"Well ... Are we gonna dance or what?"
That's Valentin "Val" Chmerkovskiy, almost as soon as he meets you. He is a bit under the weather but birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, a Chmerkovskiy's gotta dance.
And tour. Chmerkovskiy, his brother Maks and his sister-in-law Peta Murgatroyd -- all pros on Dancing With the Stars -- plan to do that and more when they bring Confidential to Verizon Theatre on Saturday, April 28.
"It's a show based around our family and how that family has grown and how we celebrate each other and how we celebrate the love that we have for one another and the love that we have for this world and the people around us all through dance," said Chmerkovskiy. "So it's a beautiful show, it's really wholesome, it's good for the entire family. Don't' let 'Confidential' sway you any other way."
But, and you knew it was coming: "Obviously, it's going to super sexy ..."
On a chilly day in January, Chmerkovskiy is at Dance With Me Southlake, one of a chain of dance studios opened by the brothers. (There's another in Fort Worth, four total in Texas.) He's entertaining media and guests, all while casting glances at the shiny dance floor he just left. It's as if there's a tether.
"Ultimately, I want to serve this planet and in my lifetime, serve as much as I can and create as many connections as possible," he said. "And ultimately, that's what we're trying to do in the studio as well. We're trying to connect with people and hopefully make their life a little better."
Dance is foremost, but it isn't the only thing on his mind. He has a book to talk about. A memoir? Already?
"Who do I think I am?" he said and laughed. "I'm 31 and I'm writing this memoir. 'Memoir' is loosely speaking. At 31, hopefully, my best years are still ahead of me. But I've already been lucky enough to live a really dynamic life and a life worth sharing."
The book's title is I'll Never Change My Name.
"Valentin Chmerkovskiy is a mouthful and it's never gonna sound as American as a Johnson or a Smith," he said. "It doesn't make me less proud to be American, it doesn't make less grateful to be American. That's just sort of the beginning of the conversation."
So that's what that hug was about when a visitor got his name out correctly, but barely.
With Chmerkovskiy, you learn a lot about him in less than 10 minutes. And then you learn even more on the dance floor when you answer his question.
"Of course. How can I say no?"
AEG Presents 'Confidential: Maks, Val and Peta Live' on Saturday, April 28, at 8 p.m. at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. $39.75-$99.75. Doors open at 7. AXS.com
