Many Dancing with the Stars fans were disappointed to learn that pro dancer Mark Ballas, a veteran of many seasons of the ABC competition reality show, will NOT be competing on the upcoming 23rd season.
But, according to Entertainment Tonight, Mark has an exciting reason for sitting out the Fall cycle. The ballroom dancer and singer is heading to Broadway!
A source tells ET that the 30-year-old dancer is actually moving to New York City this month where he’ll be living for a year, so that he can appear in a main role on Broadway’s hit show Jersey Boys. The musical tells the behind-the-scenes story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, the band responsible for such classics as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man.”
Mark hinted at new prospects on the horizon in a heartfelt letter posted to Instagram on Wednesday.
Previously, Mark played the lead role in the musical Copacabana, and also had a role in the U.K. National Tour of Maria de Buenos Aires.
Mark will be missed, but plenty of vets will be twirling stars on the dance floor when Dancing with the Stars season 23 premieres on ABC Monday September 12. Derek Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Cheryl Burke are all returning to the show after taking time off for other opportunities. Click to check out the full cast list.