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DWTS Parents: Corky & Shirley's Dance Dynasty
14 Jul
Summary
- Corky and Shirley Ballas, parents of DWTS pro Mark Ballas, were champion ballroom dancers.
- They met in the mid-1980s and later relocated their son to England for training.
- Corky competed on DWTS twice, while Shirley judges DWTS: The Next Pro.
Mark Ballas, a well-known professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, inherited his passion from his parents, Corky and Shirley Ballas. This accomplished couple met in the mid-1980s and achieved numerous championship titles together in competitive ballroom dancing. They welcomed their son, Mark, in May 1986, initially in Corky's hometown of Houston, Texas.
The family later moved to Shirley's native England, where Mark attended the Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts. He made his Dancing with the Stars debut in 2007 at the age of 21. Corky Ballas has participated in two seasons of Dancing with the Stars, even competing alongside his son. Shirley Ballas now holds a judging role on the series' spin-off, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.
Corky and Shirley Ballas divorced in 2007 after over two decades of marriage. Corky is now engaged, while Shirley has not remarried. The couple became grandparents in November 2023 with the birth of their grandson, Banksi Wylde Ballas. Corky's parents also had significant ties to the dance industry; his mother was a flamenco dancer, and his father founded a large dance studio and invented the Weed Eater.
