just going just winning.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
I just wanted to win. And so you're come to
comp to comp to com to com to trophy, trophy
and I'm like, the accolades are coming in and I'm
killing it. But then I started teaching. I started to
teach to make money because when you win these competitions,
it's like, you know, it's like a no offense, a
(35:44):
rock paper scissors contest. There's no budget, like you get it.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
That's what I'm saying, Like, how do you make your
money as a dancer?
Speaker 4 (35:50):
You know?
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I mean, I know Dancing with the Stars is going
to pay you well, I know that will then propel
you with some notoriety to go do some other shit,
you know what I mean. There's endorsements, there's all that stuff,
But as as just someone who's a dancer, I mean,
how do you How do you make a living as
a dancer?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
So Dancing with the Stars is now. When we were
doing it, there was no prospect of these how do
you make it? You open up a dance studio, you
come a tea, you are a team. You have to
teach to dance, you know. And I had an issue
with that because Lebron James didn't start playing ball because
he wanted to coach the Cavaliers one day, you know,
to play and get paid for playing better than everyone
(36:31):
and for us, those type of numbers didn't exist, but
there was a huge community that was pursuing this out
of pride and out of mastery of a craft they
were passionate about. And that community is gorgeous. It's a
beautiful community sans way outside of America, throughout Europe, Eastern Europe,
(36:51):
Western Europe, Asia, South Africa has a big ballroom dance community,
and that allowed us to see the world when our
parents had no money to see it, but we got
sponsored to go to events because we were representing America.
So I have no regret in that sense. Then joining
(37:13):
Dancing with the Stars, my relationship with dance involved where
I wasn't trying to win trophies anymore, even though I
really wanted to win Dancing with the Stars, but I
wanted to show off and continue to grow as an artist,
right So I started to learn other styles like contemporary
and jazz, and even a form of hip hop, not
(37:34):
claiming anyone of them of ballroom dance. But I have
now acquired the range of motion and movement the vocabulary
beyond just strictly boom, which has expanded my ability to
perform became a lot more of an artistic expression than
(37:55):
just a job or just you know, who can dance
the fastest, hardest, strongest, spend the value.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
You know, So dancing with the Stars, are you incentivized
to keep continuing winning in the competition because you get
paid for each show? Then if you're if you're, if
you're the downs the contract like it's just a lump
sum bang, here you go. If you're out the first
day day, you're fucking done. That's it.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
Before before the beginning stages, it used to be different.
Now it's just for pros. Is basically a salary. Once
you're oh, you get a weekly salary and it lasts
the week. This season, But I want to answer your
question differently. It's that over the this is season thirty three,
and over the almost twenty years that the show has
been on on it has been around and kind of cipher,
(38:45):
you know, seep seeping through a lot of professional dances, movers,
performance and all that they're they're now finding people that
fit all of the criteria, a lot of check or checkpoints,
and so it becomes out the kind of person you are,
the kind of dancing artists you are. Do you have
the motivation too? You know, be on the show stay
(39:08):
on the right way, so they shouldn't worry about, you know,
paying your certain way. If you're a dancer, maybe you
have to, you know, entice the celebrities to be participants
before professional dancer. Dancing start should be the the pinnacle
of your financially a successful career. There are other things
(39:33):
you hang your head on from. I don't know, you know,
artistic expression standpoint, but for the personality that I that
I go to sleep with, that I take my life on,
like the fundamentals of like like we talked about, you
also have to survive. This world is fast paced moving
(39:54):
and you have to survive. And now you're putting kids
out in there. From that perspective, the.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
Ecosys them has changed as well. Right, So like shows
like Dancing with the Stars, so you think you can dance,
world of dance have amplified, then put dance at the forefront,
therefore inspiring other generations and other people. And you know
there's a reason why have the lineup on Dancing with
(40:21):
the Stars is chig Tchimikowsky's if Chenko you know it's
in European guys. Well, then you have Derek who's phenomenally
in his own right American adopted by a world champion
who took him and brought England, and England is kind
of our mecca of ballum dance. That's where the top
(40:43):
teachers are the top to you know everything. So he
was this talented kid that got exposed to the top
of the line information information that Max and Val had
to work months for to save up to buy ticket
to to learn from or hopefully if this teacher ever
(41:04):
does come to New York, which it probably won't because
again it's like the Jamaican bobs led team, no one
in America was actually competing seriously, but if they do
come out here, we got to hustle and get that lesson.
So that information, with that extraordinary talent created see all
that quote Malcolm Caldwell. But like on some level, yeah,
(41:29):
that we are a product of that too. Just like
Max said, he got chosen just for being a guy,
you know the boys. So everybody there there are you know,
our pits and our highs that they're all there to
serve a purpose. And we are here not just because
of luck but also because of luck.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Yeah. Oh well, there's luck in everything that we do.
Life is filled with luck, whether you believe in luck
or not, you know what I mean, how can younot? Yeah,
I mean, forget about just career everything everything. I mean,
I look back on my childhood and or even in
my teens in twenties, growing up in la and thinking,
(42:13):
holy fuck, I got lucky. The things that I would
do in the situations that I put myself in, you know,
just just being stupid. I was like, God, damn, dude,
I got lucky, just lucky.
Speaker 4 (42:26):
We got we got luckier, if I may say so.
And it's not a comparison, but I feel like now
right where we are now and looking at Ukraine and
that situation that it was coming here since before we left.
And the reason why we immigrated to begin with is
because our parents were young couple who had two boys
(42:48):
in a house who are going to be enlisted one
way or another. And so, you know, I very publicly
left that place from being a judge on on On
World of Dance and so and most of the Dancing
the Stars casts are now enlisted and have been since
the beginning World of Dance casts. So we're looking at dancers,
(43:11):
man fellow, you know Ukrainian natives like how lucky are
Max and val To have left in the nineties that
made all this life where we can, by the way,
also somehow help and influence and speak on behalf of
and all this stuff, but not have to be right
(43:32):
now at the front line. Isn't that not the definition
of luck? You know? And so like I look at
it like everything I do is a bonus, you know,
everything that comes my way or comes out of of me,
out of my hands. Oh, how unlucky am I if
I only had that job. No, that's not the that's
(43:53):
not the luck, not the lack ofly you know. So
that's how like my perspectives changed a little bit and
how I look at things like.
Speaker 2 (44:01):
Of course, that's that's a great point. I mean, can
we can do a whole other podcast on Ukraine?
Speaker 4 (44:06):
You know right now, Let's do it.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Let's do it next yeah, after tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (44:13):
No, no, no, yeah, that's what I mean. Let's think. Wait, yeah,
you're where this is going.
Speaker 2 (44:29):
I want to talk about dance, sexuality, sex, your wives,
the heat because obviously, you know, when it's your job,
it's your job. But there is a chemistry when you dance. Obviously,
even even as an actor, there's chemistry that you have
with people in chemistry that you don't you know, but
(44:53):
it is close quarters, it's sexy, it's hot. I mean,
how first of all, you met your wives? Did you
you both wives on Dancing with the Stars? Okay, you it?
Speaker 4 (45:03):
I met on Broadway. You went on Broadway and then dancing,
and that's where would blossom.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Okay, got it. But then value you met your wife
on dancing? Yeah, okay, so we'll get into that for
a second. When you were dancing, you have hot partners
and they're just your partners. How do you keep how
do you separate those things? I know you're married, now,
(45:31):
we get it. I get it, I get it. But
I'm saying like you weren't married, you know at some
point in your life, Like how do you separate those things?
And could you marry a non dancer who doesn't get it?
Speaker 3 (45:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (45:44):
I mean we just spoke about that with Peter, right.
I'm not going to give them a whole answer. I
don't know. I feel like I just feel like, you know,
the to the touch at someone like Val and I
started as we were kids. We are close. Proximity doesn't
proximity doesn't exist, Like you can be in my space
and I know whereas a lot of people like when
(46:06):
you're about you know, three feet, you know, for me,
it's like you too far, But for some people it's
like why are you all up in my stuff? So
things outside of that. We have a really like, really
good looking couple that we're friends with, of course, just
and we hang out a lot, and he's very jealous,
you know this man, and he should be. She's also
(46:28):
very attractive woman. No. No, we're driving back with Peter
and we're talking about this and like, you know, like
why am I not you know what's not I'm also
very jealous man, but just you know, that type of
job given the trust in my spouse, like I just
don't have that, you know, if she's being groped, yeah,
(46:51):
but when she dances with her male partner, and I
just don't have that emotion.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Even if he is groping her, but just dancing groping.
Speaker 4 (47:00):
I could see that it's not that it's not.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
Like the thing and all of a sudden, his pod
vagina and you're like, Okay, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (47:10):
Listen, if it's a lift, that's dope, like yes, but
if it's not necessary and you can do it without
your hand in that space. But just don't do that. Look,
I'm just trying to say that we we we don't,
you know. Christiality told me, oh my god, you're so
flirty and I was like, what do you mean rehearsal
and it's on tape and she's like, yeah, look where
(47:31):
your hand is. I'm like, my hand is wet. She's like,
all on my back and I'm like, your gravity is
you know, down, I got I gotta use to hands
sometimes to move. It's not because I love you that much, guy,
I gotta move you. And so yeah, there's as it's not.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
There's a few things at play, right, So number one
like just to relate it to your world. When you
shoot a scene, even even like an intimate scene, it's
so many takes, you know, because when I watch a movie,
I'm like, oh I could do that. No, but can
you a thousand times in front of all these strangers
on cue? Play your body to this camera and I'll
(48:10):
do it again. Play. You know, acting is way more
than just I showed up that I was. Now they
captured it and the project's done. So the same thing
with I mean, there's so much idle time. That's when
you can like, okay, I have a problem with that.
I don't have a problem with dancing. I have a
problem that you love to spend three hours at lunch
(48:31):
together doing no dancing. Yeah, you know, I think that's
more of a but that's not the same proximity.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
Yeah, but it's also the intimacy, the intimacy of rehearsal
and dancing and the sort of chemistry and attraction you
almost have to have to have given whatever dance it is,
because I'm sure there's certain dances that are much more
romantic or sensual, you know. And then that then the
three hour lunch right after you've sweat your asses off
and exchange a couple of fluids, then you're like, yeah,
(49:00):
geez okay, I.
Speaker 3 (49:03):
Want to be like you know, I want to tell
you all the max answer, But it's it's there's a
duality to it. It's a little bit of both. It's
a balance and act partner that you can talk to
and then to and be reassured from. Then it's cool.
But if you don't have that, then yeah, it's an issue.
It's a big issue.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
Yeah, No, for sure. Without I mean, there's a reason
why Dancing with the Stars over the last thirty three
years have produced relationships you know that have gone good
and bad. You know, I'm more guys just working with
Nikki Bella, you know her dude that I think they're
on the rocks, But her dude was was dance with
you guys as a pro I forget Yeah, yeah, yeah,
(49:43):
you know. I mean, so it happens like you know,
you're it's it's a hot world that you guys live in.
Speaker 4 (49:48):
No, but it's also like you know, for us, and
I'm going to speak for most of us, it's a job.
Then go into it if we're single, and you know,
I definitely went into some seasons open minded. You know,
let's you know whatever, it will be, well it will be.
(50:09):
But I personally had one relationship out of seventeen seasons
that I did. It was very short lived and it
was a mistake all the way in the beginning. So
you're gonna say that I didn't have attractive partners. No,
I just didn't have enough time to even care or
think about this. And like bell said, a lot of
idle time, a lot of otfs and soundbites and reshoots
(50:32):
and camera blockings and you know, stress and nerves and
competition for you know what, I'm saying, and now you
have and you're hurt and sore, and she's now on
your shoulder crying because her boyfriend husband fiance X just
showed up because they're upset with some you know me,
Like it's just tough.
Speaker 3 (50:49):
Yeah, And the most important thing is that I love dance.
I love I can't enjoy dance without you being a
pornament respectfully is yes, in your direction, but I have
an intention. I need you. I need you to be great,
I need you to be happy, I need you to
(51:11):
be in love. I need you to be because I
want my dance to be what I know. Indeed, so
we need the same page. We need to you know,
do all of that. So what do I need to
do for that? If you've got a significant other, we're
going to go on. I'm going to really clearly try
to communicate to him or her that kle loves dance
(51:35):
and partner to execute it at the level that I'm
used to executing at.
Speaker 2 (51:40):
Have you had have you had issues with you know,
like with your spouses dancing with dudes where you might
have like actually felt even tinges of jealousy.
Speaker 4 (51:50):
Yeah, you have need to have I think it's.
Speaker 3 (51:54):
Such a taboo thing and people catch feelings about it.
So I don't want to hurt anybody's feeling because that
insecurity I feel too. I don't feel it anymore, but
I've had situations. But even this season. You know, my
wife right now is partnered with Joey, who is a
bachelor or previous bachelor. He had just got engaged. He
(52:18):
has a beautiful say they have an amazing relationship, but
he is a front runner on this season of Dancing
with the Stars that's on fire on social media's incredible
virality right now. Yeah, people are not nice, you know.
And even though there are no thoughts anywhere in the
air from Kelsey or Joey or Jenna or Val, but
(52:42):
there's a lot of terry in the comment section, and
so all it is it just takes a lot of
self discipline and trust and communication.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
Yeah, totally, the comments and all that such, all thats
fucking bullshit stuff, like you know, I mean, it might
give you a little bit of an I ever, if
I do read bad shit, you just can't ever take
that in. These are just I'm.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
Here, and so from like a human level, it's weird,
But from a professional dancer level, who has dedicated thirty
years of life kind of telling stories through this, through
this medium, I'm standing there telling this grown ass man
to grab my wife like a fucking man, like a
little The story of a tango is one that isn't
(53:32):
PG Disney. It's a very it's a very adult story.
Speaker 4 (53:38):
Because the same comment section is going to be calling
out for shitty performance that was missing but the passion
and lacked some kind of you. But when when you
presented that dance, they're like, oh, is there is there
a problem in their relationship?
Speaker 3 (53:54):
It's right, Yeah, So just my thought regardless of what
I'm working with my brother, orm working with my significant other,
somebody else. You know, there are a lot of relationships
that are play. But at the forefront of everybody's responsibility
if I have anything to do with it, is the work.
(54:14):
Is the work. That's it. People are going to pay
money to see this works and shut up. Yeah, yeah,
that's It's kind of like how I navigate that, you know.
And if I'm catching feelings, you know, if I'm an
honest husband, I'm not going to catch feelings right that
(54:35):
are responsible. I'm going to catch other feelings chemistry. I
think camaraderie. I think. I think chemistry isn't always sexual. Yeah,
between teamings, there's a camaraderie. Teams have chemistry. And for me,
back to the inception of my relationship with dance, which
was sport, my part was a girl was my team.
(55:00):
That's my guy. You know, girl, We cry together, wait together,
we lose together, and we have never slept together.
Speaker 4 (55:09):
M Right when that rumba comes on, oh, you better
present that couple like it has so much passion? Is
otherwise the lineup of judges that like it was less
than and even more so.
Speaker 3 (55:23):
On that topic. That's why I think ballroom dance is
so good for kids, Yeah, is because it's the only
thing where you can create camaraderie, a healthy relationship with
the opposite sex. Every sport is so divisive. You have
a locker room, girls, guys, girls. Everything is here. There's
few sports where they're integrate and really learn how to
(55:44):
collaborate together. So in a society where we're trying to break,
you know, teach kids how to respect each other's space. Respect.
The irony about us being in each other's space since
I was eight years old is that I am comfortable
enough to respect it and to pick up engauge energy.
You know, I am comfortable of communication.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
So yeah, no, it's so true, especially when you talk
about getting in that personal space. You guys don't have
that person. Everything is right here, you know, eye contact.
There's a confidence that gets built with what it is
that you guys have done, you know, from such a
young age. That's where that sort of bravado comes in,
you know what I mean, that's where that sort of yeah,
(56:27):
funk off, I'm the man comes in. This has been
a blast. You guys so much fun. I'll be checking
you out for sure, all right later, guys, that was fun.
These guys are, They're cool. I I probably should have
been a dancer, you know. My hips are very flexible.
(56:49):
But it's just fun to hear that world.
Speaker 4 (56:52):
They were.
Speaker 2 (56:53):
They gave long, very good answers. There were a few
things I wanted to get to that I didn't. I
just want to get to the sort of inside of
dancing with the Star. There's gotta be some crazy ship
that goes on in there. Anyway, I gotta go. I
love you bees
Speaker 4 (57:10):
M hm
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I am Kate Hudson and my name is Oliver Hudson.
We wanted to do something that highlighted our relationship and
what it's like to be siblings. We are a.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Sibling, Railvalry, No, no, sibling. Don't do that with your mouth, Revelry.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
That's good. We have some guests in the waiting room.
I move my body pretty goddamn good in certain situations
without any practice. I'm great. I'm great at making love.
We'll just say that. But these men, these boys, these brothers,
they can move Val and Max Schermarkowski from Dancing with
(00:55):
the Stars and much much more. Let's have a chat.
How are you well up, guys?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
How's it going?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Val has a shirt the most open I've ever seen
a shirt worn.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I have seen him with a moral.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And he's wearing a New York Yankees hat. I don't
know if that's for style or if he's a Yankees fan.
What do you say, Val?
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I mean, I knew he was gonna wear one. That's
why I didn't wear mine.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Also, I'm just in l A and I'm so proud
to be rocking my New York hat.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Yeah. I did the same. The morning after, felt felt
some kind of way. But I was proud. I was proudly.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, okay, no, I get that. I mean, look,
you have to represent I was. I was working in
New York. I'm doing a movie there, and so I
got to go to a couple of games, and you know,
I wore one of my Dodgers hat. You know, where
did you guys? Give me give me a little taste
of like sort of growing up? You know, where were
(01:56):
you where you grew up in Ukraine?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
You know, we're six years apart, so and very uniquely.
The timing is that I'm nineteen eighties, he's nineteen eighty six.
Nineteen ninety four, we immigrated from Ukraine to Brooklyn, New York.
I'm fourteen and he's eight, and that at that moment
(02:19):
we in the same household, have completely different views on
life and things of that nature because of the ages
and kind of the situation that we fell into. But
that was it. We immigrated ninety four. I graduated Brooklyn
Public High School, so as he went both six years apart. No,
that's not true about you already graduated. I'll let him
(02:41):
speak his facts. But went for a year to Pace
University Manhattan, dropped out after a year. Some six years later,
Val went also to pay just by lead here whatever.
But anyway, we New Yorkers and two five I joined
(03:01):
Dancing with the Stars and started going out into La.
What I'm saying is I never moved. It was always
kind of like, let's go to La to do the
show and then go back, you know, home. And so
I really had, you know, the drive to live here,
but ended up spending more time here. Uh the last
seven years permanent resident now permanent resident. Family, three kids,
(03:25):
two of them born and see the SINAI so.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Awesome, dude, That's where I was born. That's why all
my kids were born.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, pretty much did all the same thing.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
But he said, well, let me let me ask let
me ask a question though, Like moving from the Ukraine
you were eight, you were fourteen. Obviously of a fourteen
year old you have a deeper recollection of it. But
I'm sure you do as well, right, And what was
that like was there was it exciting you know, or
was it you're leaving your home?
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I did, I didn't, you know. Just to kind of
piggyback off of what Max said, we had a very
different assimilation, you know, process in this country and therefore
a whole different relationship with countries. So it was exciting.
I mean, I didn't understand that we're never coming back,
you know, so and it's been only eight years of
(04:19):
developing my relationship with Yesa, Ukraine is where we're from,
from Odessa, Ukraine. So for me, I was I was
excited to move. I saw that my parents were stressed.
I saw, you know, my brother got robbed for his
rollerblades the second day in America. You know, I experienced
a lot of these We experienced these things together as
(04:41):
a family. But it really educated me more than it
like traumatized me. Where I with Max, he was a
little older. I think he took it on a little
bit harder and so he had a very different kind
of molding process. But we, you know, we kind of
we were better friends. We shared a bung bed, so
we were like thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
We'll go and get into that a little bit more,
you know, because it's really interesting because you know, look,
we've been doing this podcast for years now and talking
to siblings. Even though they were came from the same place,
came from the same parents for the most part, were
raised the same way we are still such individuals in
(05:23):
the perception of how we have been raised. Even though
our parents did it the same, we take it differently.
A lot of these siblings have a way different idea
of who their father is than the other. Let's just say,
you know, and with that sexier age gap too, even
the way that you guys were parented probably was different.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah, I felt pressure vicariously through him.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
He felt pressure period, you know.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
So I think that that's the difference. I felt it
because I'd seen how, you know, the responsibilities that he
had had to embark on earlier on in his life.
So just one example is he's now fourteen, you know,
fourteen fifteen. Now I'm a father. I teach kids. You know,
for me, that's a child.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Back in.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
You're you know, you're strong and big and old enough
to go work. So we're a household. Bops is working,
Moms is working. You know, what are you doing? So
I feel like he immediately found a job teach dance.
Dance was already something he started back in Ukraine myself
as well, But like I said, I'm eight years old
(06:32):
and I just know it a little bit. At fifteen fourteen,
found the job dancing at a Russian restaurant on Brighton
Beach in Coney Island area, and he did it a
couple of times with his buddy, and then he approached me,
his twelve year old sibling, to join.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
He literally said, let's put on a show. I found.
I was like, yo, I have an element that nobody
has in town. I have a twelve year old who
does it better than most adults. And if on the
why not, it's in my household. I was a novel basically.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Bring on the twelve year old.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
With yeah, yeah, and again and again we we just
for me. That was exciting. I didn't realize that I'm
dancing for you know, mobsters and you know people. It's
midnight on a Friday and in cabaret, like.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Doing my thing.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
But those are the But now I'm doing the same
exact thing. You know, you fast forward what now? You
know close to thirty years more than thirty years yeah
about yeah, close to thirty years later. I'm doing the
same things, just on a different stage. Yeah. We do
alongside each other on many occasions. You know, we've been
working side by for thirty years now. And in my experience,
(07:55):
like I said, uh, those moments were so fun. For him,
they were just full of pressure, right to deliver, to
get the money to pay his brother, walk home and
not get brought rob on the home.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
You know.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
These are things I'm like, life is amazing. Get to
earn I with my money. I bought myself a game
boy as a young man. Again, these are valuable lessons.
So I'm looking at hardships something I can always conquer.
There's nothing that I can't do where I feel like, again,
this is my diagnosis with my brother. He can diagnose himself,
(08:33):
but I feel like with him, he's now at an
age you know, like inside out I had joy running
my ship, you know, and I feel like he had
a little bit of sadness and anger running his ship.
And I think that's really just not a difference of
what's at heart, but really where we were at what
(08:54):
age and how life just shook us.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Do you think that if the roles were reversed and
you were the old one, then you would be operating
from sort of some sadness and fight and pain a
little bit. Or is your personality different do you take
on you would you take that shit on differently than
he would because everyone deals with emotion different. Everyone deals
with that hardship, that pressure, whatever differently. You know, yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Don't want to imply that I didn't have a toelugh
upbringing either, you know, right, I weren't, but yeah, I
think I would. Our life did do one eighty around
the time when he joined Dancing with the Stars, you know,
and yes, I'm skipping a lot of stuff and we've
you know, we grew up at that time. But he
(09:41):
kind of elevated himself into another stratosphere first, so he
went to Hollywood, Los Angeles. I mean, these are these
are places were not dream about because we competed. We traveled,
not to paint a picture that we were We've never
been outside of New York City.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
We were cold.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
We understood what's help to be, you know, to be
on American television and be south and be yourself. That's
the thing is you can be. There's plenty of people
that joined change their names, became someone else, to be
able to be highlighted in front of this country that
adopted us, that has take took u sin, you know,
(10:20):
it was it was a full circle moment of also gratitude,
but really the fact that now Maxim Schmerkovsky, the kid
that was laughed at that was told to go back
to Russia even though he was from Ukraine in school.
The kid is now, you know, in the houses of
millions of people in this country. So I think he
(10:42):
found I think he found a swagger at that point,
and so we kind of became adult, if you will,
and the older brother while he became this, you know,
I think he found his youthfulness and his spirit and
his like adventure and he I feel like he didn't
have to grow up in his teenage years, and he
did it when he came out to la and rediscovered himself.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Pretty accurate there, Max, Yeah, No, I actually felt like.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
I actually felt like, yeah, I just shifted my I
did it backwards. Fourteen to twenty five was what people
what I'd witnessed later in life, for people experience in
their late twenties to mid thirties, and then after that
case in point, all of these youngins are now with
(11:33):
families and young kids and sort of like studying that
part of life. I, however, went full tilt work mode
fourteen onwards, skipped through everything teenage years, completely did everything
up until twenty one, and then I turned pro in
my bowl of dance industry. I even skipped over this
(11:56):
whole category called amateurs. It's not amateur by the trade,
but it's like on the twenty one age category before
you turn pro, there's a whole group of like for
your entire thirties. You can compete in this category, and
it doesn't separate you in quality, it just separates there's
more participants in this amateur category than there are in professionals,
(12:20):
because that's already like older generation. So my point, I
just looked too mature for this category. And I had
very kind of like if he results. Once I turned pro,
and I was amongst these big grown men who were about,
you know, fifteen years older out and I stood out well,
(12:40):
and that's when I'm kind of like, oh, so I'm
that person. So I really had this grown outlook on life.
He's talking about buying game boys, and yes, that was
also what I saw. But I was very well aware
of our family being on food stamps, so like we
were getting x amount of you know, funding money that
(13:03):
we would then exchange in the lowest sort of all
the grocery stores that would accept it, you know, so
there's a lot of hustle going on. So I saw
the value of money. I understand that he can just
go and buy this thing, you know. Whereas he felt
that he was he was rightfully so growing up as
(13:23):
the kids that you know, has these sort of motivational
factors in front of them. So I'm looking at this
to be the case with my son now, and I'm like,
having the two options, what what would I rather? No,
I don't want him to know hard labor or even
like difficult labor before it's his reality, you know, like
(13:45):
why would I Why would I give him a little
bit of what you know, others don't have. It is
their reality. And so what I'm trying to do is
I'm trying to raise a level headed kid who at
the time when he's a child, does child things at
the time you does young adult things. So I feel
like that's my focus is not to skip over and
(14:05):
I let him out. This is where my sort of
like focus on my kids kind of ends as that
you know, Twins. We've all seen that movie Schwartzenegan, you know,
and so that's scene when young Schwartz's character comes out
of this island where he lived and thrived and was
(14:26):
you know, engineered to be the most perfect human and
so I feel like when I let my I can
believe it. I now have three boys growing up. So
when I let my boys out into the world, it'll
be in like young twenties and they'll be like, this way,
here you go, my son. Now you've got jiu jitsu,
ap science, you like, ahead of class and everything, beautiful,
(14:48):
six four muscle build, you know everything.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
But you know what I'm saying, like, this is your dream,
this is your fantasy.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Almost importantly as I wish for him to be. You know,
I listened to Val and no wonder our relationship. I
do look up to him a lot because I feel
like that's what I was missing. I did skip over
the stage thing, and it did, you know. It made
me do things at a time when I shouldn't have.
And it feels like that bravado that he described as
(15:15):
like youthfulness that I found, which is right. It was
also at the time when I could have applied different things,
and you know, I feel that youthful.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I'm saying that what it means is like during your
teenage years, you have the license to fuck things up.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah exactly, Yeah, yeah, I was doing that, feeling that
happy for that type of like look, I'm just being
free me, right. And I was looking at them and
Val and his friends that were growing up being that
way in their young twenties. But I wasn't registering that
I was a twenty nine year old man feeling that free.
(15:52):
And I'm not saying I was doing childish things, but
you know what I'm saying, like, yeah, you know, I'm
in La. Nobody here knows me. I'm just gonna have fun.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
No one here needs me, right.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
My dad, who's an.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Entrepreneurial spirit, very supportive father who's never danced in his life,
he saw, you know, Max come home. He was assisting
one of the studios and at sixteen Long Story Shore,
they decided to open up their own dance studio. My
dad's never taught. The only information is coming from his
sixteen year old son, and he will take care of
(16:26):
all the manager.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
I don't know anything business.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
We opened up a dance studio in which my dad
was the administrator, my brother was the coach, and I
was like the star pupil, you know, it's like and
this kind of relationship evolved, so I was close to
the stress. I was close to the thing, I you know.
But again I didn't have the responsibility.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
At the house six years younger. I mean, you know,
you can let that go. You don't have to take
on that responsibility if you didn't want to.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Who volunteer to take on a lot of it. Yeah,
but I didn't exactly, I didn't have to, right, And
I think when when again fast forward sixteen twenty, you know,
nine years later, when he found him after building a
very successful dance program in New Jersey, and then I
(17:19):
then became a part of it, I mean, and then
it just evolved into a big thing. He for the
first time moved to LA and was no longer responsible
for all of that and allowed himself like teenage license
of you know, just you know how LA is.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Were you able to move to LA knowing that you
had put that you had secured your family, and then
were able then to move to LA or was there
stress like when I move, Yeah, you know, I know,
I'm no longer here to make it all work.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
No. I felt fantastic because I was making a little
bit more money than before. And then all of a
sudden it felt like we're good. Everybody's everybody's good, everybody's eating.
You know, we got a big, big house everybody can fit. Now,
you know, I bought a huge place in one of
the best places and where exactly where I wanted to be.
(18:21):
I was buying myself forever home. And the next I
think what was two years, two and a half years.
I spent twenty two days in that house. But you know,
obviously Val lived there. We had three of my other
friends occupied three other bedrooms, and you quent essentially like
one of us made it ahead of time, and so
now kind of like everybody, come come with.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
I don't know if you remember, Entourage was a really
popular worst yeah in the city for men. We all
watched it and again we all dream like we're city
kid immigrants, you know, we dream about making it and
then making it so that you can bring bring.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
You, lift up everyone else around you.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Yeah, because you see that just to seeing it, but
we never had access to being part of it, whether
it's night live, high end, you know, food industry, uh,
any kind of like we were the entertainment, but we
were not the guests in that dace. So because we
were great quality caliber entertainment and we saw a lot
(19:26):
of we had access to see what it's like. But anyway,
the second I started making it. You know, my Grandma's
building knows me, you know what I'm saying, Like, there's
that notoriety, so there's a little bit of that pressure.
I definitely immediately felt like I wanted to win more
than anything. It was the pressure of trying to win
(19:46):
Dancing the Stars, and in that in this format dancing Stars,
the more you try your hardest, the more it's kind
of like it's almost like not it's a lot of
a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Fun.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Fun thing with that though, is like like he said,
he bought this forever home and he was like, wow,
you gotta you know, for you to live there. And
I did live there, but I was very conscious and
we had a conversation. I was like, that's this. I
didn't make it. Though you made it. I didn't. There's
no reason why I should feel the sensation of being
(20:21):
in this home. I should feel the sensation of where
I'm at, which is not listen to live in this home,
you know. But again, we grew up in such an
environment where it's what's mine is ours.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Yeah, And I and I was trying to tell him,
like yo, about how I feel and this senser is
your question. The very first like the difference, and I
was like, bro, I'm telling you, you can do so
much better from a platform where you're not stressed your coupable.
You have a big room to stretch, you can walk around,
(20:55):
you know, downstairs, down to your own stairs, your own
you know what I'm saying, because we will flap the
guess that we have a bridge inside the house. I
remember Valini with the two of us. I was like, bro,
we have a bridge inside the house. Had them like
some people have elidators. Like it was like the s from.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
They take shrooms and they're in Vegas room and they're
like these chairs.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Super straight. We were just like we could believe it.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Life mate, Where were Where? Where is his house?
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Jersey? Fourth shout out Forthly, New Jersey, right off a
beautiful area Fourthly Bluff overlooking the city. You know what
I'm saying, Like I right off of Hudson, you know,
right now Washington Bridge.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
You know, I just got back from New Jersey two
days ago. I was in Short Hills doing a movie
out there.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
Fun fact, Fourth Lee was the original Hollywood before Hollywood
took on the movie industry. Really yeah, it still has Uh.
I think I believe Charlie Chaplin Studios or whatever.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Wow, Actually Anglewood, well there's a Ridgewood Anglewood. It's like,
but that area, yes, right outside the city. We haulk
in New Jersey, which is a neighbor in town. Is
a place where shot Hamilton is in New Jersey where
I went to high school, home place of Frank Sinatra.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
You know, this is cool. I think.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Rebranded a little.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
I don't get it, dude, because again, I've been to
New Jersey, but I've never hung out there. And again,
grant I was. I was staying at the Hilton, you know,
just working. But I would go to the coast every
time I could get there because I would the fish
and just love the beach and the leaves were changing,
and I drive around. I'm like, dude, New Jersey is
the fucking shit.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
It's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I loved it. In fact, I didn't even have so
many friends and family in the city. I didn't even
go into the city one time except to go to
see the games. I was like, it was an hour drive,
not that bad. I'm like, I don't want to go
into the city. I like, enjoy the space of New
Jersey right.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
Now and the foliage and the defense and everything. No again,
love la love La can't be the weather. But I
also really do find a huge, deep and rooted connection
with East Coast in that track area. Like I'm not
going to claim you know that New Yorker, you know
(23:22):
what I'm saying some of our friends who never left,
We did move to Jersey. We did have the sort
of like out of the town kind of proximity, whatever
I claim, but that area period is just beautiful. Every
time I landed, like I do feel the more shy.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Home. So let's go back for a second, just dancing,
you know what I mean, Like, how did this happen?
How did you guys even get into this? You know
obviously started in Ukraine. Your father doesn't dance. You'd feel
like there would be some sort of you know, familial situation,
maybe your mom, But.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
We practiced this one. Gonna take this this in the beginning,
and then we'll hand it off to the well so
quick story at that point so that I can yeah, yeah,
I got you. Quick story is that my two my
my my eight nineteen year old parents had a kid
in the Soviet Union, and at twenty three, my father
(24:21):
lost his father, our grandpa passed away, so Val never
met him, his name after him ballancing. But I was three.
My parents are twenty three. This is a lower and
blue collar community, you know. So it's twenty three year
old pops, mom, three year old kid, and our grandma
and they're all in one one and a half room apartment.
(24:43):
And that's how we grew up. Val was born in
that apartment. That's where we emigrated to from. So we
grew up really like this type of closet space. And
it's not to cry about it. I remember massive room.
I remember Val, and I had no like I didn't
feel not until I visited Ukraine back maybe maybe decades later,
(25:05):
and almost like brought the apartment is matt type. But anyway,
so at four years old, they gave me into.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
This and jacuzzi in his house in New Jersey.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Yeah yeah, but I was four years old and my
parents again, my my father's father just passed the wet.
So I believe that a lot of things that he
felt were good parenting came from immediate surroundings. Some people
took him under their wings. You know, they were hard
man there were you know man men. You know, they
(25:37):
were like, hey, you gotta like slap him once in
a while, just rephylactically so they know what respect. You know,
like some of them, I'm being facetious, but a little
bit of that too. So they gave him one rule
and he took it on and he's like, look, if
you limit their free time, there's less chance they'll get
in trouble, and so perfect I can do that. Let's
(25:58):
just you know, put him in everything. And at four
years old, they gave me into School of Aesthetic Education.
And it was like saying dance eat with knife and fork,
open doors for girls. That's you know, grown out prints
and finishing school type of thing.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Finishing school.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
I remember vividly somebody coming in and pointing finger at
like three of us, four of us, and then they
spoke to our parents and they said, hey, if you
want them to dance, specific program for dance ballroom dancing
is called And now I remember they pointed at for
boys because there's a huge shortage of boys and dance
in general, and this is partner dancing. And so that's
(26:37):
how my ballroom career started at five years old. I
wasn't actually talented to be picked. I was just a boy.
It was just fid he'll do it, let's do it, yeah,
and then a case in point. Until we immigrated, I
didn't really have a good career. It was a very
sort of like not probably dance is not gonna these
thing no ize where am I? And I played tennis
(27:01):
and I soccer and that's a chemistry and biology made
all of that stuff. But it was like and dance
because my parents said go and I went, that was
me vow. This is where I meant. So now we're immigrating.
And yes he did start in Ukraine, but very basic
stuff and nothing to write home about, just one little thing,
(27:22):
little chicken dance. But when we immigrated Blendon and the
week one our parents decided, okay, so we have this
fourteen year old who looks like he's about to be
in trouble because no English, nothing, and we have this
eight year old. We got applied immediately and they thought
dance was it because I was already doing it long enough.
(27:44):
For some reason, pops thought that I had some potential
and so Baalamax went straight into a dance school in
Brooklyn that I was pointed at to be the best.
It was like in Brooklyn, you know, Bright Maria. We
went and the next day Okay, the facts. The next
this is Fridaday Saturday. There's a local in studio competition.
(28:06):
They give Valve, who's eight, a partner who dances. Val
doesn't know the steps yet, he's eight. He'd never danced
the steps. He just whatever. He smiled and did some
kind of little cute steppy thing. The girl did steps
around him. They won't landslide slow, but company and so
Val literally never lost ever since. In general's terms, speaking
(28:28):
of like he was that type of prodigy, I cannot
make this up. He didn't start with somebody said, yo,
he's a fantastic dancer. Said look, he smiled through the
entire competition, zero fox as they say, like, this level
of confidence is just bananas. And so immediately he was
the hottest project of like a ballroom, you know boy.
(28:52):
And it was that. So that's how he started dancing.
I started dancing back then, and in us I was
honestly personally was very hopeful that it would end. But
when I walked into dance studio, this is where I'll
throw it to him. Is that for me? It was
because I didn't speak English. If I spoke English, Val
(29:13):
spoken in two weeks it was fluent as an eight
year old I nine months later was honestly was probably
going through some cind of teenage depression because I was like,
why can't I can't understand anything, It's horrible. I don't
have any communication. But dance, as it turns out, felt
the same. And it felt like although I was very shy,
(29:35):
did not have this type of experience when I just
got to that dance studio and you know, I was
in the back of the class, thought that I was
really bad, you know, all of that stuff. So it
took me a second, but I felt more comfortable in
a dance space than I was outside of it because
the language varied, and then the Russian restaurants, the getting
(29:57):
a little bit of cash in return for my dancing
made me feel like this value to this.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
When did you begin to sort of fall in love
with it when you found some success in it, or
you still hate it.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Besides passion and pursuing your craft, there's also a relationship
with earning money.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Yeah exactly, I.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Hate Hey, Yeah, he's right, I tried.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I'm going to tell you what I get that, dude.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
I will tell you when I enjoyed dance. I started
in twenty sixteen, when when Val and I had a
Maximum Val tour we called it and Our Way. It
was our first national stage dance production, and we decided
not to just do the chart chat. We did that
for like twenty years already. We decided to write our
(30:55):
own story. We had a fantastic gentleman that we found
that became our friend, and then wrote this incredible stage
production for dances that's never been sort of done before
that capacity who told the story and we told our story,
coming to Brooklyn, coming of age, immigration, you know, things
that were important to us. And then that's when I realized,
I'm like, I cannot, I cannot believe it. I spent
(31:19):
at that time, well, I mean obviously almost all of
my life. I'm forty four years old. I only I
danced for forty years, just moving some kind of movement,
and most of it has been professional and most of
it has been money making. Most of it has been
about that type of exchange. I enjoyed starting twenty sixteen.
(31:40):
And last thing that I enjoyed was this last summer
with Val and I part of Saber, which is another
production that we were helped that would helped put together.
I mean those type of formats where it's not judged,
it's not it's not max.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Well, it's more of an expression of something personal, you know,
from an artistic standpoint, rather than you know, punching the
clock collecting a paycheck. Look, I'm an actor and I've
been doing it for twenty six seven years, right, and
I've had a very successful career doing it, made a
lot of money and all that, and I've loved every
(32:20):
part that I've done for different reasons, but not necessarily
because it has been creative fulfillment, Like this is how
I support my family. So I love being on set
and being in the world. Like, yeah, sure, but if
I done something in my life as an actor where
I'm like that was like fucking a true expression, you know, nah,
(32:41):
you know, because I'm doing other people's words. You know. Again,
you're an actor for hire. You've got to pay for
your kids, shit, So you know, it is what it is.
But so I get it when that's something comes along
where you are, it's true expression. It's just creativity and
the money's great, but it doesn't really fucking matter because
you're with your brother and you're actually telling some sort
(33:04):
of a story rather than just you know.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
But that was the most special opportunity for me in
dance so so far. Every time that it seems like
here and I mean, look, I'm not gonna we both
have fantastic moments outside of our relationship. I've also the
Broadway shows that I was a you know what a
privilege to be a b experience. You know, I started
(33:28):
those shows, so that was even more the marquee, the lights,
all of that stuff. So, you know, but you asked
about when I enjoyed it to the level that I'm like,
at the top of my head, it's always our shows
together now, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
And value the same way.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, I mean my relationship with dance has evolved through
the last thirty years. You know, it started from you know,
like like Max said, I won my first competition. So
because you do a lot of reflecting later on in
your life, you grow up and you're like, how did
I get here? And why did I get here? And
so you take your back and so one of the
(34:09):
questions like dance, why did I pursue dance? Is it
because I was good at it? Was it because I
loved it? My biggest like I was always when people
talk about who's really passionate about dance. Truly, to me,
it isn't the guys winning. It's the guys all the
way in the first, second, third rounds that get left behind,
that still show up, still show up. So they're not
(34:32):
feeding their vanity or their ego. They're just doing it
for the of the game. And so I traced it
all the way back. I never even got a chance
to see if I love the game, you know, because
I was now I'm like, well, I like this feeling.
It's giving me attention, it's giving me this, it's given
me all these like you know, vanity points, and so
(34:54):
I to do it. But dance, for us was a sport.
We competed in ballroom dance. This wasn't my artist stick
expression expression I joined. I started playing violin when I
was five, played in orchestras, and so music was my expression. Dance,
believe it or not, was my sport. You know, if
it wasn't dance, I would be maybe playing ball or
(35:15):
playing some other thing.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
You know.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
That was the level. There was this pressure of.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Just going just winning.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
I just wanted to win. And so you're come to
comp to comp to com to com to trophy, trophy
and I'm like, the accolades are coming in and I'm
killing it. But then I started teaching. I started to
teach to make money because when you win these competitions,
it's like, you know, it's like a no offense, a
(35:44):
rock paper scissors contest. There's no budget, like you get it.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
That's what I'm saying, Like, how do you make your
money as a dancer?
Speaker 4 (35:50):
You know?
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I mean, I know Dancing with the Stars is going
to pay you well, I know that will then propel
you with some notoriety to go do some other shit,
you know what I mean. There's endorsements, there's all that stuff,
But as as just someone who's a dancer, I mean,
how do you How do you make a living as
a dancer?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
So Dancing with the Stars is now. When we were
doing it, there was no prospect of these how do
you make it? You open up a dance studio, you
come a tea, you are a team. You have to
teach to dance, you know. And I had an issue
with that because Lebron James didn't start playing ball because
he wanted to coach the Cavaliers one day, you know,
to play and get paid for playing better than everyone
(36:31):
and for us, those type of numbers didn't exist, but
there was a huge community that was pursuing this out
of pride and out of mastery of a craft they
were passionate about. And that community is gorgeous. It's a
beautiful community sans way outside of America, throughout Europe, Eastern Europe,
(36:51):
Western Europe, Asia, South Africa has a big ballroom dance community,
and that allowed us to see the world when our
parents had no money to see it, but we got
sponsored to go to events because we were representing America.
So I have no regret in that sense. Then joining
(37:13):
Dancing with the Stars, my relationship with dance involved where
I wasn't trying to win trophies anymore, even though I
really wanted to win Dancing with the Stars, but I
wanted to show off and continue to grow as an artist,
right So I started to learn other styles like contemporary
and jazz, and even a form of hip hop, not
(37:34):
claiming anyone of them of ballroom dance. But I have
now acquired the range of motion and movement the vocabulary
beyond just strictly boom, which has expanded my ability to
perform became a lot more of an artistic expression than
(37:55):
just a job or just you know, who can dance
the fastest, hardest, strongest, spend the value.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
You know, So dancing with the Stars, are you incentivized
to keep continuing winning in the competition because you get
paid for each show? Then if you're if you're, if
you're the downs the contract like it's just a lump
sum bang, here you go. If you're out the first
day day, you're fucking done. That's it.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
Before before the beginning stages, it used to be different.
Now it's just for pros. Is basically a salary. Once
you're oh, you get a weekly salary and it lasts
the week. This season, But I want to answer your
question differently. It's that over the this is season thirty three,
and over the almost twenty years that the show has
been on on it has been around and kind of cipher,
(38:45):
you know, seep seeping through a lot of professional dances, movers,
performance and all that they're they're now finding people that
fit all of the criteria, a lot of check or checkpoints,
and so it becomes out the kind of person you are,
the kind of dancing artists you are. Do you have
the motivation too? You know, be on the show stay
(39:08):
on the right way, so they shouldn't worry about, you know,
paying your certain way. If you're a dancer, maybe you
have to, you know, entice the celebrities to be participants
before professional dancer. Dancing start should be the the pinnacle
of your financially a successful career. There are other things
(39:33):
you hang your head on from. I don't know, you know,
artistic expression standpoint, but for the personality that I that
I go to sleep with, that I take my life on,
like the fundamentals of like like we talked about, you
also have to survive. This world is fast paced moving
(39:54):
and you have to survive. And now you're putting kids
out in there. From that perspective, the.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
Ecosys them has changed as well. Right, So like shows
like Dancing with the Stars, so you think you can dance,
world of dance have amplified, then put dance at the forefront,
therefore inspiring other generations and other people. And you know
there's a reason why have the lineup on Dancing with
(40:21):
the Stars is chig Tchimikowsky's if Chenko you know it's
in European guys. Well, then you have Derek who's phenomenally
in his own right American adopted by a world champion
who took him and brought England, and England is kind
of our mecca of ballum dance. That's where the top
(40:43):
teachers are the top to you know everything. So he
was this talented kid that got exposed to the top
of the line information information that Max and Val had
to work months for to save up to buy ticket
to to learn from or hopefully if this teacher ever
(41:04):
does come to New York, which it probably won't because
again it's like the Jamaican bobs led team, no one
in America was actually competing seriously, but if they do
come out here, we got to hustle and get that lesson.
So that information, with that extraordinary talent created see all
that quote Malcolm Caldwell. But like on some level, yeah,
(41:29):
that we are a product of that too. Just like
Max said, he got chosen just for being a guy,
you know the boys. So everybody there there are you know,
our pits and our highs that they're all there to
serve a purpose. And we are here not just because
of luck but also because of luck.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Yeah. Oh well, there's luck in everything that we do.
Life is filled with luck, whether you believe in luck
or not, you know what I mean, how can younot? Yeah,
I mean, forget about just career everything everything. I mean,
I look back on my childhood and or even in
my teens in twenties, growing up in la and thinking,
(42:13):
holy fuck, I got lucky. The things that I would
do in the situations that I put myself in, you know,
just just being stupid. I was like, God, damn, dude,
I got lucky, just lucky.
Speaker 4 (42:26):
We got we got luckier, if I may say so.
And it's not a comparison, but I feel like now
right where we are now and looking at Ukraine and
that situation that it was coming here since before we left.
And the reason why we immigrated to begin with is
because our parents were young couple who had two boys
(42:48):
in a house who are going to be enlisted one
way or another. And so, you know, I very publicly
left that place from being a judge on on On
World of Dance and so and most of the Dancing
the Stars casts are now enlisted and have been since
the beginning World of Dance casts. So we're looking at dancers,
(43:11):
man fellow, you know Ukrainian natives like how lucky are
Max and val To have left in the nineties that
made all this life where we can, by the way,
also somehow help and influence and speak on behalf of
and all this stuff, but not have to be right
(43:32):
now at the front line. Isn't that not the definition
of luck? You know? And so like I look at
it like everything I do is a bonus, you know,
everything that comes my way or comes out of of me,
out of my hands. Oh, how unlucky am I if
I only had that job. No, that's not the that's
(43:53):
not the luck, not the lack ofly you know. So
that's how like my perspectives changed a little bit and
how I look at things like.
Speaker 2 (44:01):
Of course, that's that's a great point. I mean, can
we can do a whole other podcast on Ukraine?
Speaker 4 (44:06):
You know right now, Let's do it.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Let's do it next yeah, after tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (44:13):
No, no, no, yeah, that's what I mean. Let's think. Wait, yeah,
you're where this is going.
Speaker 2 (44:29):
I want to talk about dance, sexuality, sex, your wives,
the heat because obviously, you know, when it's your job,
it's your job. But there is a chemistry when you dance. Obviously,
even even as an actor, there's chemistry that you have
with people in chemistry that you don't you know, but
(44:53):
it is close quarters, it's sexy, it's hot. I mean,
how first of all, you met your wives? Did you
you both wives on Dancing with the Stars? Okay, you it?
Speaker 4 (45:03):
I met on Broadway. You went on Broadway and then dancing,
and that's where would blossom.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Okay, got it. But then value you met your wife
on dancing? Yeah, okay, so we'll get into that for
a second. When you were dancing, you have hot partners
and they're just your partners. How do you keep how
do you separate those things? I know you're married, now,
(45:31):
we get it. I get it, I get it. But
I'm saying like you weren't married, you know at some
point in your life, Like how do you separate those things?
And could you marry a non dancer who doesn't get it?
Speaker 3 (45:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (45:44):
I mean we just spoke about that with Peter, right.
I'm not going to give them a whole answer. I
don't know. I feel like I just feel like, you know,
the to the touch at someone like Val and I
started as we were kids. We are close. Proximity doesn't
proximity doesn't exist, Like you can be in my space
and I know whereas a lot of people like when
(46:06):
you're about you know, three feet, you know, for me,
it's like you too far, But for some people it's
like why are you all up in my stuff? So
things outside of that. We have a really like, really
good looking couple that we're friends with, of course, just
and we hang out a lot, and he's very jealous,
you know this man, and he should be. She's also
(46:28):
very attractive woman. No. No, we're driving back with Peter
and we're talking about this and like, you know, like
why am I not you know what's not I'm also
very jealous man, but just you know, that type of
job given the trust in my spouse, like I just
don't have that, you know, if she's being groped, yeah,
(46:51):
but when she dances with her male partner, and I
just don't have that emotion.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Even if he is groping her, but just dancing groping.
Speaker 4 (47:00):
I could see that it's not that it's not.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
Like the thing and all of a sudden, his pod
vagina and you're like, Okay, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (47:10):
Listen, if it's a lift, that's dope, like yes, but
if it's not necessary and you can do it without
your hand in that space. But just don't do that. Look,
I'm just trying to say that we we we don't,
you know. Christiality told me, oh my god, you're so
flirty and I was like, what do you mean rehearsal
and it's on tape and she's like, yeah, look where
(47:31):
your hand is. I'm like, my hand is wet. She's like,
all on my back and I'm like, your gravity is
you know, down, I got I gotta use to hands
sometimes to move. It's not because I love you that much, guy,
I gotta move you. And so yeah, there's as it's not.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
There's a few things at play, right, So number one
like just to relate it to your world. When you
shoot a scene, even even like an intimate scene, it's
so many takes, you know, because when I watch a movie,
I'm like, oh I could do that. No, but can
you a thousand times in front of all these strangers
on cue? Play your body to this camera and I'll
(48:10):
do it again. Play. You know, acting is way more
than just I showed up that I was. Now they
captured it and the project's done. So the same thing
with I mean, there's so much idle time. That's when
you can like, okay, I have a problem with that.
I don't have a problem with dancing. I have a
problem that you love to spend three hours at lunch
(48:31):
together doing no dancing. Yeah, you know, I think that's
more of a but that's not the same proximity.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
Yeah, but it's also the intimacy, the intimacy of rehearsal
and dancing and the sort of chemistry and attraction you
almost have to have to have given whatever dance it is,
because I'm sure there's certain dances that are much more
romantic or sensual, you know. And then that then the
three hour lunch right after you've sweat your asses off
and exchange a couple of fluids, then you're like, yeah,
(49:00):
geez okay, I.
Speaker 3 (49:03):
Want to be like you know, I want to tell
you all the max answer, But it's it's there's a
duality to it. It's a little bit of both. It's
a balance and act partner that you can talk to
and then to and be reassured from. Then it's cool.
But if you don't have that, then yeah, it's an issue.
It's a big issue.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
Yeah, No, for sure. Without I mean, there's a reason
why Dancing with the Stars over the last thirty three
years have produced relationships you know that have gone good
and bad. You know, I'm more guys just working with
Nikki Bella, you know her dude that I think they're
on the rocks, But her dude was was dance with
you guys as a pro I forget Yeah, yeah, yeah,
(49:43):
you know. I mean, so it happens like you know,
you're it's it's a hot world that you guys live in.
Speaker 4 (49:48):
No, but it's also like you know, for us, and
I'm going to speak for most of us, it's a job.
Then go into it if we're single, and you know,
I definitely went into some seasons open minded. You know,
let's you know whatever, it will be, well it will be.
(50:09):
But I personally had one relationship out of seventeen seasons
that I did. It was very short lived and it
was a mistake all the way in the beginning. So
you're gonna say that I didn't have attractive partners. No,
I just didn't have enough time to even care or
think about this. And like bell said, a lot of
idle time, a lot of otfs and soundbites and reshoots
(50:32):
and camera blockings and you know, stress and nerves and
competition for you know what, I'm saying, and now you
have and you're hurt and sore, and she's now on
your shoulder crying because her boyfriend husband fiance X just
showed up because they're upset with some you know me,
Like it's just tough.
Speaker 3 (50:49):
Yeah, And the most important thing is that I love dance.
I love I can't enjoy dance without you being a
pornament respectfully is yes, in your direction, but I have
an intention. I need you. I need you to be great,
I need you to be happy, I need you to
(51:11):
be in love. I need you to be because I
want my dance to be what I know. Indeed, so
we need the same page. We need to you know,
do all of that. So what do I need to
do for that? If you've got a significant other, we're
going to go on. I'm going to really clearly try
to communicate to him or her that kle loves dance
(51:35):
and partner to execute it at the level that I'm
used to executing at.
Speaker 2 (51:40):
Have you had have you had issues with you know,
like with your spouses dancing with dudes where you might
have like actually felt even tinges of jealousy.
Speaker 4 (51:50):
Yeah, you have need to have I think it's.
Speaker 3 (51:54):
Such a taboo thing and people catch feelings about it.
So I don't want to hurt anybody's feeling because that
insecurity I feel too. I don't feel it anymore, but
I've had situations. But even this season. You know, my
wife right now is partnered with Joey, who is a
bachelor or previous bachelor. He had just got engaged. He
(52:18):
has a beautiful say they have an amazing relationship, but
he is a front runner on this season of Dancing
with the Stars that's on fire on social media's incredible
virality right now. Yeah, people are not nice, you know.
And even though there are no thoughts anywhere in the
air from Kelsey or Joey or Jenna or Val, but
(52:42):
there's a lot of terry in the comment section, and
so all it is it just takes a lot of
self discipline and trust and communication.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
Yeah, totally, the comments and all that such, all thats
fucking bullshit stuff, like you know, I mean, it might
give you a little bit of an I ever, if
I do read bad shit, you just can't ever take
that in. These are just I'm.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
Here, and so from like a human level, it's weird,
But from a professional dancer level, who has dedicated thirty
years of life kind of telling stories through this, through
this medium, I'm standing there telling this grown ass man
to grab my wife like a fucking man, like a
little The story of a tango is one that isn't
(53:32):
PG Disney. It's a very it's a very adult story.
Speaker 4 (53:38):
Because the same comment section is going to be calling
out for shitty performance that was missing but the passion
and lacked some kind of you. But when when you
presented that dance, they're like, oh, is there is there
a problem in their relationship?
Speaker 3 (53:54):
It's right, Yeah, So just my thought regardless of what
I'm working with my brother, orm working with my significant other,
somebody else. You know, there are a lot of relationships
that are play. But at the forefront of everybody's responsibility
if I have anything to do with it, is the work.
(54:14):
Is the work. That's it. People are going to pay
money to see this works and shut up. Yeah, yeah,
that's It's kind of like how I navigate that, you know.
And if I'm catching feelings, you know, if I'm an
honest husband, I'm not going to catch feelings right that
(54:35):
are responsible. I'm going to catch other feelings chemistry. I
think camaraderie. I think. I think chemistry isn't always sexual. Yeah,
between teamings, there's a camaraderie. Teams have chemistry. And for me,
back to the inception of my relationship with dance, which
was sport, my part was a girl was my team.
(55:00):
That's my guy. You know, girl, We cry together, wait together,
we lose together, and we have never slept together.
Speaker 4 (55:09):
M Right when that rumba comes on, oh, you better
present that couple like it has so much passion? Is
otherwise the lineup of judges that like it was less
than and even more so.
Speaker 3 (55:23):
On that topic. That's why I think ballroom dance is
so good for kids, Yeah, is because it's the only
thing where you can create camaraderie, a healthy relationship with
the opposite sex. Every sport is so divisive. You have
a locker room, girls, guys, girls. Everything is here. There's
few sports where they're integrate and really learn how to
(55:44):
collaborate together. So in a society where we're trying to break,
you know, teach kids how to respect each other's space. Respect.
The irony about us being in each other's space since
I was eight years old is that I am comfortable
enough to respect it and to pick up engauge energy.
You know, I am comfortable of communication.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
So yeah, no, it's so true, especially when you talk
about getting in that personal space. You guys don't have
that person. Everything is right here, you know, eye contact.
There's a confidence that gets built with what it is
that you guys have done, you know, from such a
young age. That's where that sort of bravado comes in,
you know what I mean, that's where that sort of yeah,
(56:27):
funk off, I'm the man comes in. This has been
a blast. You guys so much fun. I'll be checking
you out for sure, all right later, guys, that was fun.
These guys are, They're cool. I I probably should have
been a dancer, you know. My hips are very flexible.
(56:49):
But it's just fun to hear that world.
Speaker 4 (56:52):
They were.
Speaker 2 (56:53):
They gave long, very good answers. There were a few
things I wanted to get to that I didn't. I
just want to get to the sort of inside of
dancing with the Star. There's gotta be some crazy ship
that goes on in there. Anyway, I gotta go. I
love you bees
Speaker 4 (57:10):
M hm
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Oliver Hudson
Kate Hudson
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