Corky Ballas

Corky Ballas
Born Mark Alexander Ballas, Sr.
(1960-12-25) December 25, 1960
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation Dancer
Years active 1978–1996; 2008–present
Spouse(s) Shirley Rich (m. 1985–2007)
Children Mark Ballas (1986)
Parent(s) George Ballas
Maria Marulanda
Relatives George Ballas, Jr. (brother)
Michelle Ballas Pritchard (sister)
Maria Ballas Jamail (sister)
Lillian Ballas Miles (sister)
Charles Ballas (grandfather)
Maria Lymnaos Ballas (grandmother)
Peter Ballas (uncle)

Mark Alexander "Corky" Ballas, Sr. (born December 25, 1960) is a retired competitive ballroom dancer who holds several Latin dance championship titles.[1][2] His son, Mark Ballas, is a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. His father was George Ballas, who invented the Weed Eater lawn-trimming device.

Personal life

Ballas was born in Houston, Texas. He is the son of Maria (Marulanda) and George Ballas, the inventor of the Weed Eater lawn-trimming device.[3] He has Mexican, Spanish and Greek ancestry.

He has one son, Mark Ballas,[4] with former wife and partner Shirley Ballas. Corky and Shirley Ballas also raised and trained Julianne Hough and Derek Hough.[5][6]

Corky now teaches dancing in San Antonio via his dancing studio,[7] and his website.[8] His plans for the future include more television performances as well as an online interactive dance instruction via hundreds of videos.

Career

Corky and Shirley were 1996 Open to the World International Champions, 1995–1996 Open to the World British Champions, twice British National Champions, Star - World Cup - UK - Champions, and seven times undefeated United States International Latin Champions.[1][9][10] They retired in 1996.

Ballas judges professional competitions and teaches. He is based in Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas.[11]

Dancing with the Stars

Ballas has trained many of Dancing with the Stars' professionals including Karina Smirnoff, Julianne Hough, Derek Hough, Tony Dovolani, Edyta Sliwinska, Alec Mazo, Brian Fortuna, Jonathan Roberts, Anna Trebunskaya, Jessie DeSoto and, his son, Mark Ballas.

On August 25, 2008, the show's producers announced Corky himself would compete as a pro on season 7, alongside his son and former pupils. He was partnered with 82-year-old actress Cloris Leachman.[12]

For Season 11 Ballas was partnered with Florence Henderson. They were eliminated in Week 5 of the competition.

Performances

With celebrity partner: Cloris Leachman

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1, Night 1 Foxtrot/I Wish I Were in Love Again 6 5 5 Safe
1, Night 2 Mambo /Coconut Woman 6 5 5 Safe
2 Paso Doble/Bolero 5 5 5 Last to be called safe
3 Jive/The Girl Can't Help It 6 5 5 Safe
4 Tango/The Big Date 8 7 7 Bottom Two
5 Salsa/Tres Deseos 7 7 7 Safe
6 Cha Cha Cha/Come See About Me
Old School Hip Hop/It Takes Two
5
No
5*
Scores
5
Given
Eliminated

With celebrity partner: Florence Henderson

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me 6 6 6 Safe
2 Quickstep/Suddenly I See 7 6 6 Safe
3 Waltz/Edelweiss 7 6 7 Safe
4 Rumba/Yesterday 6/6 6/6 5/6 Safe
5 Tango/The Brady Bunch Theme 7 7 7 Eliminated

See also

References

External links

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