Mark is a awesome dancer, i am enjoying watching him and his partner Kristi Yamaguchi, also he was amazing with Sabrina too

http://www.markballas.com/

I loved their mambo this week, looks like they are the ones to beat at the moment.

While I was watching that couple I was thinking what a big difference it must make to the pro dancers if they can get a celeb who has real aptitude (as Mark also did with Sabrina).

They can really attempt some challenging choreography, both for their partner and themseleves, almost as though they had a pro dancer to dance with.

It must make the whole thing much more exciting and rewarding, for everyone.

I am a huge huge huge fan of Mark Ballas!!! He was AMAZING with Sabrina(so happy they are dating and in love) and is the same with Kristi, i just hope the same thing doesnt happen to him and kristi this season like it did with sabrina ie leaving way to early!

I look forward to seeing more of him dance......He is my DWTS version of Brendan cole

I love watching Mark dance - we used to see him at a practice night when he was still very young and his mum - Shirley - used to sit and watch him. BUT - last night I found he was really irritating me because he kept pulling the most awful faces! I know ballroom isn't his thing compared to the Latin, but stretching his mouth open on the first beat of almost every bar of the music, is not the way to try and convey emotion, and ended up making him appear faintly ridiculous!

I wasn't a particular Mark fan before but this season is turning me into one I hope he makes it all the way to the final this time.

kaycee - Couldn't agree more. Thought he looked just like a fish!!! Not attractive at all.

Beautiful dancer though.............

i was listening to his voice....i didnt know he lives in london!

Posted in wrong thread

I'm a big fan of Mark's, too! I think he's a brilliant dancer, choreographer and person! So lovely and sweet and packed full of talent!

I was thrilled that Kristi and Mark won this season's DWTS!

well he is half english with his mother being shirley rich/stopford/ballas

He's lost his English accent though.. he now has this squeaky transatlantic drawl which I find rather annoying.

For Mark/Derek fans:

Mark and Derek celebrate their birthdays in Vegas

yep accent has gone - just like his mums who you would never guess was a liverpool lass anymore

As great as it is to see Julianne and Mark be so successful in DWTS, I still think it is such a shame they retired from competitive dancing so young. They had so much potential and their Blackpool win could have just been the start of a very successful career...

Each to their own though!!

Sorry to barge in

Big fan of Mark - think he is totally amazing and what I wouldnt give to see him dance live!!!

I am desperate to get in touch with him just to tell him how much of an inspiration he is to me

I have tried the contact button on his website but it doesnt appear to work

Does anyone know how I can get in touch?

Sorry to be a pain and I know its quite forward of me to ask but if anyone can help I would be truely grateful

Many thanks
Olive

Haha, I think you can definitely still hear it with Shirley!

He's on Twitter. You could send him a message through there?

Mark's twitter is http://twitter.com/officialMBallas

Some videos:

For the final stop on the tour, Mark took off his shirt in this Jive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDaFtPGotxY

All the guys took their shirts off for this Chippendale's spoof of what was supposed to be the girls dancing with Lance Bass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lewr_tVaUJ8

The last stop of the DWTS tour always has some surprises: The girls purposely didn't come out for the Cha Cha when they were supposed to, leaving the guys to their own devices. Mark and Derek decided to dance together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk9RpD7XM0A

They continued the joke when they were voted by viewers Favorite Pros in the Macy's Stars of Dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7gHx1RC4CI

Just read here that Shelly Ballas is choreographing the group mambo dance on the first SCD show. I'm guessing that they mean Shirley Ballas, so does she use the name Shelly sometimes and could this mean we might see Mark on SCD one day?

Shelly Never heard that her called that before but who knows??

This is from strictly twitter site posted on Thursday

Week 1 - the 8 non-competing celebs will dance a MAMBO, choreographed by legend Shirley Ballas. Rehearsals taking place RIGHT NOW! #scd

The article seems to take a lot of info from the twitter page including that it confirms that ITT is back it actually states

ITT *should* be back on the Monday after the first proper show - so Monday 21st Sep. #scd

Oh and From Kayta twitter

One of my top #SCD moments so far: loved working with Shirley Ballas. What a legend

The Ballas family is quite large and varied, but think it a pretty safe bet that this is a misprint! Never heard Shirley called Shelly.

Shirley was an amazing dancer in her time, possibly one of the best ladies on the floor at any given time.

It has got to be a mistake as you say kaycee - only one person can be Mark's Mum and I hope her involvement with SCD leads to other things!

That would be good but I wouldn't bank on it.

There was a rumour at one time that she would be a pro on dwts which would have been really funny - can you imagine, Mum, Dad (Corky) and son Mark all competing against each other - to say nothing of Julianne, who was still in the show, & Derek, who were both 'fostered' by Shirley & Corky when they lived in the UK. Talk about keeping it in the family! Thankfully, it didn't happen!

Shirley has been involved with dwts though, as she has helped Mark, Derek & Julianne with choreography.

You read it right. Milking competition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBXQNMMYRuw

DWTS tonight's elimination:
SAFE:

Donny
Mya
Aaron

no surprises so far