Taking the Lead: Lessons From a Life in Motion (25 page)

To my extended family—Shirley, Corky, Mark, and Nan. Shirley: You taught me to have a strong work ethic and you’ve been an incomparable example of what one can achieve through dedication and hard work. You’ve been an unwavering support in my life. I know I can always count on you and it means everything to me. Corky: You have inspired me from the time I was a kid. You took me into your home and treated me as your second son. You showed me what passion is—the name of our house was
Live with Passion
—and you taught me through example to follow my dreams no matter how crazy they seem. Nanny: You were our absolute life support. Words can’t describe how much you took care of us. Thank you for all our late-night chats. You never let me eat alone. Mark: Thank you for being the brother I never had and for sharing your parents with me. You truly have become a vital and influential part of my life, and I look forward to being the best man at your wedding someday.

To all of my teachers and mentors for putting me on the right course and taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences. You challenged me, pushed me, and saw potential in me. Rick Robinson: you made dance cool. To the gang at Center Stage: thank you for creating a nurturing and exciting environment that made me want to continue on my path. Thanks to Italia Conti and all of my teachers and administrators, especially Anne Sheward. Thank you for not giving me too much of a hard time for skipping a few classes! I appreciate all your support.

To all of my partners over the years on
DWTS
—Jennie Garth, Shannon Elizabeth, Brooke Burke, Lil’ Kim, Joanna Krupa, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Ricki Lake, Maria Menounos, Shawn Johnson, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, and Amy Purdy. Each and every one of you has taught me something invaluable about women and myself! A special thank-you to Kellie for writing the foreword, and to Ricki for going through her phone and sharing pictures of us in action. Also, a shout-out to Amy Purdy who, during the course of writing this book, has helped me reaffirm everything I want to do and be. You’ve brought out the best in me and remind me why I do what I do.

To my
DWTS
family—all the pros, judges, and producers for giving me the most incredible six years of my life.

Thanks to my team: Rob Weisbach, Susan Madore, Max Stubblefield, and Jeff Golenberg. You guys go above and beyond. My writer, Sheryl Berk, for working around my crazy schedule and putting it all together; the gang at HarperCollins—Lisa Sharkey, Amy Bendell, and Paige Hazzan for allowing me this great opportunity to put my thoughts and experiences to paper.

DEREK HOUGH
began dancing at age eleven in his hometown of Salt Lake City and moved to London a year later to live and train with the top dance coaches in the world and attend the Italia Conti Academy. A multitalented entertainer, Emmy award-winner, and the only five-time champion of the hit ABC show
Dancing with the Stars
, Derek has performed in London’s West End and on Broadway. He lives in Los Angeles.

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COVER DESIGN BY ADAM JOHNSON

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS © BY BRADFORD ROGNE

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.

TAKING THE LEAD
. Copyright © 2014 by Derek Hough. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-06-232319-4

EPUB Edition August 2014 ISBN 9780062323217

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