Artem Chigvintsev is a Russian-American dancer extraordinaire who specializes in Latin dancing, and he is most famous for burning up the floor on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. DWTS fans want to know more about this handsome devil who moves like an angel.
Born in the Soviet Union, Artem moved to America in 2003 and immediately began dancing with (and dating) the ballroom legend, Giselle Peacock. He auditioned for the first season of So You Think You Can Dance and though he was eventually eliminated, he was asked back as a guest choreographer for season two. After SYTYCD (and a quick divorce from Giselle Peacock), Artem got some serious attention when he joined the cast of Burn the Floor. He performed on Broadway and the West End. Directly after his West End run in 2009, he joined the UK’s reality dance show, Strictly Come Dancing. Artem, paired with actress Kara Tointon, won his first season of Strictly. After that win, he continued to do well. Following a few successful seasons of Strictly, Artem was asked to be part of the Dancing With the Stars Dancing Troupe. He was quickly promoted to Professional Dancer on DWTS season 19 in 2014. So far, the DWTS pro has yet to place higher than sixth on DWTS, but he’s a champion who won’t give up until the Mirror Ball is his.
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This international dancer is also up to some pretty interesting things in his personal life. The dancing king announced his engagement to retired WWE wrestler Nikki Bella in January 2020. Having gotten together in 2018, after meeting on DWTS, the pair was thrilled to announce their upcoming nuptials. 2020 is the year of canceled plans, which forced them into some fancy footwork. They were planning on hosting their wedding in Los Angeles, where Artem lives. However, they have since decided to move locations… and put off the whole affair until COVID-19 conditions improve. In an interview with Hello! Magazine, Artem said they are still excited about getting married but want to wait until: “it’s not going to be plastic walls everywhere around every single person.” They’re also hoping that their son Matteo can be involved. They have even talked about postponing the event until he’s old enough to walk down the aisle. See a pic of Artem and baby Matteo below:
While the wedding is on hold, Artem is currently heating up the DWTS ballroom with his star partner, the former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe. They are doing quite well thanks to Kaitlyn’s past dance experience. The pair earned the season’s first 9 after they performed the Viennese Waltz to Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy.” Artem and Kaitlyn say they work extremely well together in and out of the ballroom. Here’s hoping they continue to score those 9’s!
Artem is in an interesting phase of his life, thanks to settling down with Nikki and getting his DWTS job back. Fans are excited to see where he goes next, in his personal life and career.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays on ABC at 8pm EST.
Source: Hello! Magazine, Artem Chigvintsev/Instagram