IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

How Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s dance company is helping Ukrainian ballroom dancers get to the US

Dance With Me is offering Ukrainian ballroom dancers housing accommodations, visa assistance and more.

Maksim "Maks" Chmerkovskiy and Valentin "Val" Chmerkovskiy's dance company, Dance With Me, is helping Ukrainian ballroom dancers relocate to the United States amid Russia's war with Ukraine.

On Monday, the dance studio shared some helpful information on their Instagram account. The company told their followers that they raised over $22,000 at their DWM Regionals last weekend to help Ukrainian dancers overseas

Alex Samusevich, Director of Marketing at Dance With Me, told TODAY how this fund will help Ukrainian dancers relocate to the U.S., where they can make money to support their families in Ukraine.

"We're helping dancers who can no longer work and make any money," Samusevich said. "We're helping them relocate and start careers here. They can make money and send money back to their families in Ukraine."

Dance With Me will give them a $5,000 signing bonus to give them a financial start in the U.S. They will also help them “get a visa and try to get refugee status" and “provide them with accommodation and relocation assistance."

“We have some houses that we’re currently renting in the tri-state area [New York, New Jersey, Connecticut] and Texas so they can have their own place,” he said.

From the overwhelmingly large amount of applications Samusevich and his team at Dance with Me have received, it looks like many Ukrainian dancers are ready to make the move.

Samusevich couldn’t be more proud to offer this assistance.

“We will provide them with work and they don’t have to pay us back. We want to provide them an opportunity here," Samusevich said. "Some of them have nowhere to go."

In another post, Dance With Me told their followers how saddened they are by what's going on in Ukraine.

"This unwarranted attack on Ukraine has affected our staff, friends, and family who currently have loved ones suffering and directly in harm’s way as a result of this tragedy," they wrote. "We stand for peace, for democracy, for freedom, and we stand with Ukraine and their right to defend themselves."

“It’s our responsibility to help in any way we can, whether it’s raising awareness, donating, or sharing key information," they added. "Now is the time to act and we hope you join us."

In their bio, Dance With Me shared a link to helpful resources that were curated by Razon for Ukraine, a charity that helps Ukraine pursue a democratic society that has civil rights for all.

On Monday, Chmerkovskiy's wife, Peta Murgatroyd, showed support for Dance With Me by resharing some of their information on her Instagram Stories.

Just a few days ago, she celebrated her husband's safe return to Los Angeles from Ukraine, a reunion that took place last week on Wednesday.

“I never thought our family would be directly affected by this in our lifetime, I never thought what we are seeing on our TV’s was a reality in 2022,” Murgatroyd shared on Instagram with a photo of her hugging Chmerkovskiy at Los Angeles International Airport.

“I have never hugged him so tight. Shaking and forever grateful. Now it’s time to heal. We cannot go back to our normal. Our lives are forever changed," Murgatroyd continued. "We have a new normal, and that’s ok.”

The second photo in the Instagram post shows Chmerkovskiy holding their 5-year-old son, Shai.

Shortly after making his return to the US, the "Dancing With the Stars" professional dancer talked to Entertainment Tonight about how he views peace differently now.

“I just don’t want to resent peace somewhere else because of what I just saw, that’s the reality," he said in the clip.

ABC's "Dancing With the Stars": Season 25 - Week Six
Maksim Chmerkovskiy's dance company, Dance With Me — which he co-runs with his brother Valentin Chmerkovskiy — is offering to help Ukrainian dancers relocate their careers to the U.S. Eric McCandless / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Later on in the same video, Chmerkovskiy added “The reason why Ukraine is standing right now is because of the Ukrainian people."

“Huge shout out to Poland, huge shout out to neighboring countries,” he said. “The way I was treated through this whole process of leaving in Poland, I’ve just got to bow down to Polish people.”

Chmerkovskiy, who was born in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, also noted that it's great "the entire world is helping" his home country.