Derek Hough returns to Utah with Symphony of Dance

Derek Hough is bringing “Symphony of Dance — Encore” to Salt Lake City, with performances at the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theatre on June 26 and 27. The production blends multiple dance styles with a deeply personal story rooted in his wife Hayley’s n

SALT LAKE CITY — Derek Hough’s feet hit the floor like they already belong there.

Utahn and award-winning dancer/choreographer Derek Hough is bringing his latest production home to the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City. The show is “Symphony of Dance — Encore. ” and Hough said it carries a particular weight because it’s not just another stop on a national tour—it’s a return to the place where he grew up.

“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. ” Hough 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’s also bringing something closer to home with the people onstage. Hough said the cast of dancers for this tour includes “literally some of the best dancers I have ever seen,” and that “actually, some of them are from Utah.”

“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,” he said.

What the audience will see isn’t just style after style. Hough described a show built to shift between energy and intimacy. with dance moving through Latin. jazz. rock and roll. contemporary and ballroom. There’s entertainment—laughter and comedy are part of the ride—but it’s also designed to land emotionally.

“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 tears, he said, come from a story tied directly to his family.

Hough described the emotional core as coming from the near-death experience of his wife and fellow dancer, Hayley. He explained it as a sudden turn: “one minute. they were dancing; the next. she collapsed.” Hayley was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. Yet Hough also said that months later, Hayley was dancing again.

He said the show’s personal thread includes their grief as well. Hough and Hayley 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 Hough said all of these parts come together in the 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.

Alongside the larger story, there’s also a new piece created for this production. Hough said he choreographed a new number that pays tribute 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.

The bigger backdrop, Hough suggested, is how popular prime time dance shows helped move dance into the mainstream. He credited his family and the dancers around him—including his sister Julianne and fellow dancers—for bringing more visibility to the art form.

“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.”

For this run through Utah, Hough framed the tour as a blend of gratitude and joy: doing what he loves while 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.

Derek Hough Symphony of Dance — Encore Salt Lake City Eccles Theatre Utah Hayley Hough traumatic brain injury Tribeca Film Festival Everley Dancing with the Stars