Top Of The Leaderboard, Mark Ballas Is Better Than Ever
It is always about the art first for me. I just try my best to be a vessel and a ship for my celebrity to sail to the best destination that they can. - Mark Ballas
Back For DWTS Season 35, From Ballroom To Broadway Brilliance, Mark Ballas Is Better Than Ever
Back better than ever, and hotter than ever on the dance floor.
Tied for the top after the Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Season Premiere, Mark Ballas and his partner Maura Higgins brought the fire in an ultra-sizzling foxtrot to “Black Velvet” performed by his wife singer-songwriter BC Jean, live on stage after their original collaborator, musician Travis Garland, got tied up with an appearance on America’s Got Talent.
Ballas and Higgins earned a 21 out of 30, the same score that top pairing Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson were given night one.
The performance set the stage for what is already a historic season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, DWTS drew 6.67 million viewers, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings, a 24 percent improvement on last year’s debut (5.38 million) and a little ahead of the show’s full-season average of 6.5 million viewers. It was the most-watched season premiere for the series since season 29 in September 2020.
Watch the performance from Ballas and Higgins below and scroll for our in-depth Inside Dance cover feature with Ballas out this month in Inside Dance magazine.
BALLAS IS IN THE BUILDING
Whether it’s his energy, his aura, his talent on stage and on screen, or a perfect combination of all three, when Mark Ballas is in the building, magic happens. From starring on the Dancing With the Stars ballroom floor as an 11-time finalist, three-time Mirrorball champion and Emmy-nominated choreographer, to bringing it back to his musical theater roots in Chicago, to judging DWTS: The Next Pro, and being right on the verge of putting out a new album as Season 35 premiered, Ballas’ career is bigger, brighter, and better than ever.
His journey continues to encapsulate all of us in a year that’s been beyond busy, and everything he ever wanted.
Following the record-breaking 34th season of the DWTS series in 2025, Ballas headed to the bright lights of Broadway in New York City in April in what he calls “a meant-to-be moment” and stepped right into the role of Billy Flynn. The role reunited Ballas with his Season 34 Dancing With the Stars partner, Whitney Leavitt, who played Roxie Hart.
He returned as Flynn in July, opposite Krysta Rodriguez, and closed out his run on August 16. One day later, Ballas took a moment to reflect on the role and his experience, writing on Instagram: “What a time. I love this show and this cast with all my heart. It’s hard to put into words just how much this experience has meant to me. Getting to dive even deeper into this role, to discover more of who Billy Flynn is, [and} to live inside this every night has been such a gift. But what made it truly special was the incredible group of people I got to share it with 8 shows a week. The laughs, the moments, the adrenaline, the exhaustion, the little things that you don’t realize you’ll miss until they’re suddenly over. It all went far too quickly. Thank you, Chicago.”
It’s a sentiment that beautifully epitomized this stage of Ballas’ career. In the middle of a resurgence, so to speak, Ballas remains a triple threat and Renaissance man. He’s performing with new inspiration from his family, finding new projects, making music with his wife, singer-songwriter BC Jean, and achieving legend status in a ballroom career that is as popular as ever.
We first met Ballas backstage on Dancing With the Stars in 2009, when he was paired up with 2008 Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shawn Johnson. The duo ultimately took home the Mirrorball trophy on season 8, where Ballas enthusiastically invited us behind the scenes as if we were longtime friends. We’ve never forgotten it.
In our latest conversation with Ballas, which took place just days before The Next Pro’s television series debut, he was as energetic, gracious, and reflective as ever. What I took most from our time was his honesty and joy in everything he’s doing, as if no time had passed between conversations. He’s an icon in the ballroom, yes, and continues to raise the bar for himself and to broaden a career that got its start on stage in the theater and on the dance floor. But now, he’s performing for something, and someone, greater than himself.
BORN FOR THE BALLROOM, BUILT IN THE THEATER
Ballas was born into the ballroom, immersed in the arts, inheriting his love for dance from his parents, Mark Alexander “Corky” Ballas Sr. and Shirley Ballas, from day 1. He traveled all over the world as his parents competed, even cueing their music at competitions. Along the way, his love for dancing, theater, and performance was nurtured and developed alongside the best of the best. The family relocated from Houston to Shirley’s native England, where Mark spent his Saturdays in the theater and later trained at the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts in London. He graduated with honors, building the technical and theatrical foundation that would shape his multifaceted career.
As evidenced in the number of celebrities he’s taken to the DWTS semis and finale, Ballas is a brilliantly creative and gifted teacher and choreographer, with the ability to both push and nurture. It’s something he’s grown into, along with every project he pursues. “I’ve been doing theater and dancing since I was age 4,” he told us.
Playing Flynn in Chicago meant going full circle and he loved every minute, telling People earlier this year, “To remember learning all that in theater school and now I’m playing Billy Flynn on theater’s biggest stages,” he says, “that was a very, very proud moment for me.”
Ballas made his Broadway debut in 2016 as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre, later performing the role in the national tour. He went on to star as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway in 2019, and also previously appeared in the U.K. national tour of The Buddy Holly Story, his first professional job. The tour ran for 10 months and immediately after, Ballas booked We Will Rock You in the West End under [director/choreographer] Arlene Phillips.
Simultaneously, Dancing With the Stars came calling.
“Dancing with the Stars came up as well,” he remembers. “So I had a choice. And honestly, I almost went with We Will Rock You, and it was Arlene Phillips, my mom, and some really close friends who were like, “Go do that. You can always come back here.”
The decision set Ballas on a trajectory he could have never imagined.
As part of the Dancing With the Stars royal family—Ballas trained in the ballroom with his parents alongside Derek Hough and Julianne Hough—he’s one of the most recognizable pros onstage and off. He has competed in a total of 21 seasons with DWTS to date, winning his first Mirrorball trophy in Season 6 with Kristi Yamaguchi, his second in Season 8 with Johnson, and his third in Season 31 with Charli D’Amelio.
When Ballas was paired with Leavitt, who starred in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, in Season 34, many expected the duo to take it all and looked forward to what promised to be a show-stopping freestyle in the finale. Instead, Ballas and Leavitt found themselves at the center of a shocking elimination during the semis.
Still, Ballas was determined to give the fans what they wanted. At the end of their appearance on Call Her Daddy on November 26, host Alex Cooper asked if they wanted to perform what would have been their final dance had they made it to the DWTS finale, which aired the night prior to the podcast episode. Without hesitation, Ballas responded, “It would be a pleasure.”
Beyond the Mirrorball, the driving force behind Ballas’ entire why, when asked what keeps him going, was summarized in two words. “My son. It’s my son and my wife. The last year has been an amazing year from Dancing With the Stars, The Traitors, Chicago. My wife and I are making a new record right now, which is really coming together. There’s lots of blessings in that area, but nothing has filled my cup more than being a dad, and it has inspired me and incentivized me.
“There was a moment there after my season with Charli where I didn’t know if I would be able to keep going because of injuries, and as you know, as a dancer, you get banged around a little. I don’t think people realize you’re playing a sport. What we do is a sport. I spent a lot of time diligently preparing for the last season. Some of my injuries are better. It’ll never be perfect, but for 40, I feel pretty good. But I would definitely say my son is what keeps me going.”
IN THE JUDGE’S SEAT: THE NEXT PRO
In June, Dancing With the Stars expanded its hit franchise with a new competition series, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. Hosted by wildlife conservationist and Dancing With the Stars Season 34 Len Goodman Mirrorball Champion Robert Irwin, The Next Pro featured 12 exceptional up-and-coming dancers who move into one house and compete in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars.
The new series not only gave Ballas a different perspective from the judge’s seat; it offered him the opportunity to work right alongside his mom, also known as “The Queen of Latin” and head judge on Strictly Come Dancing for nine years. A star- studded lineup of returning pros, including Derek Hough, Witney Carson, and Britt Stewart, served as rotating mentors and guest judges.
Ballas told us that, first and foremost, he was excited for the level of dance the viewers would see and how it stays true to its ballroom roots. “At the end of the day, Dancing With the Stars is centered around ballroom and Latin dancing. Yes, we throw in jazz and contemporary, and yes, it’s great to be multi-trained, right? But if you make it to the end, 80% of your dances will be either the five ballroom or the five Latin dances. On this journey, you’ll see all levels. You can see people’s strengths and people’s weaknesses, and what their specialties are.”
Working alongside his mom and Hough is nothing new for Ballas, who loved the family atmosphere at the judging table on The Next Pro and the opportunities for a few friendly debates throughout the show.
“It’s just another day at the office for me!” he laughed. “I was cueing my mom and dad’s music when I was 6 years-old. My mom and my dad were both my coaches; Derek, Julianne, Daniella (Karagach), Pasha (Pashkov), Val (Chmerkovskiy) … you name them, they trained them. [My mom] is the elite of the elite and, to this day, is still training the elite of the elite in the competitive world. You won’t find someone more knowledgeable than her.
“The cool thing is, she’s always come at it as a judge. I’m coming at it as someone who’s done this show 21 seasons as a pro, and I’ve been in every scenario. Because I’m trained by my mom, we see a lot of things very similar. We also disagreed on quite a lot, because she comes from a very technical standpoint, but is also a beautiful artist in her own right. I’ve spent the last 20 years crafting routines for celebrities in this show, and I understand that very well.”
What Ballas also loved most about The Next Pro series is how the show was focused on who the professional dancers are just as much offstage as on. “This show is focused around these pro dancers—they’re not pros yet for our show, but they’re fighting for that pro spot,” he said. “Dancing With the Stars did a great job of putting all these challenges together—choreography challenges, chemistry challenges, group work challenges, and teaching challenges— that are really high-stakes. Trust me, I’ve done the job 21 times. It’s high-pressure. I’m hopeful that throughout this journey, you will really get invested in dancers, and most importantly in our winner.”
Ballas also mentioned he and his mom were about 60/40 agree to disagree while judging. Both relished their time on the show, and their dynamic created an atmosphere at the judge’s table we loved.
“We had an absolute blast working together! Mark is a true professional in all he does and has an excellent eye for the art of Ballroom and Latin,” Shirley said. “There were a few mother-son debates as we both judge from slightly different perspectives and we know exactly how to wind each other up! We also lived together as a family while filming and that was just beautiful. I got to look after my grandson, Banksi, which made the whole experience just that extra special.”
TIMELESS
Getting to know the dancers on an even deeper level is something Ballas believes the fans of the franchise are craving even more as DWTS itself continues to see a rise in ratings and popularity. The show celebrated its milestone 20th Anniversary last fall, setting records week after week with more viewers and more votes. It’s also one of the few dance reality-type competition shows that has stood the test of time and continues to attract new audiences—TikTok night turned in the show’s strongest performance among Adults 18-34 (1.38 rating) in over eight years. The Season 34 finale (November 26, 2025) shattered all voting records by logging 72 million votes in a single episode.
In addition, in so many ways, the DWTS professionals have become the real stars of the show and the ones we love to follow so much on social media. They are regulars on the morning show circuit, and in addition to expanding their own platforms, they have also become authors, lifestyle influencers, and podcast hosts, with product launches and promotions on and off the ballroom floor.
Ballas believes there are multiple reasons for the longevity of the franchise. And why he keeps coming back.
“It is always about the art first for me,” Ballas said. “I just try my best to be a vessel and a ship for my celebrity to sail to the best destination that they can. It’s really cool that Dancing With the Stars is essentially back better than ever. It feels like the good old days, like when it first started, but even more modern. You get more access and learn more about the show. When I started, Twitter didn’t even exist! So it’s pretty cool to see this happening.”
For Ballas, in addition to the art itself, it’s really the people who continuously give DWTS its fuel. He attributes the show’s longevity and ability to reinvent itself time after time to the team currently behind the scenes and to its status as one of the few family-oriented “reality” shows airing. Over the last four years, fans who loved the show from the beginning have made it clear who and what they love most about the show. And in turn, that loyalty has allowed an entirely new generation of fans, celebs, social media stars, and future professional dancers to embrace its tradition. Fans tune in just as much now to see which pros are returning as they do to see their new celebrity partners.
“We can’t count out the idea of what the show is,” Ballas said. “The idea is fantastic. Let’s pair a professional ballroom dancer with someone that you know from a different walk of life and see how they do. That idea is timeless. Ballroom dancing is timeless. I think one of the biggest shifts, in my opinion, is bringing Conrad Green back. He was probably one of the first steps to this success because he knows the show, he gets the show, he was a part of the glory days. Conrad and Deena Katz together— that’s a lethal combination right there.
“This is one of the only shows you can watch with grandma, mom, mom’s daughter, and the daughter of that daughter. You know what I mean? It’s just great. It’s timeless. It’s all the pros that contribute to the show. It’s the celebrities coming on the show that want to be there, and it’s the fan base that has been so loyal to us for so many years, and the new fan base that is discovering it for the first time.”
Catch the full feature including our behind-the-scenes chat with Shirley Ballas in the 2026 Volume 4 issue of Inside Dance magazine.
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET/7 CT on ABC. Livestream on Hulu and Disney+
