Few professional dancers have built a television career as closely connected to Dancing with the Stars as Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Known to many fans simply as Val, he has spent more than a decade turning competitive ballroom experience into memorable performances, successful partnerships and a lasting place in one of television’s best-known dance competitions.
In 2026, Valentin Chmerkovskiy is once again at the center of the Dancing with the Stars conversation. For Season 35, he has been paired with actress Jenna Dewan, best known for Step Up and her role as Bailey Nune on The Rookie. ABC has confirmed that the new season will begin with a two-night premiere on September 15 and 16, 2026.
The new partnership gives Valentin Chmerkovskiy another opportunity to demonstrate why he has remained one of the show’s most recognizable professional dancers. Dewan already has a strong connection to dance through her career, while Chmerkovskiy brings years of ballroom competition and television experience.
So, what makes Valentin Chmerkovskiy such an important part of Dancing with the Stars, and what could be next for him in Season 35?
Why Valentin Chmerkovskiy Remains a DWTS Favorite
The longevity of Valentin Chmerkovskiy on Dancing with the Stars is one of the clearest signs of his importance to the franchise.
He joined the show’s professional cast in 2011 after establishing himself in competitive ballroom dancing. His professional background gave him a technical foundation, but television required something more than technical ability. A successful DWTS professional also has to teach, choreograph, perform, communicate with a celebrity partner and connect with viewers.Chmerkovskiy has developed all of those skills over the years.
His DWTS career has included partnerships with athletes, entertainers and television personalities. Some seasons have ended with Mirrorball success, while others have produced memorable performances without a championship. That variety has helped make his career on the show more than a simple collection of competition results.It has also allowed fans to see different sides of Valentin Chmerkovskiy as a teacher and performer.
When Did Valentin Chmerkovskiy Join Dancing with the Stars?
Valentin Chmerkovskiy became part of the professional cast of Dancing with the Stars in 2011.
Before becoming a television personality, he had already built an impressive competitive dance career. His professional biography highlights national and international achievements in ballroom and Latin dance, giving him a background that was considerably deeper than what viewers might initially see on television.
That experience became an important part of his DWTS identity.
On the show, Chmerkovskiy has had to translate complicated dance techniques into routines that celebrity partners can learn within a limited amount of time. That requires patience, creativity and the ability to adjust choreography to each individual partner.His continued presence demonstrates how successfully he made that transition from competitive dancer to television professional.
How Many Times Has Valentin Chmerkovskiy Won DWTS?
Valentin Chmerkovskiy has won the Mirrorball Trophy twice during his Dancing with the Stars career.His championship-winning partnerships include Rumer Willis and Laurie Hernandez. Those victories remain important milestones in his career and demonstrate his ability to build successful competitive partnerships.
Winning DWTS requires much more than being a technically skilled dancer. Professional dancers have to create routines that showcase their partners’ strengths while making difficult choreography understandable and entertaining for a television audience.Chmerkovskiy’s two championships are therefore an important part of his overall record.
At the same time, his reputation on the show is not based only on winning. His long-running career has included a wide range of partnerships, performances and storylines, which is one reason viewers continue to recognize him as one of the show’s veteran professionals.
What Makes Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s Dance Background Important?
The competitive background of Valentin Chmerkovskiy gives him an advantage when it comes to understanding ballroom technique.According to his professional biography, he is a multiple-time U.S. national champion and a two-time World Dance Champion. He also co-founded Dance With Me, a dance studio organization focused on Latin and ballroom instruction.
That background matters because DWTS is often about taking professional-level techniques and adapting them for celebrities who may have little or no ballroom experience.A professional dancer must know when to push a partner and when to simplify a routine. The best choreography is not necessarily the most difficult choreography. Instead, it is choreography that allows the celebrity to look confident while still giving the audience something impressive to watch.This is an area where Valentin Chmerkovskiy has developed considerable experience.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan: Why This Partnership Is Interesting
For Season 35, Valentin Chmerkovskiy has been paired with Jenna Dewan. ABC’s official cast announcement confirms the partnership.Dewan is an especially interesting partner because dance is already a recognizable part of her professional background.
She became widely known after appearing in the 2006 film Step Up, a project that placed dance at the center of her screen career. She has also built an extensive career in television and film, including her role as Lt. Bailey Nune on The Rookie.That does not automatically make the partnership easy.
DWTS involves a very different environment from learning choreography for a movie or television project. Contestants must perform live, learn different ballroom and Latin styles and respond to judges while also dealing with the pressure of weekly competition.
For Valentin Chmerkovskiy, the challenge will be finding the right balance between Dewan’s existing performance experience and the specific technical requirements of ballroom competition.
Why Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan Could Be a Strong Team
There are several reasons the partnership between Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan could attract attention throughout Season 35.First, both have professional experience with performance. Chmerkovskiy understands ballroom competition, while Dewan has years of experience performing in front of cameras and audiences.
Second, Dewan’s previous dance work means she may already understand the importance of timing, musicality and choreography. However, ballroom competition introduces its own rules and technical expectations.
Third, Chmerkovskiy has worked with many different celebrity partners throughout his career. That experience could help him tailor routines to Dewan rather than simply relying on a standard formula.The most important factor, however, will be how quickly the pair develops chemistry as a competitive team.
DWTS viewers often respond to partnerships that show visible growth from week to week. If Dewan can combine her performance background with Chmerkovskiy’s ballroom expertise, the partnership could become one of the more closely watched teams of Season 35.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s Career Beyond DWTS
Although Dancing with the Stars remains the biggest part of his television profile, Valentin Chmerkovskiy has built a career beyond the show.His work with Dance With Me has been particularly significant. The organization was co-founded by Chmerkovskiy and focuses on Latin and ballroom dance education.
This part of his career reflects something important about his professional identity: he is not simply a television personality who happens to dance. Dance has been the foundation of his career from the beginning.
Through teaching, choreography, competition and television, Chmerkovskiy has helped bring ballroom dance to audiences who may never have followed competitive dancing before.That broader connection to the dance world gives him credibility that extends beyond weekly DWTS performances.
The Chmerkovskiy Family’s Dance Legacy
Valentin Chmerkovskiy is also part of a well-known dance family.His older brother, Maks Chmerkovskiy, became a major television personality through Dancing with the Stars, while their father, Alexander Chmerkovskiy, has also been associated with ballroom dance.
That family background helped create an environment in which competitive dancing was an important part of Valentin’s life from an early age.However, Valentin’s career has developed its own identity.
While the brothers have shared the DWTS stage and a professional connection to ballroom dancing, Valentin established himself as a champion competitor and later as a long-term professional on the show.
The family connection adds another layer to his television story, but his individual accomplishments remain a major reason for his continued popularity.
What Season 35 Could Mean for Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Season 35 arrives at an interesting point in Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s DWTS career.
He is no longer the newcomer viewers were introduced to in the early 2010s. He is now one of the experienced professionals who understand the structure, expectations and pressure of the competition.That experience can be valuable, particularly when working with a celebrity partner who already has a demanding career.
The 2026 season also features a large and diverse group of celebrity contestants, giving every professional partnership a different competitive challenge. ABC has confirmed the full Season 35 cast and professional pairings ahead of the September premiere.
For Chmerkovskiy, the immediate goal is straightforward: build the strongest possible partnership with Dewan and see how far they can go.Whether that leads to another Mirrorball Trophy remains unknown.
What to Watch From Valentin Chmerkovskiy in Season 35
Fans watching Valentin Chmerkovskiy in Season 35 should pay attention to several things.
Choreography
Chmerkovskiy has extensive experience creating routines that balance difficulty with entertainment. His choreography choices will be particularly important because Dewan already has a dance background.
Partner Development
The biggest question is how quickly Dewan adapts to ballroom and Latin styles. The progression from the first performance to later weeks could reveal how effective their partnership becomes.
Performance Quality
Technical ability is only one part of DWTS. Performance, storytelling and confidence can influence how both judges and viewers respond to a routine.
Competition Strategy
With an experienced professional like Chmerkovskiy, strategy can become just as important as choreography. Knowing when to challenge a partner and when to highlight their strengths can make a major difference over a long season.
The Future of Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s DWTS Career
It is difficult to predict exactly how long Valentin Chmerkovskiy will continue competing on Dancing with the Stars, but his career has already lasted far longer than many professional dancers’ television runs.
His value to the series comes from a combination of competitive experience, television familiarity and audience recognition.
As the show continues to evolve, veteran professionals can provide continuity. They understand what the audience expects while also having enough experience to adapt to new celebrities, choreography trends and judging dynamics.
Chmerkovskiy’s career outside the show also gives him options.
His work in dance education, choreography and entertainment means his professional future does not depend entirely on one television competition. That makes his DWTS career one part of a larger dance legacy.
What Makes Valentin Chmerkovskiy Different From Other DWTS Pros?
The answer is not simply his number of seasons or championships.Valentin Chmerkovskiy combines several different identities: competitive dancer, teacher, choreographer, television performer and dance-business entrepreneur.
That combination has helped him remain relevant even as the cast of Dancing with the Stars changes from season to season.
He also understands the importance of creating a memorable television performance. A technically perfect routine can still feel flat if it does not connect with viewers. Chmerkovskiy’s experience allows him to think about both sides of the equation.
The result is a professional style that can adapt to different celebrity personalities.
When Does Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Premiere?
ABC has announced a two-night premiere for Dancing with the Stars Season 35.
The first episode is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 2026, followed by the second premiere episode on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Both episodes are scheduled for 8–10 p.m. EDT and will air live on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available on Hulu the following day.
That means fans will not have to wait long to see Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan begin their competitive journey.
The opening performances should provide the first real indication of how the partnership has developed and what kind of choreography Chmerkovskiy has prepared.
Why Valentin Chmerkovskiy Continues to Matter to DWTS
After more than a decade on Dancing with the Stars, Valentin Chmerkovskiy has become part of the show’s history.
His two Mirrorball victories, competitive background and numerous celebrity partnerships have established him as one of the franchise’s recognizable professional dancers.
But longevity alone does not explain his continued relevance.
His career demonstrates how ballroom dance can move beyond competitions and into mainstream entertainment. Through DWTS and his other dance-related work, Chmerkovskiy has helped make professional dance more accessible to a broad television audience.
Season 35 gives him another opportunity to add to that legacy.
With Jenna Dewan as his partner, the upcoming season has a built-in point of interest. Dewan’s history with dance and Chmerkovskiy’s ballroom expertise create a partnership that could develop into one of the season’s strongest combinations.
Key Takeaways
- Valentin Chmerkovskiy joined the professional cast of Dancing with the Stars in 2011.
- He has won the Mirrorball Trophy twice.
- His championship partners include Rumer Willis and Laurie Hernandez.
- He has an extensive background in competitive ballroom and Latin dance.
- He co-founded Dance With Me, a dance studio organization.
- His Season 35 celebrity partner is Jenna Dewan.
- DWTS Season 35 begins with a two-night premiere on September 15 and 16, 2026.
- His partnership with Dewan gives him another opportunity to compete for a third Mirrorball Trophy.
Conclusion
Valentin Chmerkovskiy has already built one of the most recognizable careers in the history of Dancing with the Stars. From competitive ballroom dancing to television success, his career has continued to expand while remaining closely connected to dance.
Now, Season 35 offers another chapter.
Paired with Jenna Dewan, Chmerkovskiy has a celebrity partner with previous dance and performance experience, but the pair will still have to prove themselves in the unique environment of live ballroom competition.
The outcome of their season cannot be predicted before the performances begin. What is clear is that Valentin Chmerkovskiy remains one of the professionals worth watching when the new season arrives.
For longtime DWTS viewers, his return represents familiarity, experience and another chance to see an established professional attempt to add another major achievement to an already impressive career.
FAQs
Who is Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s partner on DWTS Season 35?
Valentin Chmerkovskiy is partnered with actress Jenna Dewan for Dancing with the Stars Season 35.
How many times has Valentin Chmerkovskiy won DWTS?
Valentin Chmerkovskiy has won the Mirrorball Trophy twice.
When did Valentin Chmerkovskiy join DWTS?
Valentin Chmerkovskiy joined the professional cast of Dancing with the Stars in 2011.
Who did Valentin Chmerkovskiy win DWTS with?
His two championship partners were Rumer Willis and Laurie Hernandez.
When does DWTS Season 35 premiere?
Season 35 is scheduled to premiere over two nights, September 15 and September 16, 2026, on ABC and Disney+.
