Corky Ballas

Mark Alexander "Corky" Ballas, Sr. (born December 25, 1960 in Houston, Texas) is a retired competitive ballroom dancer who holds several Latin dance championship titles.

Personal life
His father, George Ballas, was the inventor of the Weed Eater lawn-trimming device.

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

He had LASIK.

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. They retired in 1996.

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

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.

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

Links

 * His Official Website
 * His Twitter Page