Strictly judge Shirley Ballas praises son Mark for groundbreaking same-sex tango

According to OK!, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas, the stars behind Dancing With The Stars’ most recent season 33 finale, performed a same-sex tango. One of the most-watched finale dances, Tango Bardo’s rendition of Libertango has since become one of their performances. Derek and his family used to compete on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, but he now serves on the panel. However, their friendship dates back to childhood, having attended the same college and even formed a pop group together.

Cheryl and Derek reportedly dated each other when they collaborated on the music video for her song “Parachute” in 2010. Speaking at a BBC Worldwide Dancing With The Stars event, Derek told Mail Online: “We dated for a while. Absolutely we are still friends, we are still very close”.

But Mark and Derek have been the subject of constant attention since their iconic Tango performance. Derek said, “Tonight, my buddy Mark Ballas and I are going to be bringing you a little ballroom history by dancing an Argentine Tango the way it was originally intended with two male dancers.”

The Argentine Tango is intended to be a man and a woman’s intimate, embracing moment, Mark continued, “This is going to be a dance between two men.” There’s going to be more masculine energy there”.

Strictly Come Dancing’s very own judge, Shirley Ballas, couldn’t contain her excitement as she took to Instagram to praise her son’s stunning Argentine Tango on Dancing with the Stars. With a following of 352, 000, Shirley gushed: “Super proud of my boys”, tagging the talented duo Mark and Derek.

She added: “Huge congratulations on this phenomenal Argentine Tango. In all my lifetime, I have never witnessed anything so unique. I can’t stop watching… enjoy. X @dancingwiththestars”.

The post quickly became a hub for fans ‘ admiration, with comments flooding in to echo Shirley’s sentiments. One admirer remarked: “So special to see it danced by two men as it was originally. Stunning performance”.

Another chimed in with: “Absolutely beautiful. So powerful”, and yet another said: “Derek and Mark were absolutely mesmerizing! Two incredible dancers lit up the stage and created a flame-spinning horde.

Some UK fans expressed their desire to witness such a spectacle closer to home on Strictly, with one suggesting: “Please can you get them to come perform on Strictly!”! and another eagerly agreeing: “Can they come here to perform on our strictly. What a performance”!

Similar same-sex pairings have made waves on the dance floor before, as did Nyle DiMarco and Keo Motsepe in 2016. Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson were the first female couple to ever grace DWTS history.

Source: Mirror