'Dancing With the Stars' judge Derek Hough re-created an iconic Gene Kelly number for National Tap Dance Day.
To celebrate National Tap Dance Day, which is Sunday, May 25, Dancing With the Stars pro-turned-judge Derek Hough made a video of himself and an animated Donald O'Connor re-creating an iconic tap dancing scene from cinema history — when Gene Kelly and O'Connor tap danced to "Moses" in the Oscar-nominated film Singin' in the Rain.
Hough's video appears beneath the original, and it is cued up perfectly. He admits that tap dancing is not his specialty, but he loves incorporating it into his work.
"Happy National Tap Dance Day! While tap isn’t my specialty, it’s a form of dance I deeply admire and love incorporating into my work. Growing up as a drummer, rhythm and musicality have always been my passion, and tap dancers amaze me with their ability to create music with their feet," wrote Hough.
He continued, "I’m a fan first, and I want to give a huge shoutout to all the incredible tap dancers for keeping this beautiful art form alive. This piece is an homage to one of my heroes, Gene Kelly. Recreating his iconic steps was a special experience, and I’m grateful to @kelseytappedin for teaching me the routine. Here’s to all the amazing dancers out there!
In the comments, fans are all saying the same thing about the Emmy-winning dancer and choreographer.
"Love this homage!!!!! You make Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor so incredibly PROUD!!!" wrote one fan.
"So glad someone can still do this!" wrote another fan.
A third wrote, "You are our #ModernDayGeneKelly! 👏👏👏❤️😘."
"It would be a treat for your fans if you and @markballas recreated it!," wrote a fourth fan.
That last one could actually happen. Hough and fellow Dancing With the Stars pro Mark Ballas are lifelong friends, and they love dancing together. In fact, just last season on Dancing With the Stars, they did a two-man tango as an homage to the way the tango was originally danced back when it was first invented.
It's nice to see Hough posting something so uplifting after he and his wife Hayley Erbert recently went through a serious health scare in their family.