TV’s ‘Dancing’ stars excited to return to Wichita with new show

About three years ago, Derek and Julianne Hough opened their national “Move Live On Tour” at Park City’s Hartman Arena.

A sold-out crowd of Wichita-area fans packed the arena to see the “Dancing With the Stars” veterans perform a show they’d been rehearsing for only about five weeks.

Times have changed for the Houghs three years later.

Both are still busy – Derek is a judge for NBC’s “World of Dance” and Julianne is a judge for “Dancing With the Stars,” having recently filmed “Grease Live” and co-hosted the Miss USA pageant.

The Houghs are reprising their 2014 “Move Live” tour with the new and improved “Move – Beyond – Live on Tour,” which comes to Hartman Arena on Friday.

Julianne Hough, who said she’s excited to return to Wichita, promised a grand spectacle in a recent phone interview.

“For us, we’re always trying to raise our standards of what we can either throw together, because that’s our nature – going above and beyond what we’ve even been able to do in the past,” she said.

“It’s really more than just a ‘rock concert for dance,’ ” she said, referencing her 2014 comments about the “Move Live” tour. “It’s almost like a Vegas show as far as the production value.”

This time, the tour’s not starting in Park City, which means it will be thoroughly polished by the time it gets here, she said.

“It’s actually nice that we’re coming halfway through our tour – we’re sort of in a good rhythm now, and we’ve worked out the kinks,” Hough said. “Everybody coming to see the show will be like ‘They know what they’re doing; they’re good.’ ”

Hough said the show is “very high-energy and fun.”

“Hopefully, it’s super-inspiring for young dancers but also for those that want to ... be entertained by dancing and singing,” she said. “There’s something there for everybody.”

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "TV’s ‘Dancing’ stars excited to return to Wichita with new show."