Derek and Julianne Hough are ballroom dancers—but they’ve had the kind of wide-ranging commercial careers that, only a couple of decades ago, would have been hard for most ballroom dancers to imagine.

The show that catapulted the brother and sister duo to fame was, of course, “Dancing with the Stars.” Julianne was the youngest pro to win the competition with her celebrity partner, at just 18; Derek won a record-breaking six times. The siblings took home multiple Emmy Awards for their “DWTS” choreography. Both later became judges, and Julianne has been a co-host for the past two seasons.

And “DWTS” was just the beginning. Julianne has also taken on leading roles in films like Footloose and Rock of Ages, and Derek had a recurring part on the TV show “Nashville.” He was a judge on “World of Dance”; she was one on “America’s Got Talent.” He performed at Radio City Music Hall; she performed on Broadway. She released a country music album; he wrote a book.

Today, the two might be the most recognizable dancers in popular culture. But their next project shifts the spotlight away from their own dancing and shines it on students instead: This fall, in partnership with the company DanceOne, they’re launching a dance tour called Ovation by DanceOne, which merges ballroom and commercial competition traditions into one event.

“We’ve had this long career, and it’s like, ‘Okay, now what’s next?’ ” Derek says. “And what’s next is we really want to create something that’s going to impact the next generation.”

Dancers of all ages will be able to compete in genres like contemporary, hip hop, and jazz—similar to the typical competition/convention model. But the tour will also host what the Houghs are calling a “ball”: a traditional Latin and ballroom competition, in the style of a DanceSport event, where dozens of dancers descend on the floor at the same time with numbers on their backs. The combination “really hasn’t been done like this before,” Julianne says.

The idea is the brainchild of the Houghs themselves, who grew up training in “everything” before really focusing in on ballroom and Latin, Julianne says. She credits their runaway success on “DWTS” and beyond to the versatility they gained from that approach.

Now, they feel the time is right to create that same opportunity for young dancers with even a smidge of interest in ballroom. “DWTS” has now been on air for two decades, and—along with shows like “So You Think You Can Dance,” which prominently featured ballroom dance, and the Houghs’ own careers—it’s changed the mainstream landscape for ballroom dance. “You have an entire generation that’s grown up watching this show,” Derek says. It’s no longer surprising to see ballroom and Latin performed in movies, music videos, commercials, and concerts. And dancers with “even just a little bit of experience in partnering or ballroom” have a leg up at auditions for those gigs, says Jenna Johnson, a longtime pro on “DWTS” who will be a program director at Ovation.

“Kids nowadays want it all, and they should,” says Val Chmerkovskiy, another longtime “DWTS” pro and Ovation program director. “I think ballroom has been slept on for a long time. But we’re living in a time where the conventional thought of just being one thing is a bit dated.”

The problem is that the ballroom dancing scene can sometimes be a bit intimidating for newcomers. Derek says he often sees commercial dancers try out a ballroom class or two and then don’t know what their next step should be. So Ovation is designed to be a bridge: both a welcoming entry point and also a space to explore deeper, without having to jump headfirst into a pure ballroom competition. “We’re creating a platform, and a goal,” Derek says.

Since Julianne and Derek have worked together so frequently, they understand each other’s mindset and values, which they say makes it easy to collaborate. Both believe their skill sets complement each other. “I’m definitely more the artistic side of it, and she’s more the business side of it,” Derek says, admitting that he’ll get caught up in ideas and Julianne will step in to nail down logistics. “I love partnerships and figuring out how to amplify what we dream up,” Julianne says.

Being family also means there’s a certain safety net, she adds. “Being able to share what we agree on and what we don’t is baked in because we are siblings. We can say anything, and know that we’re still good,” she says. “I trust Derek, and I believe he trusts me, too. And so we’re able to let the other shine.”

After so many years in Hollywood, both Houghs say that building an educational event like this feels like the obvious next step to deepen their legacy as ambassadors for dance. “We really have had such an opportunity to bring the eyeballs of the general public to dance, and we don’t take that lightly,” Julianne says. “We want to show what’s possible for a career when you’re the most versatile dancer you can be.”

Expanding the Comfort Zone—Comfortably

Not all dancers at Ovation will be required to take part in both arms of the competition. “You can tailor it however you want,” Derek says. Dancers who just want to dip their toes into ballroom can compete in their main styles, then simply take a ballroom class or two. Serious ballroom and Latin dancers can participate in the ballroom competition, then use the rest of the weekend to try out other genres without having to compete in contemporary or hip hop. The goal is just to give both groups an opportunity to pursue more crossover in their training. “We want people to leave inspired to dive deeper into the dance style that was maybe a little out of their comfort zone,” Julianne says.

“When you first start doing ballroom and Latin, you’re like, ‘This is so awkward. What is my leg doing? This is so opposite to everything I’ve learned,’ ” Derek says. “And then, all of a sudden, it clicks, it settles in your body. And when it hits just right, it becomes an obsession where you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh—I just want to keep feeling this way.’ ”

Together or Solo

Notably, Ovation’s ballroom arm will include singles competitions, rather than mandating that all dancers have a partner. “Singles competition has exploded worldwide, particularly in China and Italy,” Derek says. “We wanted to introduce that over here in this convention space.” Program director Jenna Johnson points out that this addition allows dancers who don’t have a partner an opportunity to compete—something that used to be unheard of.

At the same time, however, Julianne hopes that convention dancers will challenge themselves to tackle partner work, since she believes that it’s one of the most valuable parts of learning ballroom and Latin. “The connection and the way that you can use your body, there’s so much intricacy in partner work that I think really, really helps your storytelling and versatility,” she says.