Dancing with the Stars champion Derek Hough reflects on family, loss and healing before Albany show

Performer, choreographer and "Dancing with the Stars" judge Derek Hough is taking his show on the road - and his whole family, too. Hough's "Symphony of Dance: Encore," which arrives Tuesday in Albany, features a star turn for his wife, Hayley Erbert Hough, and their seven-month-old daughter, Everley Capri, is along for the ride.

"This was a good test for us, to see, ‘Hey, can we tour with a baby?' and so far the answer is a resounding yes," the new dad said in a recent interview. "She's great on the bus; she sleeps great. She's our little rainbow baby."

If You Go

Derek Hough - Symphony of Dance: Encore

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Palace Theatre, 19 Clinton Ave., Albany

Tickets: $53.35 and up

More info: 465-4663 or palacealbany.org

The term refers to a child born after a miscarriage, which the Houghs experienced in 2024. That wasn't the only health challenge the couple has faced in recent years: After they bumped heads during a December 2023 performance of the original "Symphony of Dance," Hayley collapsed backstage and subsequently underwent brain surgery for a subdural hematoma. Her healing journey is the subject of a documentary film released last month.

"She's incredible, what she's gone through and overcome, her resilience and courage," Hough said of his wife. "Watching her dance on stage is remarkable. It's just a miracle, really." 

The two met in 2014 when Hough and his sister, dancer Julianne Hough, hired Erbert for their "Move Live on Tour" production. That led to Hayley's seven-season run as a professional dancer on "Dancing with the Stars," alongside Derek, who was a pro on the series from 2007 to 2016. 

In 2020, he returned to the show as a judge - a role he gently pokes fun at in "Encore." 

"I wrote a whole song about being a judge on the show and how we don't always get it right," the six-time Mirrorball winner explained. "It's a big Broadway number with the dancing and the paddles, and I get somebody [from the audience] out on the stage with me." 

Co-choreographed by Hough and the duo Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo (known as NappyTabs), "Encore" runs the gamut from salsa and ballroom to tap and hip hop, with a live band performing classics like "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," "Twist and Shout," and "Singin' in the Rain," which pays homage to Gene Kelly, one of Hough's idols. 

While music has always provided the spark of inspiration for his dance-making - Hough says he can see the color of a song and feel its temperature - "Encore" is also driven by emotion. Through both movement and narrative, the 41-year-old Emmy Award winner tackles big topics like love, loss and fatherhood.

"I get very vulnerable, telling my stories and dancing them," he shared. "We have a lot of energy, we rock out, it's fun, it's comedy, but I always want people to feel connected in some way emotionally. I think people come to the show expecting one thing and leave feeling something different."

Hough has always recognized the power of dance to ignite transformation. As a child, the Utah native channeled his "bouncing off the walls" energy into dance and music classes. (He plays piano, guitar, drums and bass, skills he uses in "Encore.") In his decade on "Dancing with the Stars," he saw how dance could help people "reconnect to a part of themselves they've forgotten or didn't realize they had … We're connecting to this primal part of ourselves and doing it with sequins and rhinestones." 

One of his favorite memories is dancing with Amy Purdy, a Paralympian who lost her legs at age 19. The pair ultimately came in second, and in her memoir Purdy credited Hough with helping her overcome performance anxiety by tapping into gratitude.

The popularity of "Dancing with the Stars" has exploded in recent years, thanks to a spike among younger viewers, who dissect each dance on social media. (A spinoff, "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro," premiered this month, with Hough serving as a guest judge and mentor for a group of dancers vying for a spot on the series.) But he says the heart of the show remains the same.

"It's become water-cooler television, but what's wonderful is the show essentially hasn't changed," he said. "You're seeing people put themselves out there and do something scary and vulnerable." 

Now Hough is doing just that with "Symphony of Dance: Encore." The symbol of the production is a rose, he said, and roses appear at pivotal moments throughout the show.

"It's a metaphor for life," he reflected. "There are the good times, and they're so beautiful and sweet, and the rose also has thorns, the difficulties and challenges. But it's all part of the story."

Subscribe

Read this story on timesunion.com