HOUGH’LL HUFF AND HE’LL PUFF
AND HE’LL BLOW YOU AWAY
For those of you who’ve somehow missed all of the 31 seasons of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, two of the male dancers have crossed over from mere participants to celebrity status, on and off the show. Dark, handsome Maksim “Maks” Chmerkovskiy earned a reputation as the bad boy of dance, the only one to express clear and direct frustration with the judges instead of deference. Conversely, blonde, sweet–mannered Derek Hough never stopped flashing his boyish Mormon-raised smile. His golly-gosh wholesomeness earned him crushes from teen girls nationwide, despite plenty of sensuality when he hit the actual dance floor. America tuned in, over and over, to watch these two outstanding dancers impress with such different styles, with favorites being chosen between these two polar opposites – much like Gilligan Island‘s Ginger vs. Maryann debate of the 1960s.
Hough isn’t a fresh-faced youngster anymore, but if he’s feeling his 39 years, it isn’t showing in his moves. His performance at the Rady Shell on May 19, surrounded by nine others as young as 19, proved that Hough is as capable and riveting as ever.
The evening’s performance — the final show of Hough’s 2023 tour — was a reschedule from December because, only days before the show. Derek’s wife, Hayley Erbert Hough, who was supposed to be in that show, was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma due a burst blood vessel and had to undergo a craniectomy, a surgery that removes a portion of the skull. Not only was the surgery a success, but amazingly, in April, she announced a return to the tour. As a result, the show was changed to have each Derek and Hayley talk about their experiences at times and tie their personal growth into some of the material. Before ever talking about the stresses the newlyweds endured, early on, after a great solo by Hayley, Derek yells, “How great does Ashley look with the new short hair?” – yielding a big cheer from the crowd who understood the implication.
One of the best parts of a Derek Hough show is the great variety of dance that he brings. Ballroom is central, but experimental freestyle choreography by both Derek and NappyTabs (the Emmy-winning choreography team of Napolean and Tabitha Dumo who are behind much of the show) has its place as well. For instance, a memorable number toward the beginning included a group interpretive dance of George Thorogood’s rock classic, “Bare to the Bones.” But ballroom moves are prominently featured, with that number quickly followed up by a sharp, atypical pasa doble, yet containing the key qualities that apply to that dance. One of the night’s highlights was a remarkable tango where Derek and Hayley are in constant motion about the stage while three pairs of other dancers keep winding long stretches of red fabric around them, almost like a double-dutch jump rope feeling. Amazing how the intricacies of the dance were kept while being challenged by the fabric always seemed to be in their way until the very last second.
While Maks’s show, which I caught a couple of years back, was certainly an exciting display of dance, Hough is a master showman. Symphony of Dance almost feels more like a Vegas variety show that happens to focus mostly on dance than simply “a dance show.” During one bit of choreography from his excellent corps of dancers during “Moondance,” I was surprised to realize that we were not hearing a voice track; it was Derek singing from upstage; until then, I thought it was probably Michael Bublé on tape. Later, he took the guitar up, a surprise since it’s known that he was a drummer previous to dancing. The show also yields plenty of comedic moments as he plays wonderfully off the others, often giving them full permission to upstage him with their talents, like one fellow who is a borderline contortionist. At times, it feels like vaudeville burlesque, and then, a moment later, we move right on to a worthy jive tribute to Tina Turner.
His interaction with the audience is commendable. He brought about eight audience members on stage, had them all rest their heads on each others’ shoulders in a line, and then ran across the stage leaping over the lot of them. Later, he did a run around a huge section of the audience during an instrumental within Chuck Berry’s 1958 “Johnny B. Goode,” seeming to get back to the stage exactly when he needed to spin his partner to complete the routine.
It was quite the celebration with Ashley’s return, perhaps most triumphant in their tango to The Police’s hit “Roxanne.” Ms. Hough is hardly just riding her more-famous husband’s coattails. She pulled off a full 360-degree, legs-over-head pivot so slowly at one point that it seemed to defy gravity. After all their medical trauma this year, it seemed apropos that the two closed their duo time together with Coldplay’s “Fix You.” She also pulled off an astounding number of costume changes in the two hours.
Derek became understandingly sentimental in a tribute to the late dancer, trainer, and ballroom judge, Len Goodman. Len was infamous, in his 20+ seasons on Dancing with the Stars, for criticizing couples for adding too much flair to win audiences over at the expense of doing the steps as required. Derek ended his dedication with a routine he created for Len, promising no gimmicks and no funny stuff — just a simple waltz, as Len would have liked. Even scaled down to the basics, Derek and Ashley, together in motion, are a thing of beauty.
top four photos © Derek Hough Media
bottom two photos taken by the author
Symphony Of Dance
Derek Hough
presented by San Diego Symphony
reviewed in San Diego at the Rady Shell on May 19, 2024
for Derek’s tour info, visit www.DerekHough.com
