Mark Ballas
| Mark Ballas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mark Alexander Ballas, Jr. |
| Born | May 24, 1986 Houston, Texas, USA |
| Genres | Pop/Rock |
| Occupations | Singer, dancer, guitarist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Hit Play-Sony Red |
| Associated acts | Julianne Hough Derek Hough |
| Website | 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 |
[edit] 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][citation needed] 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.[disambiguation needed 
][citation needed]
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.[citation needed] His mother is award-winning Latin American Dancer Shirly Ballas recently featured on Dancing with the Stars.
[edit] Career
[edit] 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.[6] In September 2010, Ballas had a guest appearance on his former Dancing with the Stars partner Melissa Joan Hart's new series, Melissa & Joey.
[edit] 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. They won the series. 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.[7] 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. For Season 13, Ballas was partnered with reality star Kristin Cavallari where they were the 3rd couple eliminated finishing in 10th place.
[edit] 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 No |
8 Scores |
8 Given |
Eliminated |
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 No |
10 Scores |
10 Given |
Safe |
| 7 | Viennese Waltz/ "I'm with You" Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Don't Stop the Music" |
9 10 |
8 8 |
9 10 |
Safe |
| 8 | Quickstep/ "Billy A Dick" Samba/ "Volare" |
9 8 |
10 9 |
10 9 |
Safe |
| 9 Semi-finals |
Tango/ "Midnight Tango" Jive/ "Nutbush City Limits" |
10 9 |
9 9 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 10 Finals |
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Dancing on the Ceiling" Freestyle/ "Workin' Day and Night" Jive/ "Rip It Up" |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
WON |
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 8 |
8 8 |
9 9 |
Safe |
| 9 Quarter-Finals |
Quickstep/"Friend Like Me" Pasodoble/"Gotta Get thru This" |
9 10 |
9 9 |
9 10 |
Safe |
| 10 Semi-Finals |
Argentine Tango/"Asi Se Baila El Tango" Jive/"Reet Petite" |
10 9 |
10 8 |
10 9 |
Safe |
| 11 Finals |
Pasodoble/"So What" Freestyle/"Do Your Thing" Cha-Cha-Cha/ "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" |
9 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
WON |
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 | Last to be called Safe |
| 4 | Rumba/"Umbrella" | 6/4 | 6/5 | 6/5 | Last to be called 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 7 |
8 8 |
8 8 |
Safe |
| 9 | Paso Doble/"Gimme More" Waltz/"Mary Goes To Jesus" |
9 8 |
9 9 |
9 9 |
Last to be called Safe |
| 10 | Jive/"Move" Freestyle/"Cell Block Tango" Tango/"According to You" Cha-Cha-Cha/"Raise Your Glass" |
9 8 8 9 |
9 9 9 9 |
9 8 8 9 |
THIRD 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 8 |
10 9 |
10 9 |
Safe |
| 9 | Argentine Tango/"Assassin's Tango" Rumba/"Eyes on Fire" Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Just Dance" |
9 10 Awarded |
9 10 15 |
10 10 points |
Safe |
| 10 | Samba/"Hip Hip Chin Chin" Freestyle/"Latinos" Viennese Waltz/ "Hedwig's Theme" |
10 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
THIRD 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 |
[edit] Music
 |
This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011) |
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.
[edit] 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.
- ^ [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.
[edit] External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hélio Castroneves & Julianne Hough |
Dancing with the Stars (US) winner Season 6 (Spring 2008 with Kristi Yamaguchi) Season 8 (Spring 2009 with Shawn Johnson) |
Succeeded by Brooke Burke & Derek Hough |
| Preceded by Erin Andrews & Maksim Chmerkovskiy |
Dancing with the Stars (US) third place contestant Season 11 (Fall 2010 with Bristol Palin) Season 12 (Spring 2011 with Chelsea Kane) |
Succeeded by Rikki Lake & Derek Hough |
- 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
