Both world renowned dancers and doting siblings, Derek and Julianne Hough took a unique approach to their recent dance performance on Dancing With The Stars, leaving their audience members with sharp feelings of heartache and searing emotions. The number was intended to publicly display the painful ramifications of their parents’ divorce, choosing to tell their heart-rendering story through their most expressive gift: dance.
The brother and sister took on an exceptionally intricate approach to their performance, utilizing various actors to portray both their parents and their childhood selves. The number began with the somber serving of divorce papers, prompting the man imitating the sibling’s father to toss the papers in a fit of rage. With that, the dark ballad “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors trickled into the venue as the camera panned to a vastly different scene housing the two dancers.
Amidst looks of distress and anguish, the brother and sister explosively leaped to the imitating children and adults, emotionally caressing their faces and desperately attempting to cling to the seemingly lifeless bodies. The siblings’ routine featured a montage of intricate leaps, flips, and aerial tricks. However, it was the raw emotion and signs of distress that captivated the audience and elicited tears from their viewers.
The dance reached its climactic twist when Julianne and Derek made their way onto the set’s staircase and the talented bombshell seemed to emulate jumping off. Her brother extended his hand and caught her falling body, allowing her to daringly lean off the edge of the prop and seemingly convey the heartbreaking concept of contemplating giving up in light of their emotional distress. As Derek pulled his sister from the ledge of the stairs, both stars immediately rushed to their childhood replicas and, after detaching them from their parents, brought them together to reconcile. As the performance closed with the children embracing, Derek and Julianne both scrambled to their onstage parents and, through tears and profound emotions, wrapped their arms around themselves to symbolize their unity.
You can experience this unbelievable number below.