Born name

Mark Alexander Ballas Jr

nickname

Mark, Alexander Jean

Sun sign

Twins

Place of birth

Houston, Texas, USA

Residence

Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, Kalifornien, USA

nationality

training

Mark studied at Rosemead Preparatory School in South London.

At the age of 11 he obtained a full-time place for academic and professional training at the Italia Conti Academy of Theater Arts in London.

For college education, Mark received a scholarship to continue his studies at Italia Conti Arts Center for a BA (Hons) in Musical Theater.

occupation

Actor, Singer/Songwriter, Musician, Dancer, Choreographer, Reality TV Personality

family

• Father – Mark Alexander Ballas Sr. a.k.a. Corky Ballas (Professional Ballroom Dancer, Competitive Latin Dancer)
• Mother – Shirley Rich (Ballroom Dancer, Dance Instructor, Dance Adjudicator)
• Siblings – He has no siblings.
• Other –
  • Audrey Rich (maternal grandmother)
  • David Rich (maternal uncle) (Expired)
  • Mary Rich (Cousin)
  • George Charles Ballas, Sr (paternal grandfather) (WWII bombardier, American entrepreneur)
  • Maria Louisa Marulanda Ballas (paternal grandmother) (singer/dancer)
  • George Ballas Jr. (paternal uncle)
  • Michelle Ballas Pritchard (paternal aunt)
  • Maria Ballas Jamail (paternal aunt)
  • Lillian Ballas Miles (paternal aunt)

Manager

Mark is repeated by –

• Tara Joseph, J. A. M. (Manager)
• Kaedian LLP (law firm)
• Keith Naisbit, Performing Arts Agency (APA), Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California (Agent)
• Rona Menashe, PR Guttman, Beverly Hills, California (Publicist)

Genre

Pop, Rock, Folk

instruments

Vocals, western guitar and electric guitar, bass, piano, drums

labels

• Hollywood Records
• HitPlay Records (Rote Musik, Sony)

To build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 6 inches or 168 cm

weight

70 kg or 154 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Mark Ballas has dated –

1. Julianne Hough (2002–2004) – Mark and Julianne practically grew together. They were registered as dance partners in several youth dance competitions in the US and UK for 5 years and even formed a band together. While there is no concrete confirmation of their dating period, in hindsight it won’t come as a surprise if Mark and Julianne met when Julianne was still in her teens. They probably broke up after Julianne decided to return to the US to finish her education. The two continue to remain good friends thanks to Mark’s closeness to Julianne’s brother Derek.
2. Sabrina Bryan (2007–2008) – Mark met Sabrina in season 5 of Dancing With the Stars when he was entering reality dancing for the first time, a competition was announced and Sabrina was declared his celebrity partner. Since both were singers and dancers by trade with a hard-working, perfectionist attitude, they hit it off right away when put together on the reality show. Their camaraderie sparked speculation that the two were likely dating. But it was her surprise exit that made her quit the show early at 7 minutes ^thPlace that pushed them closer together. Heartbreak and shock brought on by an early departure had Sabrina and Mark leaning on each other for emotional support. They announced their newfound status as a married couple on TV Guide but soon broke up after just a few months of dating.
3. Joanna Pacitti (2008–2009) – Mark had a very public romance with former American Idol contestant Joanna. They met in North Carolina where Mark was training with Kristi Yamaguchi. For the first few months, despite Mark’s busy schedule, Mark and Joanna spent a lot of time together and were frequently spotted as photo locations at various red carpet events. However, a year into his dating, Mark saw some professional setbacks that likely affected his relationship as well. He confirmed their split by saying, “It just didn’t work out.”
4. Jeanine Mason (2010-2011) – Mark was frequently spotted by the paparazzi on a date with You Think You Can Dance Victor Jeanine Mason.
5. Pia Toscano (2011) – The former American Idol contestant met Mark on the set of Dancing With the Stars (2011) when she guest-starred on the show. They dated for a month before Pia decided to end the relationship. Mark shared the two on good terms without much emotion.
6. Tiffany Dunn (2012) – Mark had a brief but highly volatile, passionate, and public relationship with pop singer and choreographer Tiffany Dunn. The two were often spotted hand in hand on the streets of Hollywood. Their romance quickly soured when their fights also became public. TMZ even reported that Tiffany destroyed Mark’s car. Although the couple reconciled, their relationship did not last.
7. Eliana Girard (2012) – The paparazzi saw Mark kissing and dancing with another So You Think You Can Dance winner Eliana Girard at a Las Vegas nightclub. However, it has been speculated that it was just an affair as the two were no longer known as a couple after that.
8. Brittany Jean Carlson aka BC Jean (2012–Present) – Mark and Brittany saw each other perform at a singer/songwriter showcase before chatting at the fundraiser concert organized by a mutual friend. Both were impressed by their musical talent. Mark was particularly inspired by Brittany’s songwriting skills. 6 months after Mark and Brittany met, they vacationed in Jamaica and discovered an effortless musical collaboration. The ease in their relationship of working and playing together prompted Mark to propose a day before Thanksgiving in November 2015, for which he decorated his driveway with roses and violets and the interior of his 60’s/70’s-themed Woodstock home.The couple wed on November 25, 2016 at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. They had an outdoor wedding with a bohemian theme . The bride wore a dress by Israeli designer Idan Cohen.

race/ethnicity

Biracial (predominantly white, part Hispanic)

His father is of Mexican, Greek and Spanish descent while his mother is of English and Irish descent.

hair colour

Schwarz

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• Thick curly hair
• Two prominent moles on the right cheek and one on the right temple.
• Multiple tattoos on the body and the forearm is fully covered with tattoos while the right arm has a full tattoo sleeve.

measurements

Mark’s body specifications can be:

• Chest – 96.5 cm or 38 inches
• Arms/biceps – 38 cm or 15 inches
• Waist – 81 cm or 32 inches

shoe size

9 (US) or 8.5 (UK) or 42 (EU)

brand promotion

• He promotes the following guitar brands:
  • Martin Guitar
  • Cremona Flamenco Guitars
• He quit smoking and shared his story through an advertising campaign released in the public interest as a spokesperson for Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK). Mark encouraged other smokers to break their addiction with Blueprint , a nicotine replacement therapy by GSK that was promoted in partnership with Walmart in 2013.
• Markus frequently promotes a drink called Keto max on his social media accounts.

Religion

His religious beliefs are not confirmed.

Known for

• He called his long career as a choreographer in the reality dance competition Dancing with the Stars.
  • Mark launched the show’s fifth season and ran for all subsequent seasons up to season 22 (2016). After that, he went on hiatus for two seasons.
  • From seasons 5 to 22, he won the show twice (seasons 6, 8), was declared runner-up three times (seasons 14, 19, 22), and also placed third three times (seasons 11, 12, 18).

First album

Released as part of Balla’s Hough Band aka Fast Amy Mark, BHB (March 2009) was the group’s debut and only album.

As a solo artist, his first album was HurtLoveBox (March 2011).

As one half of Alexander Jean duet, he first released an EP called Head Up (June 2016).

first movie

An uncredited role of a Hogwarts student in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001).

First TV show

As an actor, Mark had 1 episode appearance as Mateo Romero in Samantha Who? in 2008.

Personal trainer

• The biggest lifestyle change Mark made to improve his fitness was quitting smoking in his late 20s when he found he was often out of breath during dance rehearsals.
• He revealed that overcoming his addiction to cigarettes was a long, slow process that required a lot of perseverance. He started smoking after he was 16 and was easily able to smoke up to a pack of cigarettes a day in his youth.
• He sometimes takes combat training at a place like True Warrior Fitness for a change from his usual routine.
• Daily 4-5 hour dance rehearsals are more than enough cardio for Mark, so he mainly goes to the gym to focus on strength training.
• Because he has many injuries, he needs a personal trainer to put together a program that will rehabilitate his weaknesses and maintain his body’s ability to withstand his rigorous lifestyle.
• So Mark does a variety of core exercises along with free weights and the TRX suspension trainer.
• Since 2016, Mark has actively favored a ketogenic diet.
• From Thanksgiving to Christmas is the only time Mark slacks off on his strict diet and exercise routine.
• To shed those holiday pounds fast, Mark’s past strategy has been to start your day with a cold-pressed juice followed by an apple and a handful of organic nuts like almonds/cashews before hitting the gym.
• After training, he consumes a very dense protein shake made up of:
  • 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
  • 1 tablespoon organic peanut butter
  • 2 medium sized bananas
  • 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
  • 6 ounces of water
• After a long day of mostly liquid eating, he ate a heavy dinner like organic grilled chicken with veggies.
• He plans a cheating meal to eat whatever he wants for dinner after his performance on Dancing With the Stars .

Mark Balla’s favorite things

• Color – lime green, turquoise
• Guilty pleasure – pizza, pasta
• Pizza Brand – Domino’s mighty meat
• Cuisine – Italian, Mexican
• Tanzformen – Jive, Lindy Hop, Cha-Cha, Samba
• Traumurlaubsort – Bora Bora
• sports – football
• Sports Team – Manchester United
• Band – Nirwana
• Musical Influences – Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Sia
• Contemporary Artist – Ed Sheeran

Mark Balla’s Facts

1. Mark was raised by Derek and Julianne Hough by his parents Corky and Shirley with a busy and competitive schedule that required him to study, dance, sing, act and learn musical instruments.
2. All three artists credit their success in Hollywood as sacrificing childhood and Mark still maintains a strict routine of dancing and exercising during the day and working on his music at night.
3. He had his wife’s initials in a drawing of a lioness on his chest.
4. Mark choreographed Diet Pepsi Super Bowl commercial with Sofia Vergara in 2012.
5. At the age of 9 he learned to play the guitar.
6. He is very fond of collecting guitars and sneakers.
7. Mark adopted a rescue dog in 2015 and named him Hendrix.
8. His paternal grandfather invented the famous Weed Eater lawn trimmer.
9. He has a fetish for women’s feet.
10. Mark is such a huge Kurt Cobain fan that he hopes to one day have a daughter so he can name her after Cobain’s band Nirvana.
11. He claims to be afraid of bees and wasps.
12. A native of Texas who grew up in London, Mark reveals his accent unknowingly switches between British and Southern on his own.
13. Mark is very close to Derek Hough and they both bought a house together when they first moved to Los Angeles.
14. He was cast in the lead role of singer Frankie Valli for The Jersey Boys’ final Broadway show (2018).
15. To learn more about the talented actor, dancer and choreographer, visit his website @ markballas.com.
16. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.