- Derek Hough is bringing "Symphony of Dance - Encore" to Salt Lake City.
- The show features diverse dance styles and personal stories of Hough's life.
- Hough highlights Utah dancers and emotional moments in the show.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahn and award-winning dancer/choreographer Derek Hough is bringing his latest production home to Salt Lake City.
The precision, the energy and the showmanship — Derek Hough is bringing his "Symphony of Dance — Encore" to the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City.
Hough said bringing the show to the Eccles Theatre feels special.
"Especially this theater. The Eccles Theatre is such a beautiful, beautiful theater, and when I come back, there is just a moment of just reflection of my journey … how far I've come, traveling to London and the training, the hours, what I've accomplished," he said. "To come back home to Utah, in a city where I grew up, and to be on that stage, is extraordinary. It's always a pinch-me moment, something I never, ever take for granted."
He is particularly excited about who is coming with him.
"The cast of dancers that I have for this tour are literally some of the best dancers I have ever seen. They're extraordinary. And, actually, some of them are from Utah," Hough said. "They are home-grown from Utah. They are going to have their home shows in Utah. I can't wait for them to experience that stage, that feeling."
The show, he said, features many dance styles: Latin, jazz, rock and roll, contemporary and ballroom, but it also tells a personal story.
"You're having fun, we're laughing, it's such a good time. There's comedy in it, but there's also a lot of emotion and a lot of tears," Hough said.
The emotion that comes from telling the story of his wife and fellow dancer's, Hayley's, near-death experience with a brain bleed. He described it as: one minute, they were dancing; the next, she collapsed. She was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. However, months later, Hayley was dancing again.
They also share their loss of a baby by miscarriage before the joy of the birth of their daughter, Everley.
A documentary detailing their lives premiered recently at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. And all of this, they share in their new show.
"It's an emotional and very vulnerable moment, but it's a moment that we hope to connect with the audience in a really powerful way," Hough said.
Hough choreographed a new number for this production. It's a tip of his hat to "Dancing with the Stars."
"I have somebody come up on stage, and they guest judge with me. It's this really fun, elaborate, talking about what it's like to be a judge and eventually turning our guest into a judge themselves," he said.
Popular prime time dance shows have brought the art of dance into the mainstream. Hough, his sister Julianne and their fellow dancers certainly helped shine a light on the art form they love.
"When I grew up, it wasn't the coolest thing to be a dancer, right?" he said. "We've been able to show what dance is, not just from an art form but the athleticism, the challenging aspect of it, the storytelling … it's been a pleasure, and it's been amazing."
Derek Hough said this national tour is filled with joy and gratitude for his family and doing what he loves: taking the art of dance to new heights.
"Symphony of Dance — Encore" will have two shows at the Eccles Theatre in downtown Salt Lake on June 26 and 27.
