After ‘DWTS’ Season 35, Mark Ballas Would Love His Wife BC Jean to Be His Next Celebrity Partner

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Mark Ballas likes to take things day by day.

The Dancing With the Stars professional dancer appeared on seasons five through 22 consecutively, popped back in for season 25, then took a break before appearing on season 31 with Charli D’Amelio. Ballas then returned for last year’s 34th season to compete with Whitney Leavitt, and is back on the pro dancer cast for season 35.

There’s no method to how he decides when the timing is right for him to appear on DWTS. “It’s all about timing, and obviously if the show wants to have me, and where I’m at creatively,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Last year, his partnership with the former Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star was so shiny it led to their box-office breaking stint on Broadway in Chicago together. Since season 34, Ballas hasn’t had a moment to slow down, going on to judge the DWTS spinoff The Next Pro.

He also made an appearance on Emmy juggernaut The Traitors, where he met his season 35 celebrity partner Maura Higgins. When asked about what his future with DWTS could look like, Ballas doesn’t have many concrete answers: Would he join a potential second season of The Next Pro? “If the timing feels right and everything’s in line with my family, and it makes sense, then sure,” Ballas responds.

Would he join the main DWTS judging panel in the future? “I’d have to see,” he says. “I’m a very take it day-by-day person.”

One question he has a sure answer for is what celebrity he’d potentially want to do another season of DWTS with: His wife, singer-songwriter BC Jean. “That would be a riot,” he says.

Below, Ballas opens up about the growth of DWTS over the years; his partnership with Leavitt that expanded all the way to Broadway (and if she’s asked him to film for her new Hulu reality show); season 35 with Higgins; and how he balances his career as a musician and dancer.

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You were a judge on the first season of The Next Pro. Because of that, I wondered if you would want to return as a pro after moving into that judging slot. You’ve judged before, but what specifically made you want to come back as a pro for season 35?

I don’t know if there’s anything specific. They are two different shows. Next Pro is about finding a new pro and judging based on if the contestants have all the bits and bobs, as you would say, to be a pro on the show, because it’s more than being a dancer. There’s lots of nuance to being a pro. So I don’t look at them as the same. I’ve only guest judged once. I love the creative part of the show. That’s what makes it fun. That’s kind of been my life for so long. And one of the big reasons for me going back last season was excitement for my son to see me do what I’ve dedicated my life to. He’s only three, but he can watch the show and he’s like, “Oh my God, dada!” So it’s a big part of it, and constantly loving the new challenges and creativity. It’s pretty straightforward, simple as that, really.

There’s been speculation about whether The Next Pro would come back and do another season. If they do a second season and asked you to come back as a judge, is that something that you would be interested in?

I don’t know if they’re doing a second season yet. I’ve had no confirmation of that. But yeah, again, if the timing feels right and everything’s in line with my family, and it makes sense, then sure. It was a fun experience.

Last season, your partnership with Whitney sparked such a huge conversation while you were competing on the show. What was it like going from that season where your partnership sparked so much conversation, so much so that it laid the foundation for you to extend your professional relationship all the way to Broadway for Chicago?

Yeah, I think that whole thing was just very serendipitous. It kind of just organically happened. When we did the Chicago number on [DWTS], you had to pick a song that had been previously used on the show. We got a list, and you had to grab one from there. We were at the time in the competition where Argentine tango felt right. So then when “Cell Block Tango” popped up, it was like, “That’s a great option.” And then Whitney already had auditions lined up for Chicago, and I had been talking to Chicago in the past, because I’ve done other Broadway shows too. I did Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots. I did my theater training in England, and that was kind of where I started in the industry. I did some other musicals in the U.K. It’s another big part of my life, and Chicago is one of my all-time favorite shows, so it all honestly was so organic.

We did that number, and she did so well. She had her audition. Obviously, her audition went really well. She booked that role, and then I got called in for an audition too. It went well as well, and it just so happened the timing worked out. There was a time where potentially we weren’t going to do [Chicago] together because of Next Pro, but it ended up working out. We had such a laugh doing the show, and Chicago is kind of Broadway royalty of a show, so it was a huge honor.

It was just announced that Whitney is getting her own reality show. Has she asked you to film anything for it? And if not, if she did ask, would you do that?

I’m not going to spill her business. (Laughs.)

You and Maura were on The Traitors ahead of Dancing With the Stars season 35. What has the experience been like taking on two massive shows back to back together?

It’s been fun. Me and Maura had a great time in the castle. That whole experience was so great. Traitors is unlike anything I’ve ever done. Imagine going over to your friend’s house and playing Mafia, and it doesn’t end for three weeks. (Laughs.) I remember in the castle, Maura being like, “I would love to do Dancing With the Stars one day.” Again, another one of those things: If you’d asked me at the time when we were shooting Traitors if I would be on a season of Dancing with one of my castmates, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Again, another one of those unexpected, cool things that happen.

Grammy Night is particularly special because you are a musician yourself. At this point in your career, how do you balance both the music and dance sides of your career?

Well, it’s funny you ask that, because my wife and I are in the middle of creating a new record, an album. We’ve been working on it since our son was born, so it’s been a work in progress. We’ve gotten, I’d say, half of it done, which is pretty cool, but it is hard to do both. When we’re in season, all the focus goes into [DWTS]. But we’re close to the end now, and once this is done, [we’ll] probably take a little bit of a break and reopen the record and see where it’s at, see if we’re still feeling it, and make any changes we need to, and get ready to release songs pretty soon. We got some really good ones that we’re very excited about, but we’ve written so many. We’re constantly changing our board, or our track listing. Some go on, some go off.

Your wife has made a few appearances in the ballroom this year, singing live vocals for you and Maura. What has it been like having her in the ballroom?

It’s been great. She sang on the show a couple times in the past, which has been cool. When she came on to sing “Black Velvet,” that was kind of a happy accident, because our original singer, Travis Garland, made it pretty far on America’s Got Talent, and the show overlaps. So last minute, BC [Jean] stepped in to save the day. It’s kind of a cool out-of-body experience to be hearing her voice as I’m performing, and there’s a sense of love and home and comfort there. We had her sing on the Lost Boys song as well for Halloween Night, which is really good. She’s my favorite-sounding voice ever. It’s a really, really, really cool moment.

Looking at the growth and spike in popularity that Dancing With the Stars has experienced over the past few years, you are somebody who has been around from the very early seasons; is there anything you can pinpoint that has been the biggest change in the show over the years?

It’s kind of like anything, really. It just evolves. The production, the way it moves, the content of it all is just bigger. It’s really, really grown, and it’s pretty cool to see new people getting into the show for the first time. It’s pretty wild. But the heartbeat of the show is the same. It’s still about ballroom dancing, and predominantly the 10 ballroom dances, which are waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep, Viennese waltz, cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso and jive, and then there’s a couple of speciality dances in there. At the end of the day, what started the whole thing is, it’s a ballroom show. Ballroom dancing is such a niche thing, but it brings so many people together. And if you’re fortunate enough to go deep into the show, it’s something that you’ll take with you forever.

Who do you think would be more likely to become a Dancing With the Stars permanent judge first, you or your mother, Shirley Ballas?

I have no idea. She’s already a judge on Strictly. That would be difficult to do both, but Len [Goodman] did it for so long. So did Bruno [Tonioli]. I have no idea what the intentions are with the panel. I think the panel is pretty set.

In the future, would you be open to potentially becoming a permanent Dancing With the Stars judge one day?

I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’d have to see. I’m a very take it day-by-day person. Honestly, I don’t think ahead like that. I’d have to see if it came along. I enjoyed guest judging. The Next Pro was really fun. I think I’ve done the show for long enough that I could give good feedback and advice for contestants. But, again, that’s totally out of my hands.

What is your favorite part of a full week in Dancing With the Stars: the choreography, teaching/rehearsing, dress rehearsal or the live show day?

Probably that feeling when you’ve got the routine down to music. Because the teaching part and the choreography, it’s a lot of trial and error, and it takes time, it takes nuance. But that feeling when you get your partner through it the first time to music and seeing how excited they are, if it goes well, that’s a pretty cool feeling as a coach. The live show was super fun, but there’s nothing like that first initial reaction, like, “I did it,” you know what I mean?

Do you have a favorite number that you’ve ever choreographed for the show?

Oof, no, it’s too hard to pick one.

Is there anything that pops out?

I mean, Charli [D’Amelio]’s Viennese waltz was a really special one. There was a lot going on that week, and it was also, I think, one of the last dances I got to do for Len, too. And it was very traditional, which was what he loved.

At this point, do you have a dream celebrity dance partner that you would like to potentially do the show with?

(Laughs.) I don’t know; my wife and I always joke, I’d love to do it with her. That’d be so fun. I mean, I don’t know. Maybe the record blows up enough at some point. We could do that together. That would be a riot. That would be that fun.

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Season 35 of DWTS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m., simulcasting across ABC and Disney+, and streaming the next day on Hulu. Read all of THR‘s DWTS coverage here.