'DWTS': Brandon Armstrong's track record and his training under show pro Mark Ballas
Going from troupe member to pro is undoubtedly a big deal for the 'Dancing With The Stars' professional dancers. It takes years of hard work and dedication to get to that level where you can finally perform on the main stage. Even then, the journey is far from easy as they have to ensure that they and their celebrity partner put on a great show.
For Brandon Armstrong, his run on Season 29 was cut short, seeing that his celebrity partner, Jeannie Mai had to leave the show because of her health. However, that has not deterred him, and he is back for Season 30, as he helps 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kenya Moore take a shot at the Mirrorball Trophy!
READ MORE
Who is Brandon Armstrong?
A 'DWTS' professional dancer, Amstrong was born and raised in California and then moved to Utah. He began dancing at the age of 12 and as per his 'Dancing With The Stars' bio, he trained under Mark Ballas, and his parents, Corky and Shirley Ballas. Mark Ballas is a household name for fans of the show, seeing that the dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, musician, and actor has been a part of the series right from Season 5 to Season 25 (save for Season 23 and 24).
Ballas is a two-time champion, having won Season 6 and 8, and made it to the top 3 a total of seven times during his run on the show. Having found a mentor in Ballas, Armstrong is trained in all styles including jazz, hip hop, and contemporary. He has also competed professionally in Latin Ballroom and has travelled across the world in order to do so. As per his' Dancing With The Stars' bio, he's been a part of 'Showstoppers' at the Wynn Hotel and 'Baz' at the Palazzo Hotel, both in Las Vegas.
His 'DWTS' track record
Armstrong joined the cast of the show as a troupe member back in Season 24. His big break came on Season 27 when he joined the show as a professional dancer. He competed with singer-songwriter Tinashe on that season and they placed 10th. He was back on Season 28, where he partnered with singer Mary Wilson. The team placed 12th. On Season 29, he was paired with TV personality, Jeannie Mai. Unfortunately, she had to leave the show due to health issues, causing them to place 9th.
Despite this, Amstrong was nothing but supportive and even took to Instagram to wish his then-teammate a speedy recovery.
He shared a photo of them on the main stage, alongside a caption which read "JEANNIE! I'm so sorry this happened to you! You don't deserve it! Your journey on this show was so special so unique and so inspiring! I loved EVERY SINGLE WEEK that we got to go through this together! I hope I helped give you an experience that you'll remember forever! We share a lot of good times, tough times and all the times in between but mainly, a lot of laughs! Mainly you laughing at me but hey I'll take it! 😂thank you for giving me such an amazing season! We will all be praying for a speedy recovery! ❤️ #teamdreamofjeannie always!"
Season 30 of 'Dancing With The Stars' premieres on September 20 at 8/7c on ABC. You can also stream the Episodes on abc.com and Hulu.