Derek Hough

Emmy Award–winning and New York Times best-selling author Derek Hough started dancing in his hometown of Salt Lake City, UT, at age 11. One year later he moved to London to live and train with top dance coaches and attend the Italia Conti performing arts school, where he studied theatre, music, and dance.

As a four-time Emmy Award winner and 13-time nominee, Hough holds the record for most choreography nominations in Television Academy history. He has appeared in film, television, and stage projects as an actor. He made his feature film debut in Make Your Move (director Duane Adler, producer Robert Cort) and had recurring roles on the ABC series Nashville and in High School Musical: The Musical for Disney+. His stage performances include Radio City Music Hall’s Spring Spectacular co-starring Laura Benanti and the production of Footloose, in which he starred as the male lead in London’s West End. In December 2016, Hough starred with Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Martin Short, and Harvey Fierstein in NBC’s Hairspray Live!

As part of the 34th season of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars, Hough is on the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno. A six-time champion in the franchise, Hough previously performed on the show as a pro-dancer. His mirror ball wins came with celebrity partners including:
- Brooke Burke
- Jennie Garth
- Ricki Lake
- Nicole Scherzinger
- Jennifer Grey
- Kellie Pickler
- Amber Riley
- Amy Purdy
- Bindi Irwin

In May 2017, Hough joined Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo at the judges' table for the NBC series World of Dance. He was part of the show for four seasons. World of Dance featured solo artists, duos, and crews across genres such as hip hop, tap, ballet, break dancing, and ballroom, competing for a million-dollar prize.

Hough is also a best-selling author. His memoir, Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion, was published in August 2014 and was named to the New York Times Best Seller list during two non-consecutive time periods.

Tours and residencies:
- Derek Hough Dance for the Holidays (launched November 2024) — visited 40 cities.
- Derek Hough Symphony of Dance — second solo tour with stops in 60 cities across the United States and Canada.
- Derek Hough Live: The Tour (2019).
- MOVE Live on Tour with his sister Julianne — performed in 50 cities; in 2015 they toured again, selling out scores of venues on a 47-city outing. In 2017 they performed a sold-out tour of 48 cities with Move – Beyond – Live on Tour.
- Derek Hough: No Limit residency at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas (2021 and 2022), a dance-centric show that takes Fans on a journey through a fusion of dance and music, exploring styles from ballroom and tap to salsa and hip-hop.