Mark Ballas Explains His Decision to Return to DANCING WITH THE STARS

In a new interview with PEOPLE, professional dancer Mark Ballas, who recently made his Broadway debut as Frankie Valli in JERSEY BOYS, explains his decision to return to ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS for the show's 25th season after a two year hiatus.

"There were aspects of it I missed, like getting to be creative and using that part of my skill set and brain," explains the Mirror Ball champ. "I like coming up with my own material. Doing Broadway was amazing, but you're singing someone else's words and doing someone else's choreography and it's the same every night. Here you get to do your own thing and change it up every week. It's been an insane year for [wife BC Jean] and I between getting married, Broadway and the national tour of Jersey Boys, and then our own tour and putting together our upcoming EP. But the timing really worked out."

Asked to describe his ideal celebrity dance partner on the show, he offers, "It's a mixture of things. Dancing is not the be all and end all. People can come on with dance experience and fans freak out saying, "That's not fair!" But dance ability has nothing to do with who is going to win. It's about having a connection and a willingness to learn. If you have a partner who really knows what they're getting themselves in for and are willing to listen and work hard - and most importantly a trust between you - then all you need is a little spark of skill or natural talent and you're going to go far. If you're lucky enough to tick all the boxes, that's when there's a match made in heaven."

Read the interview in full here.

DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 25 premieres on ABC on September 18th. The celebrity cast will be revealed on GOOD MORNING AMERICA on September 6th. Yesterday, the list of professional dancers who will appear on the show was announced. Click here for details.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos