Interview with Corky Ballas for the Huffington Post
Interview with Corky Ballas, 'Father' of Dancing With The Stars
Interview with Corky Ballas, ‘Father’ of Dancing With The Stars
As he was gearing up for the intensive rehearsal schedule that Dancing With The Stars demands with new celebrity partner Florence Henderson, Corky Ballas spoke with me and shared his excitement about the new season and being back on the show. The last time Corky competed was on Season 7 with Cloris Leachman. Corky, the father of dancer Mark Ballas and adopted father of dancers Julianne and Derek Hough, has also trained many of the professional dancers on the show over the years, which makes him – in a very real way – the ‘Father’ of Dancing With The Stars.
Corky grew up in a total dance environment. His father, George Ballas Sr., owned and operated the largest dance studio in the world, Dance City USA, located in Houston. Corky’s mother was a famed Flamenco Dancer who appeared in many films and studied with Carmen Amaya. Corky started out on the dance floor at the age of six, and when Saturday Night Fever hit, he became a complete fanatic for couples dancing. “I was kind of born into it, that’s true,” he agreed. “The great John Travolta is responsible for getting me into the dance business because I used to go to all those disco competitions, every night I had a disco partner.”
When the disco fad eventually died out, Corky wanted to continue with competitive dancing. He decided to tackle International Latin Style Dancing at the ripe old age of 22. “They said, oh you’re too old, you have to start when you’re six, so you know what? I said I’m going to start now and see what happens…I went at it full blast.” He became the undefeated U.S. International Latin Champion, not once, but seven times.
Corky’s primed and ready for the 11th Season of Dancing With The Stars, which had the second highest audience in primetime last season (American Idol was the only show rated higher). “It’s always exciting at the start of a season,” he said. “It’s great to be on the show again.” How does it feel to see the show get to its 11th Season? “I think it’s amazing – I’ve always said that the dance business as we know it has been a sleeping giant. The reason I say that is you see gold medal athletes, football players, struggle, you know, and just because we’re in rhinestones and tails, that doesn’t mean we’re not athletic.” Corky believes that part of the show’s massive appeal is that “we all have our moments in the shower…people can see themselves inside of these celebrities trying to learn how to dance.” Read More….
