Derek Hough is bringing his Symphony of Dance tour to Rochester next month, with a July 25 performance at Kodak Center that puts his live show in front of local fans instead of a television audience. Tickets for the show are on sale now, and Hough says the night is built for the kind of connection that only happens in the room.
Hough told News 8's Gio Battaglia for Behind the Curtain that touring gives him a direct line to the people who come to see him. He described the experience as a shared one that television cannot replicate, saying that when he is on the road he sees people up close, hears their stories and gets a reaction that changes from night to night depending on who is in the seats. He said people of all ages have joined him on stage in past performances, which is part of why the show is designed to stay loose and interactive rather than fixed from start to finish.
That matters for Rochester audiences because Symphony of Dance is not just a dance set. Hough said it moves through several genres and is shaped like a symphony, with sections inspired by brass, wind, strings and percussion. He also said the production includes a Broadway-style number tied to his role as a judge on Dancing with the Stars, which gives the tour a familiar TV link even as he pushes it away from the studio setting that made him a household name.
The show also includes a new emotional routine set to So Small, and Hough said the piece reflects major moments in his life, including marriage, his wife Hayley Erbert's health scare and the couple becoming parents. He said the song, written by Mark Ballas and BC Jean, was arranged with a more orchestral feel for the tour, turning a personal story into part of the night’s larger structure. That is the part of the show that is likely to linger after the applause fades, because it gives the performance a center beyond the choreography.
There is still a gap in what Rochester fans will see: the show includes a new cast, but Hough did not identify who will be on stage in this run. That leaves the July 25 performance as the first real look at how the tour’s new pieces fit together live, and whether the most personal material lands the way he hopes. Behind the Curtain with Gio Battaglia airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on the RochesterFirst streaming app, but the next confirmed stop is already set — Kodak Center in Rochester, where Hough is trying to turn a television name into a live-room experience.
