- Mark Ballas
-
Mark Ballas Birth name Mark Alexander Ballas, Jr. Born May 24, 1986
Houston, Texas, USAGenres Pop/Rock Occupations Singer, dancer, guitarist Years active 1999–present Labels Hit Play-Sony Red Associated acts Julianne Hough
Derek HoughWebsite Official Site Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. (born May 24, 1986)[1] is an American dancer.
Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program Dancing with the Stars. He began competing on the show in the fall of 2007. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 2011. He is also a singer/songwriter/musician and released his first solo CD HurtLoveBox in March 2011.
Contents
Early life
Ballas was born in Houston, Texas, with family ties in Laredo, Texas. His paternal grandparents are George Charles Ballas and Maria Luisa Marulanda Ballas of Mexican, Spanish and Greek background.[2] His parents are Corky Ballas[3] and British-born Shirley Ballas (née Rich).[4] Grandfather George Ballas is the inventor of the Weed Eater lawn-trimming device.[5]
Ballas attended Rosemead Preparatory school in South London, and was in the same year as acclaimed British ballet dancer Max Westwell of the English National Ballet.
At the age of 11, he earned a full time slot at the Academy, as well as earning a full scholarship to the college. 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 dance championships.[6]
As a youth, Ballas was a member of a pop singing trio called "2B1G"(2 Boys 1 Girl"), along with Julianne Hough and Derek Hough. His mother is award-winning Latin American Dancer Shirly Ballas recently featured on Dancing with the Stars. [7]
Career
Acting
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.[8] In September 2010, Ballas had a guest appearance on his former Dancing with the Stars partner Melissa Joan Hart's new series, Melissa & Joey.
Dancing with the Stars
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' partner for Season 6 of Dancing With The Stars was Olympic Gold Medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. 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.[9] They were the first couple eliminated, on March 30, 2010. 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.
Dancing with the Stars performances
With celebrity partner Sabrina Bryan (average: 27.0):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Don't Cha" 9 8 9 Safe 2 Quickstep/ "They're Red Hot" 9 8 9 Safe 3 Jive/ "Shake, Rattle and Roll" 9 9 9 Safe 4 Paso Doble/ "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" 10 10 10 Safe 5 Rumba/ "Me and Mrs. Jones" 9 9 10 Safe 6 Foxtrot/ "I'm a Woman"
Rock N' Roll/ "Rockin' Robin"9
No8
Scores8
GivenEliminated With celebrity partner Kristi Yamaguchi (average:28.3):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Foxtrot/ "The More I See You" 9 9 9 Safe 2 Mambo/ "Hey Baby" 9 9 9 Safe 3 Tango/ "Rio" 9 9 9 Safe 4 Pasodoble/ "Blue Monday" 10 9 10 Safe 5 Rumba/ "Say" 9 10 10 Safe 6 Jive/ "Rip It Up"
Country Western/"Cotton-Eyed Joe"10
No10
Scores10
GivenSafe 7 Viennese Waltz/ "I'm with You"
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Don't Stop the Music"9
108
89
10Safe 8 Quickstep/ "Billy A Dick"
Samba/ "Volare"9
810
910
9Safe 9
Semi-finalsTango/ "Midnight Tango"
Jive/ "Nutbush City Limits"10
99
910
10Safe 10
FinalsCha-Cha-Cha/ "Dancing on the Ceiling"
Freestyle/ "Workin' Day and Night"
Jive/ "Rip It Up"10
10
1010
10
1010
10
10WON With celebrity partner Kim Kardashian (average:18.0):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Foxtrot/ "The Pink Panther Theme" 6 7 6 Last to Be Called Safe 1 Mambo/"Baby Got Back" 6 6 6 Safe 2 Rumba/"You Give Me Something" 6 6 5 Eliminated With celebrity partner Shawn Johnson (average:26.94):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Waltz/ "It is You (I Have Loved)" 8 8 7 No elimination 2 Salsa/ "Las Muchachas" 8 8 8 Safe 3 Foxtrot/ "More Than This" 9 9 9 Safe 4 Lindy Hop/ "Ready Teddy" 8 8 9 Safe 5 Viennese Waltz/ "Ordinary Day" 9 8 9 Safe 6 Rumba/ "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" 8 9 9 Safe 7 Cha-Cha-Cha/ "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" 9 9 10 Safe 8 Samba/ "Get Down on It"
Team Mambo/"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"10
88
89
9Safe 9
Quarter-FinalsQuickstep/"Friend Like Me"
Pasodoble/"Gotta Get thru This"9
109
99
10Safe 10
Semi-FinalsArgentine Tango/"Asi Se Baila El Tango"
Jive/"Reet Petite"10
910
810
9Safe 11
FinalsPasodoble/"So What"
Freestyle/"Do Your Thing"
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"9
10
109
10
1010
10
10WON With celebrity partner Melissa Joan Hart (average:21.2):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Viennese Waltz/ "The Time of My Life"
Cha-Cha-Cha Relay/ "Centerfold"6 6 6 Safe 6 2 Jive/ "Long Tall Sally" 7 6* 6 Safe 3 Samba/ "Turn Me On" 6 6 7 Safe 4 Charleston/ "Charleston" 9 9 10 Safe 5 Argentine Tango/ "Tango Barbaro" 8 8 7 Safe 6 Waltz/ "Only One Road"
Mambo Marathon/ "Ran Kan Kan"7 7 6 Eliminated 4 * Due to Len Goodman's absence in week 2 the 6 was awarded by stand-in guest judge Baz Luhrmann. With celebrity partner Shannen Doherty (average:19.0):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Viennese Waltz/ "The Killing Moon" 6 6 6 No Elimination 2 Jive/"Shake a Tail Feather" 7 6 7 Eliminated With celebrity partner Bristol Palin (average: 22.6):
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" 6 6 6 Safe 2 Quickstep/"You Can't Hurry Love" 7 8 7 Safe 3 Foxtrot/"Just the Way You Are" 6 6 7 Safe 4 Rumba/"Umbrella" 6/4 6/5 6/5 Safe 5 Jive/"(Theme From) The Monkees" 6 6 6 Safe 6 Tango/"According To You" 8 7 8 Safe 7 Viennese Waltz/"Trouble" 9/8 8 8 Safe 8 Argentine Tango/"Buttons"
Samba/"Mas Que Nada"8
78
88
8Safe 9 Paso Doble/"Gimme More"
Waltz/"Mary Goes To Jesus"9
89
99
9Safe 10 Jive/"Move"
Freestyle/"Cell Block Tango"
Tango/"According to You"
Cha-Cha-Cha/"Raise Your Glass"9
8
8
99
9
9
99
8
8
9THIRD PLACE With celebrity partner: Chelsea Kane (average: 26.4)
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Foxtrot/ "King of Anything" 7 7 7 No Elimination 2 Jive/ "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" 6 5 7 Safe 3 Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Chelsea" 7 8 8 Safe 4 Viennese Waltz/ "Hedwig's Theme" 9 8 9 Last To Be Called Safe 5 Samba/ "Party in the U.S.A." 9 8 9 Safe 6 Quickstep/ "Walking on Sunshine" 10 9 9 Safe 7 Paso Doble/ "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" 9 8 9 Last To Be Called Safe 8 Waltz/"My Love"
Salsa/"Get Busy"10
89
910
9Safe 9 Argentine Tango/"Assassin's Tango"
Rumba/"Eyes on Fire"
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Just Dance"9
10
Awarded9
10
1510
10
pointsSafe 10 Samba/"Hip Hip Chin Chin"
Freestyle/"Latinos"
Viennese Waltz/ "Hedwig's Theme"10
10
109
10
1010
10
10THIRD PLACE With celebrity partner: Kristin Cavallari(average:21.6)
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Dynamite" 7 6 6 Safe 2 Quickstep / "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" 8 7 7 Safe 3 Samba / "Crazy in Love" 8 8 8 Eliminated Music
He began playing the guitar at age of 4, and at 12 began to write and perform his own music, playing guitar, drums, and bass. The Hough siblings and Ballas formed a pop music trio called 2B1G (2 Boys 1 Girl). With his friend Derek Hough, he formed the band Almost Amy, the name of which was later changed to the Ballas Hough Band. The other members of the band are singer Emily Grace, who plays flute, saxophone, and piano; Sam Marder, who plays bass; and Harry Sullivan, who plays drums. In November 2009, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough performed their song Move on Dancing With the Stars as Ballas Hough.
In early 2010, Mark released a solo EP Waiting For Patience. In March 2011 he released his first full length CD HurtLoveBox after touring in support of the CD during January and February. The first single was Hotwire. The video for Hotwire featured Mark's current DWTS partner Chelsea Kane. The video won the MTV Freshman competition in June 2011, and was added to the MTV video rotation.
References
- ^ Texas birth record
- ^ http://www.incdef.com/neo%27s%20hollywood%20corner/lalaland/column-26.html
- ^ http://www.corky.com/bio.html
- ^ http://www.shirley-ballas.com/about_shirley.html
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/bio/mark-ballas/854785
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/mark_ballas/biography
- ^ [1] Samantha Who
- ^ Boedeker, Hal (March 2, 2010). "'Dancing With the Stars': Shannen Doherty pairs with Mark Ballas; Kate Gosselin with Tony Dovolani". Orlando Sentinel. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2010/03/dancing-with-the-stars-shannen-doherty-pairs-with-mark-ballas-kate-gosselin-with-tony-dovolani.html.
External links
Awards and achievements Preceded by
Hélio Castroneves & Julianne HoughDancing with the Stars (US) winner
Season 6 (Spring 2008 with Kristi Yamaguchi)Season 8 (Spring 2009 with Shawn Johnson)
Succeeded by
Brooke Burke & Derek HoughPreceded by
Erin Andrews & Maksim ChmerkovskiyDancing with the Stars (US) third place contestant
Season 11 (Fall 2010 with Bristol Palin)Season 12 (Spring 2011 with Chelsea Kane)
Incumbent Categories:- 1986 births
- Actors from Texas
- American dancers
- American male singers
- American rock guitarists
- American ballroom dancers
- American people of Greek descent
- American people of Spanish descent
- American people of Mexican descent
- Living people
- Musicians from Houston, Texas
- People from Houston, Texas
- People from London
- American people of English descent
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