Derek Hough at Hard Rock Live Sacramento

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. Just one year later, he moved to London to live and train with the top dance coaches in the world and attend the prestigious Italia Conti performing arts school where he studied theatre, music, and dance.

As a three-time Emmy Award winner and 13-time nominee, Hough holds the record for most choreography nominations in Television Academy history. In 2020, Hough joined the hit ABC series, Dancing with the Stars as part of the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Toniolo. A multi-talented entertainer and the only six-time champion in franchise history, Hough had previously performed on the show as a pro-dancer. His mirror ball wins came with celebrity partners that included Brooke Burke, Jennie Garth, Ricki Lake, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, Amy Purdy and Bindi Irwin.

In May of 2017, Hough joined Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo at the judges table for the NBC series, World of Dance. The show, which he was part of for four seasons, launched as the highest rated summer show in over 10 years and was unparalleled dance competition that featured solo artists competing against duos and crews in all genres of dance, including hip hop, tap, ballet, break dancing, ballroom, and more competing for a million-dollar prize.