99: DWTS fan favorite, Val Chmerkovskiy on BTS of the DWTS profession, international competition and the grind of the dancing industry!

This week, Jason is joined by professional dancer, choreographer, and Dancing with the Stars legend, Val Chmerkovskiy! Val has accomplished all that he could in the world of competitive dance with 14x US National Champion, 2x World Dance Champion. Val quickly rose to stardom after joining the show’s cast in 2011. Since his TV debut, the dance champion continues to be a fan favorite, both on and off the dance floor. Val continues to expand his talents as a dancer, choreographer, and in addition to co-founding Dance With Me Studios, one of the nation’s leading Latin and Ballroom Dance Studios where he also lends his experience as the venue’s art director. He has also developed Dance with Me Juniors, a program designed to help keep kids healthy, focused, and active in their communities. Val gives insight to why he isn’t worried about the trophies, the different career paths within the dance industry, how social media is a new platform for dancers to be discovered, how his parents exposed him to the best dancers in the competitive dance world, and keeping optimism with every partner he has. Val also reveals the first time he competed against Mark Ballas, how his first season on DWTS taught him to expand his understanding of the dance world, the impact the pandemic has had on him, how Dancing with the Stars did after going to Disney Plus, and wanting to see his peers succeed. Does he plan to go back to competitive dancing beyond Dancing with the Stars? How did he do his first season of Dancing with the Stars? How many dance studios does he have? Does he talk to his peers about what they make? Val reveals all that and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss! Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode. Sponsors: It’s golf. It’s not golf. It’s Topgolf. Download the app, book a bay and Come Play Around. Host: Jason Tartick Voice of Viewer: David Arduin Executive Producer: Evan Sahr Produced by Dear Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices