DWTS Pro Mark Ballas Talks On His New ‘Jersey Boys’ Broadway Role, The Audition, And More
Mark Ballas tells US Weekly that’s he’s definitely going to miss Dancing With The Stars, but, he’s still watching. He also explains the audition process for how he got the role of Frankie Valli in the last few months of the ‘Jersey Boys’ Broadway run.
“I went and auditioned, old school! I didn’t cut any lines!” Mark told Us. “I sent in my tapes like everyone else. The producers liked my tapes, so then I went to New York and auditioned, did the two-hour dance call, singing call, acting call. I did it all the way you’re meant to do it. And after my New York set of auditions, I was coming home and I was on the plane literally about to take off and I got the call!”
Although Ballas’ fans know him for his dance skills, what they might not know is that his background in musical theater is extensive too.
“A lot of people know me as a dancer, but for me, when I started entertaining, theater and music was where I started,” the pro hoofer said. “And I trained for it, I got a diploma in college for musical theater. I worked for years for that diploma and graduated with honors, so now I’m finally putting it to use!”
“For me it’s not a role that no matter if you have a fan base or not, you can’t fake it,” he added of his Broadway endeavor. “It’s a lot of singing, and it’s going to be great to be out there as an actor and a musician first.”
More at US Weekly. We miss you, Mark. Come back to us soon and have fun!
This was a really interesting interview! Thanks, Vogue! Break a leg, Mark! We miss you on DWTS though!
I’m so thrilled for Mark! And I wish him big and well deserved success!
Way to go, Mark.
Very happy for Mark- wonderful opportunity! DWTS sure didn’t appreciate him as much as they should have and I’m glad he’s going to Broadway.
I’m very happy for Mark, but I can’t agree – in fact strongly disagree – that DWTS didn’t appreciate him. It gave him a solid, well paying job for what? NINE years? He was doing what he loved and he got national attention to help him with his other love – Music. It certainly helped him get this part, much like DWTS has helped Derek get stuff (because both men work for it and use DWTS appropriately).
He was also given plenty of very good partners – it’s either bad luck or producers with other goals that prevented him from winning. But, as they say, winning ain’t everything. He’s well paid and he’s on TV.
Clearly, the benefits of DWTS FAR, FAR outweigh any negatives, otherwise he would have left a long time ago. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him BACK on DWTS in the spring. Why wouldn’t he? Unless he’s got something else lined up, it’s the best way for him to stay in the spotlight – he needs that for his music career.
Genuinely happy for Mark and his new gig. It would be cool if he did a little performance to promote the show on DWTS, but I doubt it with his schedule and with the results show ending soon.
I think Mark was weighing his options for the Fall and took things into his own hands. Maybe he wasn’t sure if DWTS would call him back. But, from his week 1 dance with Paige I had a feeling he was trying to win and the show didn’t mind if he did or not so that he could take a break to explore other things and build up his resume.
I’m glad the older pros are taking season’s off to gain more experience. THey deserve it and I’m sure they’ll come back here and there. I like that they can be more experienced than the newer pros.
Mark, Derek, Cheryl, Maks and a few of the other pros definitely know how work the system/play the game to keep themselves relevant and fresh… and rightfully so. They are the OGs.
Mark, Derek and Cheryl are gaining new experiences all the time…as are some of the others like Allison. But I see no evidence for Maks gaining new experience. On the contrary.
I wonder if Derek, Julianne and some of the other dancers will be able to find time to catch Jersey Boys? I’m sure Mark would love a surprise like that.
@PJC I don’t believe anyone is currently rehearsing in the NYC area so probably they won’t be able to see Mark until after S23. (Unless rehearsals for are in Hairspray Live! in NYC. But I doubt that.) Mark’s run is until mid January though so they all could see him in it, if they wish.
So thrilled for Mark. I hope he enjoys every second of this Broadway experience. I love it when good things happen to good people.
I didn’t know Mark had a degree in musical theater. That’s a neat fact about him. It sounds like he’s living his dreams by being the lead in a Broadway musical. I’m very happy for him.
I believe that’s the degree you get when you graduate from Italia Conti – Mark and Derek both should have it. But I don’t think it’s quite the same as American University…I could be wrong. I’ve never taken the time to research it.
@Susan2 and PH, I looked into it a little bit several months ago, and I think what Mark is referring would be considered equivalent to a diploma from a community college. I don’t know much about the British school system, but it looked like (at least at Italia Conti) students graduate from “high school” at 16 and can then choose to do a separate 3-year program that is more specialized. This 3-year program seems to be open to anyone, not just students who had gone to Italia Conti as kids.
That must be what Derek was talking about when he was discussing “teaching” hip hop and some other classes. I was confused how someone taught high school while attending it, but this makes more sense.