Professional cheerleader! Maksim Chmerkovskiy says he won’t be returning to Dancing With the Stars following his 2018 departure, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t supporting the ABC series.
“I think I’m just going to be the sideline mascot bringing babies to see their parents do their thing,” Chmerkovskiy, 40, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting his new tour with brother Val Chmerkovskiy. “I’ll be that person.”
The dance professional revealed since he left the show, there have been plenty of dancers that have stepped up, particularly in the ballroom style of dancing.
“I’m excited about all the opportunities. I keep saying the platform has been amazing. It’s great to see new faces especially representing ballroom dance,” Maks told Us. “We’ve had an incredible wave of new people that are now representing the same way, and probably better.”
The Ukrainian dancer added: “This is exciting. Some changes are happening to the show [and] I just want it to stick around. So, if I need to support it on the side and be that mascot, I’ll do it.”
The fight to make ballroom dancing a mainstream success won’t be over when DWTS eventually runs its course on ABC.
“When the show is off, we’re not off from being heavy participants in [the] ballroom industry,” the former reality TV star explained. “For us, it’s a big deal that there’s a platform like Dancing With the Stars.”
Maks’ 33-year-old brother, Val, however, plans to stay with the show as long as producers will have him.
“It’s family. It’s family beyond only the talent you see on screen. There’s a lot of people behind screen that we have built a relationship with and we want to see the show continue to grow and be successful,” Val exclusively told Us. “I personally still want to serve the show. How much longer, I don’t know. If they continue to call me back, I am more than willing to be a part of it and continue to serve my presence on the show.”
The brothers, who have danced together for decades, announced their newest venture together on Good Morning America on Tuesday, March 10.
They revealed that they are going on tour once again. The Maks & Val Live 2020: Motion Pictures Tour will kick off on June 11 and will include special guests — who also happen to be the siblings’ wives — Jenna Johnson and Peta Murgatroyd.
Throughout the 57-show tour, the foursome will take fans on a journey through iconic movies using dance.
“We are thrilled to get the whole family together to bring this incredible tour to life for our fans,” Maks, who shares son Shai, 3, with wife Murgatroyd, 33, said in a press release to Us on Tuesday. “Movies have inspired all of us in our creative pursuits, and we can’t wait to pay homage to our favorite films through the medium we love most, dance!”
Murgatroyd added: “We couldn’t think of a better way to spend our summer, doing what we love for our amazing fans.”
Val, who wed fellow DWTS pro Johnson, 25, in 2019, explained in the press release that this tour will give fans “an inside look into what it took to become the men and women we are today.”
“This is going to be so much fun performing familiar and iconic movie moments reimagined live on stage and set to our dancing for our fans,” Johnson said in the release. “We can’t wait for the audience to see it!”
Tickets for the Maks & Val Live 2020: Motion Pictures Tour go on sale on Friday, March 13.
