Mark Ballas is a fast mover…on and off the dance floor.

Earlier this week, the one-time Dancing with the Stars champ stepped out with the new woman in his wife: American Idol‘s Joanna Pacitti. Although most people only recently became aware of Pacitti (primarily because of her dismissal from the reality competition), it turns out she and Mark have “been friends for a long time.”

At the premiere of the new Jonas Brothers movie, the 22-year-old showered praise on his new girlfriend. “She is the most supportive person in my life and she’s been great,” Ballas stated. “We get to spend a lot of time together [and] we do pretty much everything together.”

Pacitti also spoke warmly about the 22-year-old dancer/singer. “We both get each other and understand schedules and even on a musical level, I’ve never met someone that’s so passionate about music…that’s what I live for so it’s amazing to be with someone who gets it.”

According to the couple, the two started dating eight months ago. For those trying to do the math, that would mean Mark had moved on approximately a month after he and Sabrina Bryan split.