KING 5 Evening reporter Angela Poe Russell took to Zoom to chat with Derek Hough about the upcoming season of World of Dance.
ANGELA: You know why I was chosen to do this interview?
DEREK: Oh yeah, why is that?
ANGELA: Well, we had this Irish Dancing dance-off among the four hosts and I won!
EDITOR: What really happened? It was a four-way tie! lol
ANGELA: I am not a dancer and I was blown away by how hard it is. It looks easy, they look happy, their feet are going and they are bouncing. I was sore for four days after. Dancers make it look so effortless and then you get into it and you're like, "Whoa! this is hard!"
DEREK: That's why I call dancers artistic athletes. Because it is. It's so athletic. It's so physical, but then there's this artistry that's combined with it, which makes it so special. That's why you have Super Bowl champions, World Series champions, and people from all the sporting worlds, Olympic gymnasts, gold medalists who admire dance and understand the athleticism from it. It's cool to see that appreciation and understanding of what dance is.
ANGELA: What's it like to work with Jennifer Lopez and Neyo?
DEREK: Jennifer just came off doing the Super Bowl and just had a crazy year. So there's a sense of relief. She's like, I did it! And Neyo and I, we are like 10-year-old kids running around acting like fools. We are like brothers. We have a good time. I feel like this particular season, there was more behind the scenes, interaction than we've ever had, honestly. It just makes for some really fun moments that we haven't had on the show.
ANGELA: Is there anything else you want us to know?
DEREK: I'm really encouraging people to move and stay active. I often say motion equals emotion. The way you move directly affects the way you feel. And right now people in their apartments or homes, I'm hoping they'll stay active, stay moving. And not just for their physical well being but for their mental and emotional well being. And I'm hoping Word of Dance inspires them to do that.
World of Dance airs Tuesday nights at 10 PM on KING 5.
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