Entertainment

“Last dance”: Mark Ballas announces he’s leaving ‘Dancing with the Stars’

Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on March 13, 2023

“I’m coming to a close tonight, this is gonna be my last dance.”

That was the word from Dancing with the Stars hoofer Mark Ballas during Sunday night’s final performance of the DWTS tour.

The 20-season veteran’s words were captured by a fan at the Pearl Concert Theater at Las Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort when he took the crowd by surprise with the announcement.

“So, I just wanna finish by saying this will be the last time you see me dance in this capacity,” Ballas said.

“I’m coming to a close tonight. This is gonna be my last dance,” he noted before introducing his dance, a freestyle with his former TV partner, Charli D’Amelio.

“I’m not saying this will be the end, but this will be the last time I will be dancing with a partner, and I wanted to finish this with Charli,” the three-time Mirror Ball Trophy winner said.

Ballas made his debut on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in 2007, for season 5 of the long-running reality competition show. “I started this journey when I was 21, 22,” he began his address, adding, “Honestly, being able to dance and perform for you fans, you guys are the best fans.”