tour – Elizabeth Joy Hadley

You guys, last week I had such a good week! On Wednesday, I went down to Salt Lake City and picked up my Mom at the airport and then we went to see Derek Hough and his wife Hayley on tour!

We were so excited! I bought these tickets the day they went on sale, so it was a long time coming!

Since we had VIP tickets we had to get to the theatre early, so we could check in and then go back stage!

We waited to take our picture with Derek and Hayley and then went to the Question and Answer session!

I was able to ask Derek a question, and I just wanted to share his answer with you, because it was amazing. I asked him how he deals with and handles negative comments about him on social media, or over email. As a morning news anchor, I get comments all the time towards me, and I asked him how he handles it.

Derek said that at first he would take those comments to heart, but then he started to realize that when people would said hurtful and negative things to him, he began to realize that says more about the people saying it, than it does about him. He said he began to have empathy for them, and recognizing that they are missing something from their own lives if they feel the need to reach out to you to say their negative comments. So in case you needed to hear that, there you go.

I LOVE this picture so much! The true happiness on my face can’t be beat!

After the VIP session we went to the Cheesecake Factory for a quick dinner and then headed back to the theatre for the show! We had about two hours in between the VIP session and the show!

Our seats were in the second row, right on the aisle! I turned around and this is the view!

Derek’s show was called ‘The Symphony of Dance’ and I have seen Derek in every show he has ever done, and to be honest, they have all been AMAZING! But, there was just something so special about this one. It had so much heart behind it.

The Symphony of Dance, in my opinion, was a metaphor, for the journey of life. There will be ups and downs and highs and lows, but overall it’s the journey that you remember. I loved that so much!

The females had 18 costume changes, and each one was more spectacular than the last!

Each dance told a story, and each dancer was phenomenal! I’m telling you I would see this show every night in every city if I could. I left feeling so inspired!!

This show was particularly emotional for Derek because he is from Salt Lake City, and he had a lot of family and friends and his old dance teachers in the audience, and it was a sold out show! It was so special. I can only imagine how Derek was feeling up on that stage!

I just want to thank Derek and the entire cast and crew for this show! It was truly wonderful and I think everybody, even if you know nothing about dance, could enjoy this show and enjoy seeing the talent and hard work and creativity on that stage! I would see it every night if I could!

Thank you Derek, from the bottom of my heart, for teaching me to live my life with passion and to never let anybody make you feel bad about being who you are!

Now, hopefully you already know about my obsession for Derek Hough, because if you don’t that would make this blog post less dramatic.

So, let’s assume you do. You know all about how I became obsessed with Derek Hough in 11th grade, and ow I have been to every one of his tours including his show at the Radio City Music Hall, and I have even met him 6 times.

On April 23rd, my love for him and his talents was expressed again, as I attended Derek Hough Live!! The Tour! Now, let me tell you, this was my 7th time seeing Derek, and truly each time they get better.

Derek Hough is magic. His show was funny, his show was beautiful, his show was moving, his show was magical. I wasn’t Elizabeth Hadley the stressed out senior in college with zero free time. I was just Elizabeth, happy and free.

I was so close I could see how his emotions changed with each dance!

The way that Derek can transition from tap to contemporary to salsa to hip hop to the tango in minutes is amazing. He is one of the most talented people to walk this earth, who is actually really genuine and humble.

The thing that gets me about Derek the most is that he never takes his success for granted. He even said so himself. He said, every night I come up on stage and I always feel like I have to earn it. I have to earn that I get to do this every single night, and I love doing it. Derek was born to be on stage, and how lucky is he that he gets to do what he was put on this earth to do.

I got to meet Derek before hand, and this was my sixth time meeting him. He is just such a beautiful soul.

I asked him what he wishes he knew when he was 22 like I am.

He said, well, I wish I knew that you don’t have to have your life figured out when you are 22. I also wish that I knew that you are who you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with people who are hard working and nice, you will want to be like them. I love that he said that, and it was such a nice thing to say to me.

The best part of Derek’s show was the backup dancers. WOW! They are talented! They seemed so grateful and happy that they got to be up on that stage and performing alongside such a talented dancer like Derek. But, they are just as talented!

The message of Derek’s show was simple. You. Are. Enough. Just. As. You. Are.

So, in case you needed to hear that today, there you go. You are enough, and you always have been and always will be enough. Just as you are. Never doubt that you aren’t.

Tag: tour

Derek Hough’s show ‘Symphony of Dance’

Derek Hough Live! The Tour!