Derek Hough Just Broke an Emmys Record

Whoever said dancing wasn’t a career lied, and Dancing With the Stars staple Derek Hough just proved such with his recent Emmy nomination sweep. Deadline reports he now holds the title for the most Emmy nominations for choreography, earning his 13th nomination on July 12 for  the routine “Higher,” which was performed on last season’s Dancing with the Stars on Disney+. Before Hough, the multihyphenate Debbie Allen, who has 12 Emmy nominations, held the record. To date, Hough has Emmy awards. Hough spoke with Deadline about the significance of his recent nomination. “I’m so grateful for the platform and opportunity that Dancing with the Stars has given me and for the collaboration with so many people over the years to be able to experiment, learn and create choreography for a worldwide audience,” he said in a statement. “To be recognized by fellow choreographers that I’ve come to know and love and that have influenced me is an incredible honor that I don’t take for granted.”

The six-time mirror ball champion returns this forthcoming season as a judge, while the show returns to broadcast on ABC for its 32nd season. He’s also kicking off his “A Symphony of Dance” tour on September 28 in Las Vegas, making stops in other major cities, including Los Angeles and New York City. When speaking with PopCulture, Hough spoke on the reality dance competition series’ staying power, and how he’s used dance as education.

“For me, dance is, I believe is in all of us. It really is. I think that before we could walk or crawl, you know, put music on and babies bob around. It’s in us. It’s in our bodies, it’s in our DNA, and I think somewhere along the line, we forget about dancing or just forget the word dance, moving. Freedom of movement. I just love being a part of a show that gives an opportunity for people to rediscover or to reclaim this part of themselves, this awareness of their body and how to move it,” he said in part.

He added: “I think it’s extraordinary. The show couldn’t be around for 31 seasons unless it was tapping into something into the audience at home…It’s really cool to see Super Bowl champions and these amazing athletes and gymnasts or Grammy Award winners or Oscar winners or just people from all different walks of life, love and appreciate dance.”