Valentin Chmerkovskiy

The author’s story is a familiar one. Immigrate to the United States, work hard, and become successful. He sharpened his Latin dance skills into two wins on Dancing with the Stars, becoming a household name in the process. Chmerkovskiy describes how the steps from his early life in Odessa, Ukraine and subsequent move to New Jersey gave him the discipline and flexibility to work with different partners and dance styles. The photographic section provided context to the material presented. Story flow could have been better.… (meer)

“My name is my self. My name signals to the world that it has to take me as I am. Even if people shatter their teeth trying to say it, my name is me.”

This is an autobiography from one of the professional ballroom dancers on Dancing with the Stars. Many people argue that the show is about the celebrity but personally after having watched the show since the second season I beg to differ. The professionals are just as important if not more than the rotating cast of celebrities. Valentin Chmerkovskiy otherwise known as Val on the show, quickly became one of my favorites on the show within his first few seasons. Things shifted after the show’s 16th season where they tried to get more viewers involved with them online and being the millennial I am I feel like I caught on pretty quickly. It led me to following abc and the show on social media along with many of my favorite pros. But maybe it was a bit too much because after a while the professionals that were given a charming edit on the show were no longer my favorites because of their social media presence...Val included. I actually like his brother Maksim better but that's another topic. I figured maybe this book will give me the chance to warm up to Val again.

This book gives us some insight into Val’s life as an immigrant. What I find interesting is how there are a few stories that he has shared throughout the years in a little more detail. There are some parts that could have done without the extra added commentary because it sounded like the same idea but in different words. He also writes about his Dancing with the Stars experience, from his opinions about his various partners and other pros. But the parts that I personally think were the better-written parts are the chapters where he discusses his family (flesh and blood or otherwise).

Val’s book was written well but suffered from not having a very good editor and grammar checker. There were passages that sounded too repetitive and sentences that sounded either incomplete or needed rewriting. However, I think his style of writing would have been better suited to a series of essays instead of a narrative because he likes to write and write to get to a deep thought and then the narrative gets lost because he’s trying to make a point. The writing feels a little cluttered at times because he puts too much in a paragraph then tries to go back as if he didn’t just insert something completely different. But this is the Val I know so I didn’t mind it that much. Plus it was funny to read about him poking fun at things that happened to him.

Here are some of my favorite moments from the book:
”As rare as talent itself is, I think it’s almost as rare for a person to recognize and encourage someone else’s talent.
But my uncle called me out, and then it became a matter of the simple domino effect that happens whenever someone decides to believe in another person. It’s why today I instinctively and consciously try to seize every opportunity to encourage someone else to feel as though they can do anything they want to do. Even if they don’t wind up pursuing their dream, for a moment they’ll feel good because someone else sees a possibility in them, just as Uncle Joseyk saw a possibility in me.”

“I celebrate family and America. Those two things are what I’m most grateful for in my life. My name will never say that proudly for me, but if you’re willing to go beyond my impossible-to-pronounce last name and lend me your ear for a five-minute conversation, you’ll quickly realize that I’m as American as it comes.”

“Once you invest your heart in a person during that difficult, inspiring, sometimes heart-breaking journey, the bond is forever.”… (meer)