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Mark Ballas

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Mark Ballas
Ballas performing in June 2014
Born
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr.[citation needed]

(1986-05-24) May 24, 1986 (age 38)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Years active2005–present
TelevisionDancing with the Stars
Spouse
​
(m. 2016)​
Children1
Parent(s)Corky Ballas (father)
Shirley Ballas (mother)
RelativesGeorge Ballas (paternal grandfather)
Musical career
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels
Member ofAlexander Jean
Formerly ofBallas Hough Band
Websitewww.markballas.com

Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. (born May 24, 1986)[1] is an American dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, musician, and actor.

From 2007 to 2022, Ballas was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition program Dancing with the Stars, winning the series three times. For his work on the show, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography in 2011. Ballas released his first solo CD HurtLoveBox in March 2011.

Personal life

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Ballas was born in Houston, Texas,[1] the son of dancers Corky Ballas[2][3] and Shirley Ballas (née Rich).[4] His paternal grandparents are of Greek heritage, and his mother is from the United Kingdom and is of predominantly English heritage.[5] His mother also has distant Irish ancestry .[6] His paternal grandfather, George Ballas, was the inventor of the Weed Eater lawn-trimming device. His paternal great-grandparents, Karolos ("Charles") Ballas and Maria Lymnaos were immigrants to the United States from Greece.[7]

Ballas is a member of singer-songwriter duo Alexander Jean[8] along with his wife, BC Jean. The two became engaged in November 2015 after three years of dating,[9] and were married on November 25, 2016, in Malibu, California.[10][11] Their son was born on November 5, 2023.[12]

Career

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Early life

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Ballas attended Rosemead Preparatory School in South London. At the age of 11, he earned a full-time slot at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, as well as earning a full scholarship. In 2005, he was awarded "Performer of the Year". He then moved on to win championships at The British Open to the World, The US Open to the World, and The International Open to the World. With his former partner Julianne Hough, he won the Junior Latin American Dance Championship and the gold medal at the Junior Olympics.[citation needed]

Acting

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Ballas in 2013

As an actor, Ballas played the lead role of Tony in the musical Copacabana and was the lead dancer in the UK national tour of the Spanish musical Maria de Buenos Aires. He was also the understudy for the role of Ritchie Valens in the UK national tour of Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story. Ballas played an extra in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as part of the Hufflepuff House. In October 2008, Ballas made a guest appearance on the season premiere of Samantha Who.[13]

On September 6, 2016, it was announced that Ballas would be the final actor to portray the role of Frankie Valli in the Broadway cast of Jersey Boys before it closes in 2017. On May 26, 2018, it was announced that he would play the role of the Teen Angel in the 2018 Toronto revival of Grease in a limited engagement from June 7–10.[14][non-primary source needed] From September 11, 2018, to November 18, 2018, Ballas portrayed Charlie Price in the musical Kinky Boots on Broadway. In July 2022, he appeared as Harry in the Hollywood Bowl production of the same show.[15][16]

Dancing with the Stars

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On the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars, Ballas was partnered with Cheetah Girls star Sabrina Bryan. On October 30, 2007, the pair was voted off the show. They have been the only couple invited back for an exhibition dance.

Ballas's partner for season 6 of Dancing with the Stars was Olympic Gold Medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. They won the season.

On August 25, 2008, ABC announced the cast of the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars, with Ballas paired with reality television star Kim Kardashian. They were the third couple eliminated, finishing in eleventh place, on September 30, 2008.

For the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, Ballas was paired with Olympic gold-medal winning gymnast Shawn Johnson, winning that season's competition on May 19, 2009.

He was partnered with actress Melissa Joan Hart for the show's ninth season. They were voted off in week six and came in 9th place.

For season 10, Ballas was partnered with actress Shannen Doherty.[17] They were the first couple eliminated, on March 30, 2010. Despite that, Shannen & Mark hold a higher average than a few celebrities who lasted longer than they did.

For season 11, Ballas was partnered with Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor and U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. They made it to the finale and finished in third place.

For season 12, Ballas was partnered with Disney Channel star Chelsea Kane. They made it to the finals where they finished in third place. For his choreography with Kane, specifically the Jive ("I Write Sins Not Tragedies"), Viennese Waltz ("Hedwig's Theme") and Waltz ("My Love") dances, Ballas was nominated for that year's Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.

For season 13, Ballas was partnered with reality star Kristin Cavallari where they were the 3rd couple eliminated finishing in 10th place. In spite of this, they retained a higher average than a few couples that easily outlasted them, including Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus, the quarter-finalists of the season.

For season 14, he was partnered with Classical Singer Katherine Jenkins. They made it to the finale where they finished as the runners-up, losing to Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd.

For season 15, he returned with season 11 partner, Bristol Palin before being eliminated in week 4. In week 7, he danced with his former partner Shawn Johnson because her partner, Derek Hough suffered a neck injury.

He was paired with two-time Olympic champion Aly Raisman for season 16. Since season 16 had four couples reach the finals for the first time, Aly and Mark were able to become finalists. On May 21, however, they were eliminated at the beginning of the show landing them in fourth place.

For season 17, he was paired with singer Christina Milian. They were the 4th couple eliminated despite receiving high scores and good comments from the judges.

For season 18, he partnered with Full House actress Candace Cameron Bure. The couple made it to the finals and ended in third place.

For season 19, he partnered with Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson and finished in 2nd place behind Alfonso Ribeiro.

For season 20, he was paired with star of The Hunger Games film series Willow Shields. The couple was shockingly eliminated in week 7, finishing in seventh place despite receiving high scores throughout the season.

For season 21, he was partnered with actress Alexa PenaVega. They were eliminated in week 9 (despite being at the top of the leaderboard that week) and finished the competition in 6th place.

For season 22, he was paired with UFC mixed martial artist Paige VanZant. Ballas and VanZant made it to the finals of the show and finished in second place. Ballas was not part of the season 23 & 24 cast.[18]

Ballas returned as a professional dancer for season 25, and was paired with violinist Lindsey Stirling. Ballas and Stirling made it to the finals and finished in second place.

Ballas returned to the show for season 31. He was partnered with social media personality and dancer Charli D'Amelio.[19] They won the competition, making this Ballas' third win on the show and his first win since Season 8.

Season Partner Place Average
5 Sabrina Bryan 7th 27
6 Kristi Yamaguchi 1st 28.33
7 Kim Kardashian 11th 18
8 Shawn Johnson 1st 26.94
9 Melissa Joan Hart 9th 21.17
10 Shannen Doherty 11th 19
11 Bristol Palin 3rd 22.59
12 Chelsea Kane 26.13
13 Kristin Cavallari 10th 21.67
14 Katherine Jenkins 2nd 27.87
15 Bristol Palin 9th 21
16 Alexandra Raisman 4th 26.71
17 Christina Milian 9th 25
18 Candace Cameron Bure 3rd 25.47
19 Sadie Robertson 2nd 26.72
20 Willow Shields 7th 25.5
21 Alexa PenaVega 6th 25.71
22 Paige VanZant 2nd 27.13
25 Lindsey Stirling 27.07
31 Charli D'Amelio 1st 28.29

Records

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In his time on Dancing With the Stars, Ballas has set, and broken, numerous records in the course of his 20 seasons. Some of these records include, but are not limited to:

Alexander Jean

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Main article: Alexander Jean

Alexander Jean is a duo formation made up of Mark Ballas and his wife BC Jean. They worked as a husband-wife American pop rock duo starting 2015. Their debut single was "Roses and Violets". The single reach the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 "Bubbling Under" chart. They had success with "Waiting for You" and were nominated Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month in November 2018.

Dancing with the Stars performances

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Discography

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*(For discography as part of band with Derek Hough, see Ballas Hough Band)
*(For discography as part of duo with BC Jean, see Alexander Jean)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mark Ballas". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "Like Father, Like Son". OutSmart. December 6, 2010. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  3. ^ "My Biography". Corky Ballas official site. August 25, 2008. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  4. ^ "Shirley's History: Setting the Record Straight". Shirley Ballas official site. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Who Do You Think You Are (UK), Season 15 Episode 5: Shirley Ballas
  7. ^ Wozny, Nancy. "H-Town's Own Dance Man: Mark Ballas opens up on the naive miracle of Bristol Palin & his John Mayer ways", CultureMap Houston, December 13, 2010. WebCitation archive.
  8. ^ "AlexanderJean – Mark Ballas BC Jean – New Singer Songwriter". AlexanderJean – Mark Ballas BC Jean – New Singer Songwriter. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  9. ^ "Dancing with the Stars: Mark Ballas Is Engaged to Singer BC Jean". People. January 22, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  10. ^ Murphy, Desiree (November 25, 2016). "Mark Ballas Marries BC Jean in Gorgeous Malibu Wedding". E! News. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  11. ^ Gomez, Patrick (November 25, 2016). "Mark Ballas and BC Jean Married". People.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  12. ^ Kolirin, Lauren (December 6, 2023). "Mark Ballas and wife BC Jean announce birth of first child". CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  13. ^ "Breaking Entertainment and Celebrity News | Entertainment Tonight". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  14. ^ "Grease Toronto on Twitter". Twitter.
  15. ^ Bote, Joshua. "Mark Ballas Steps Into 'Kinky Boots' Broadway Cast as Charlie Price". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  16. ^ Lefkowitz, Andy. "Exclusive! Mark Ballas Extends Run in Broadway's Kinky Boots". Broadway.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  17. ^ Boedeker, Hal (March 2, 2010). "'Dancing With the Stars': Shannen Doherty pairs with Mark Ballas; Kate Gosselin with Tony Dovolani". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010.
  18. ^ Radloff, Jessica (August 30, 2016). "Here's Everyone Who Will Be Competing on Dancing With the Stars' Next Season". Glamour. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  19. ^ "Dancing with the Stars: Teresa Giudice, Wayne Brady, Selma Blair and More Celebs Join Season 31". Peoplemag. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
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