Biography

Karina and Maksim Chmerkovskiy became engaged in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve [January 5, 2009].

Karina and Maksim Chmerkovskiy broke off their engagement in September 2009.

Dances an improvised piece in the club scene in Shall We Dance? (2004) with real-life dance partner Vyacheslav 'Slavik' Kryklyvyy, who also plays Jennifer Lopez' new Blackpool Standard partner in the final scenes of the same film.

Is one of the most renowned DanceSport exponents, and has been a Blackpool Dance Festival finalist representing the U.S. with partner Vyacheslav 'Slavik' Kryklyvyy since 2001.

Mother, with boyfriend Justinas Duknauskas, of son Theo Gabriel Duknauskas (b. April 2020).

We were together in Canada only once to film the club scene. Otherwise either Slavik or I would fly to Canada when we had to film our scenes and then fly back to Asia to continue working. It was a lot of extra flying time - which was difficult and tiring - but we were so happy to work on such a big project movie.

Richard was very hardworking. He would spend a whole day dancing and would never complain. And I can assure you that I made sure he had sore muscles.

It was incredibly exciting and we would definitely love to work like this again.

The director met with Slavik and me to look at a piece of Tango that we choreographed for the scene where Jennifer gives Richard a private dance lesson very late in the evening. After we performed the routine for him, the director asked me to read a few lines with the other actors. Then he told me I was in if I wanted the part. How could I refuse?

I was on cloud nine. I could not believe that I would get to meet Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Stanley Tucci and Susan Sarandon. Then Richard came in one day and I had to dance with him just like that. I thought I had died and had gone to heaven.