‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro Derek Hough to join NBC’s ‘World of Dance’

NBC’s been prepping their upcoming dance competition “World of Dance” for a rather long time, and with that, we’re very much pleased to hear today that there are some new additions to the upcoming judging panel.

Per Deadline, executive producer Jennifer Lopez is going to be joined on the panel by singer / producer Ne-Yo (it’s somewhat interesting to have two judges known more as singers than dancers on the panel) and also “Dancing with the Stars” pro and choreographer Derek Hough. In a statement, Meredith Ahr, President of Universal Television Alternative Studio, had the following to say:

“Jennifer, Derek and Ne-Yo are three of the most accomplished dancers of their generation, and their incredible insight from the judges table will be both inspiring and wholly constructive to the world-class level of dancers who are competing on the show … We feel so very honored that the three of them are giving back to the dance community in this way.”

The addition of Derek to this show is the one that is the most interesting, given that this could leave his future with “Dancing with the Stars” in some flux. While we don’t necessarily think he’ll ever officially leave the show, it is interesting that he is serving as a judge on a rival network to ABC, while his sister Julianne has spent several seasons now working as a judge on “Dancing with the Stars.”

One other interesting factor here is that there is no premiere date set for “World of Dance,” which could mean that Derek could easily do both this show and the ABC competition if schedules allow for it to be so.

For now, let us know what you think about this panel in the comments, and head over here to see more of what we’d like to see for the upcoming “Dancing with the Stars” season. (Photo: ABC.)