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Mark Ballas
Ballas performing in June 2014
Born	Mark Alexander Ballas Jr.[1] (1986-05-24)May 24, 1986 (age 39) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupations	Dancer choreographer singer-songwriter musician actor
Years active	2005–present
Television	Dancing with the Stars
Spouse	BC Jean ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	1
Parent(s)	Corky Ballas (father) Shirley Ballas (mother)
Relatives	George Ballas (paternal grandfather)
Musical career
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	HitPlay Hollywood
Member of	Alexander Jean
Formerly of	Ballas Hough Band
Musical artist

Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. (born May 24, 1986)^[1] is an American professionalLatin andballroom dancer, choreographer, musician, and actor. Since 2007, he has appeared as a pro on theABC reality competition programDancing with the Stars, winning the series three times. He earned a nomination for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for his work on the show.

Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. was born on May 24, 1986, inHouston, Texas.^[1][2] He is the only child of professional ballroom dancersCorky Ballas andShirley Ballas (née Rich); his father is an American ofGreek ancestry,^[3] and his mother is British with predominantlyEnglish ancestry and distantIrish andCape Coloured heritage.^[4][5] His paternal grandfather,George Ballas, was the inventor of theWeed Eater lawn-trimming device.^[6]

Ballas is a member of singer-songwriter duoAlexander Jean^[7] along with his wife,BC Jean. The two became engaged in November 2015 after three years of dating,^[8] and were married on November 25, 2016, inMalibu, California.^[9][10] Their son was born on November 5, 2023.^[11]

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 partnerJulianne Hough, he won the Junior Latin American Dance Championship and the gold medal at theJunior Olympics.^{[citation needed]}

As an actor, Ballas played the lead role of Tony in the musicalCopacabana and was the lead dancer in the UK national tour of the Spanish musicalMaria de Buenos Aires. He was also theunderstudy for the role ofRitchie Valens in the UK national tour ofBuddy, The Buddy Holly Story. Ballas played an extra inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as part of the Hufflepuff House. In October 2008, Ballas made a guest appearance on the season premiere ofSamantha Who.^[12]

On September 6, 2016, it was announced that Ballas would be the final actor to portray the role ofFrankie Valli in the Broadway cast ofJersey 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 ofGrease in a limited engagement from June 7–10.^{[13][non-primary source needed]} From September 11, 2018, to November 18, 2018, Ballas portrayed Charlie Price in the musicalKinky Boots on Broadway. In July 2022, he appeared as Harry in theHollywood Bowl production of the same show.^[14][15]

On the fifth season ofDancing with the Stars, Ballas was partnered withCheetah Girls starSabrina 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 forseason 6 ofDancing with the Stars was Olympic Gold Medal-winning figure skaterKristi Yamaguchi. They won the season.

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

For theeighth season ofDancing with the Stars, Ballas was paired with Olympic gold-medal winning gymnastShawn Johnson, winning that season's competition on May 19, 2009.

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

Forseason 10, Ballas was partnered with actressShannen Doherty.^[16] 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.

Forseason 11, Ballas was partnered withBristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor and U.S. Vice-Presidential candidateSarah Palin. They made it to the finale and finished in third place.

Forseason 12, Ballas was partnered withDisney Channel starChelsea Kane. They made it to the finals where they finished in third place. For his choreography with Kane, specifically theJive ("I Write Sins Not Tragedies"),Viennese Waltz ("Hedwig's Theme") andWaltz ("My Love") dances, Ballas was nominated for that year'sPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.

Forseason 13, Ballas was partnered with reality starKristin 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.

Forseason 14, he was partnered with Classical SingerKatherine Jenkins. They made it to the finale where they finished as the runners-up, losing toDonald Driver &Peta Murgatroyd.

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

He was paired with two-time Olympic championAly Raisman forseason 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.

Forseason 17, he was paired with singerChristina Milian. They were the 4th couple eliminated despite receiving the first 10 of the season.

Forseason 18, he partnered withFull House actressCandace Cameron Bure. The couple made it to the finals and ended in third place.

Forseason 19, he partnered withDuck Dynasty starSadie Robertson and finished in 2nd place behindAlfonso Ribeiro.

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

Forseason 21, he was partnered with actressAlexa PenaVega. They were shockingly eliminated in week 9 (despite having a perfect night) and finished the competition in 6th place.

Forseason 22, he was paired withUFC mixed martial artistPaige 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.^[17]

Ballas returned as a professional dancer forseason 25, and was paired with violinistLindsey Stirling. Ballas and Stirling made it to the finals and finished in second place.

Ballas returned to the show forseason 31. He was partnered with social media personality and dancerCharli D'Amelio.^[18] They won the competition, making this Ballas' third win on the show and his first win since Season 8.

Ballas returned to the show forseason 34 after a two year break. He was partnered withThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt.^[19] Despite receiving the highest cumulative points in the season at the time, Ballas and Leavitt were eliminated during the semifinals on November 18, 2025, finishing in sixth place.^[20]

* The average has been adjusted to be out of 30, not 40

• Season 5 with celebrity partnerSabrina Bryan (average: 27.0); placed 7th

• Season 6 with celebrity partnerKristi Yamaguchi (average: 28.33); placed 1st

• Season 7 with celebrity partnerKim Kardashian (average: 18.0); placed 11th

• Season 8 with celebrity partnerShawn Johnson (average: 26.94); placed 1st

• Season 9 with celebrity partnerMelissa Joan Hart (average: 21.17); placed 9th

• Season 10 with celebrity partnerShannen Doherty (average: 19.0); placed 11th

• Season 11 with celebrity partnerBristol Palin (average: 22.59); placed 3rd

• Season 12 with celebrity partner:Chelsea Kane (average: 26.13); placed 3rd

• Season 13 with celebrity partner:Kristin Cavallari (average: 21.67); placed 10th

• Season 14 with celebrity partner:Katherine Jenkins (average: 27.87); placed 2nd

• Season 15 (All-Stars) with celebrity partner:Bristol Palin (average: 21.0); placed 9th

• Season 16 with celebrity partner:Aly Raisman (average: 26.71); placed 4th

• Season 17 with celebrity partner:Christina Milian (average: 25.0); placed 9th

• Season 18 with celebrity partner:Candace Cameron Bure (average: 25.47); placed 3rd

• Season 19 with celebrity partner:Sadie Robertson (average: 35.63); placed 2nd

• Season 20 with celebrity partnerWillow Shields (average: 34.0); placed 7th

• Season 21 with celebrity partnerAlexa PenaVega (average: 25.75); placed 6th

• Season 22 with celebrity partnerPaige VanZant (average: 27.13); placed 2nd

• Season 25 with celebrity partnerLindsey Stirling (average: 27.06); placed 2nd

• Season 31 with celebrity partnerCharli D'Amelio (average: 37.71); placed 1st

• Season 34 with celebrity partnerWhitney Leavitt (average: 26.88); placed 6th

Alongside fellow Dancing with the Stars proDerek Hough, Mark starred in Mark and Derek's Excellent Flip onHGTV in 2015. The show's only season focused on the pair flipping a Southern California house.^[21]

In 2025, it was announced Mark Ballas would join the cast of Season 4 ofThe Traitors.^[22]

Alexander Jean is a duo formation made up of Mark Ballas and his wifeBC 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 nominatedElvis Duran's Artist of the Month in November 2018.

• Mark Ballas at theWorld DanceSport Federation
• Mark Ballas atIMDb 
• Official website at theWayback Machine (archived March 14, 2022)

• 1986 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century American singers
• Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
• American ballroom dancers
• American male actors of Mexican descent
• American male dancers
• American male guitarists
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male stage actors
• American musicians of Mexican descent
• American people of English descent
• American people of Greek descent
• Ballas family
• Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) winners
• Entertainers from London
• Guitarists from Texas
• Hispanic and Latino American male actors
• Hispanic and Latino American musicians
• Male actors from Houston
• Male actors from London
• Musicians from Houston
• Musicians from London
• Singers from London
• Singers from Texas

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