Last night, Stephens Auditorium was packed with an audience of all ages for Derek and Julianne Hough’s “Move- Beyond” tour. The brother and sister of “Dancing With the Stars” fame and their company took to the stage for a show that featured “inspiration pulled from the elements- earth, wind, fire and water,” according to Julianne Hough’s official website. 

The show started with a not-so standard welcome, with the pre-recorded announcer encouraging audience members to take photos and videos. After a rousing applause, the metal boxes onstage began to light up, and Julianne and Derek Hough appeared in futuristic white and bronze costumes, moving slowly as the song built and their company came onstage. 

When the bass dropped, the show really began. The Hough’s energy when dancing with one another and with members of their company filled the auditorium, and the audience responded to the impressive tricks and interactions from the Hough’s. The duo then split to perform numbers with the male and female dancers, with Derek and the girls dancing to The Weeknd and Julianne and the guys performing an upbeat dance to Demi Lovato’s “Confident,” songs that fit their onstage flair just right. 

The group mostly performed dances together, with Derek and Julianne only ever performing quick solos or duets with another member of the company. A series of dances told a story of survival, or being in “cages of our own design” and featured songs like “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, “The Greatest” by Sia and “Human” by Christina Perri, which Julianne sang onstage during the show.

While the theme of elements was present in that particular series of dances, the finale of the first half, where the company performed dances with an old Hollywood theme, had a more personal meaning to it. When Derek Hough introduced those dances, he talked about his inspirations growing up were Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, and how he would watch Kelly’s iconic dance to the titular song in “Singin’ in the Rain” at his grandparent’s house. The dances were a tribute to their grandfather, who passed away last year. 

The first act closed out with dances to big band standards and vocal jazz, and even a sibling dance-off with tongue-in-cheek lyrics about sibling rivalry set to the tune of popular Disney songs. The crowd was on their feet before the intermission lights came up. 

One of the highlights of the night was the amount of interaction the Hough’s had with the audience. When Derek asked for an audience volunteer for something, he scoured the crowd until he landed in front of an elderly woman named Theresa. He led her onstage where he and the male dancers performed a routine to “It Had to Be You”, with Derek singing the song to Theresa. It was a sweet moment in the show and a fun memory for those who attended, and Theresa was quite excited to be serenaded by Derek Hough in front of the crowd at Stephens. 

Overall, the Move- Beyond tour was a lively and fun experience for both the performers and the audience, full of high energy and talent to the brim. While the tour may be moving beyond Ames after tonight, the enthusiastic crowd that filled Stephens Auditorium may want to welcome the Hough’s back in case another tour rolls around.