Haley Ramm is an actress known for her powerful role as Brenna on the ABC Family Channel’s “Chasing Life” which returned for it’s second season this summer. Along with acting, Hayley has many interests and passions. She is a celebrity ambassador for AARDA (American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association) and has a passion for vintage shopping which has led to an Etsy shop with her mother.

[Read more…]

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has brought SWAY back to NYC.

Maksim is well known for “Dancing With The Stars” where he spent several seasons performing on the show. He is a very talented dancer who pulls people in with his performances. He shows a passion for what he does and is very appreciative and thankful for his success and his fans.

Maksim will be joined by his brother Val, Tony Dovolani, and several special guests for SWAY: A Dance Trilogy. Special guests include Amy Purdy and Maksim’s former “Dancing With the Stars” partner who he won his first Mirror Ball Trophy with, Meryl Davis. This performance will be coming to Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on June 5^th and June 6^th.

Maks recently came to Macy’s Herald Square as part of the American Icon Launch to taking time to meet, speak, and take pictures with fans.  The crowd was also given a special preview of SWAY.

We recently had the chance to speak to Maksim about SWAY, his fans, and what is next for him.

upfrontNY: What is it like to share the stage with your brother and some of your great friends in SWAY?

Maksim: The fact is that we all love working together. We have all done stage productions and some of us have done Broadway. It is not something new to us but what’s new is that we get to do it together with some of our close friends. This show is different than any other show we’ve done. We all enjoy dancing and performing but we enjoy it much more when everyone involved is a good friend.

 

upfrontNY: You won the mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” with Meryl Davis. What is it like to reunite and dance together again in SWAY?

Maksim: We never stopped doing stuff together. We do events, charity events, and danced together on the 10^th anniversary of the show. She is one of those people who is easy to be friends with. She looks forward to doing things like this with us.

 

upfrontNY: SWAY: A Dance Trilogy is going to be taking place at the Hammerstein Ballroom. What do you love about New York and the energy of the city?

Maksim: New York has always been my home. When we came to this country, and Brooklyn became our home, I looked at  Manhattan from a distance thinking maybe one day things will happen, stars will align and the next thing you know we are putting on a show at Hammerstein Ballroom and it’s my production. It has been a long time coming and it is finally here and we couldn’t be more proud of it, ourselves, and how far we have come. It is one of those dreams come true type of things.

 

upfrontNY: What does it feel like to know your fans are supporting you every step of the way and coming out to see your performances?

Maksim: The fan thing is a little beyond me. I don’t think I’ve done enough to deserve it. It drives us to be better. We are very humble about this. I have people who fly out to see us and visit the studio and take some lessons. I respect them and appreciate it beyond what I can say.

 

upfrontNY: You have several Dance with Me studios in the tri-state area. How does it feel to know people have fallen in love with dance by watching you and are taking classes at these studios?

Maksim: I opened my first with my dad when I was 16. We always knew this was going to be one of our businesses. When the show (Dancing With The Stars) came around in 2005 I joined it and it was the same year we opened our first social studio in NJ. I am working on many more. It’s awesome people fly from all over the country to come and take one lesson. We don’t sell a product, we sell time and an experience..

 

upfrontNY: Do you feel like passion is what makes someone great?

Maksim: No, I think hard work is what makes someone great. I have trained hundreds of students and have been successful as a teacher since I was 15 years old. I would take one not talented hard working kid over ten uber talented kids who don’t have a good work ethic. Passion is something you develop as you go. If you are dedicated to your trade and you want to succeed and you work hard at it everyday, you develop what we call passion. If you are passionate about success, you will be passionate about what you do.

 

upfrontNY: What does the future hold for you after SWAY ?

Maksim: I want to break into acting. I am doing a lot of stuff right now, school and learning. It is an awesome skill to have and something I am interested in. My ultimate goal is to be on Broadway, not as a dancer but in a dramatic play and do my best with it.

 

To stay up to date with Maksim follow him on twitter 

Buy your tickets to see SWAY: A Dance Trilogy

Dance With Me Studios