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'DWTS' pro finds fearless 15-year-old in Vegas — and invites her to an unexpected face-off on the floor

“She showed up and danced fearlessly” is what Derek Hough had to say after his face off with a young dancer.

Derek Hough, known for his talent on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ recently shared a video after being impressed by a young dancer. The post followed a long-anticipated dance class he had planned with fellow ‘DWTS’ pros. On Monday, June 16, the multi-time ‘DWTS’ winner amazed his followers with an Instagram post. During an Ovation class in Las Vegas, he met a brave young girl. According to Hough, she was just 15 years old and absolutely fearless.

"Had the joy of teaching a class in Vegas the other day, and at the very end, one young dancer stayed behind. I asked her to dance the combo one more time, but to face me. Without hesitation, she did," Hough wrote on his social media. Further expressing himself in the caption of the intriguing footage, the skilled dancer stated, "Only 15 years old, not being her strongest style or discipline of dance, and yet she showed up and danced fearlessly. Well done, @victoriadance18." Many social media users adored the young talent in the comments section of the post. One person wrote, "This isn’t her strongest style?! She’s amazing!" Another one wrote, "Not” being her strongest style is wilddddd. She’s amazing; now I wanna see what her strongest style is." A fan said, "I love that you did that with her. That’s what a great teacher does."

According to Parade, the artist in question is Victoria Johnson. She won the Youth America Grand Prix for the third time. In a May 8, 2025, article, Parade reported that Hough announced he would be the tour director for Ovation Dance. Back then, Ovation had uploaded a post on Instagram stating that the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro would be the tour director of the dance academy. “With 4 Emmys, 6 Mirrorball Trophies, and a lifetime dedicated to the artistry of dance. He’s bringing his passion and expertise to the convention space. Derek is fired up to be in the room, not just to lead, but to serve, connect, and celebrate every dancer’s journey. Here we go!" the caption read further. Other Ovation Dance tour directors include Julianne Hough, Mark Ballas, Val Chmerkovskiy, and Jenna Johnson. Additional notable tour directors include Talia Favia, Dom Kelley, Will Loftis, Comfort Fedoke, Robbie Blue, and Nika Kljun.

As per Gold Derby, Derek won Season 7 with Brooke Burke and Season 10 with Nicole Scherzinger. He also won Season 11 with Jennifer Grey, Season 16 with Kellie Pickler, Season 17 with Amber Riley, and Season 21 with Bindi Irwin. After impressing 'DWTS' fans with his dance skills, Derek later became a judge on the show. Derek replaced longtime judge Len Goodman in Season 29. He returned to the judging panel the following season and performed a Tango with Hayley Erbert.