Derek Hough and Mark Ballas deliver a heartfelt tango tribute to late judge Len Goodman, leaving the ballroom in tears…

Derek Hough and Mark Ballas came onto the dance floor under gentle golden lighting and the haunting draw of an Argentine tango, with no grins or hoopla, just quiet intent.

What followed wasn’t a performance. It was a prayer.

It was a beautiful and extremely affecting homage to the late Len Goodman, a renowned Dancing with the Stars judge and ballroom icon who passed away in 2023. In that moment, everyone in the room found it difficult to breathe.

Hough and Ballas, dressed in traditional black and charcoal gray, danced with melancholy elegance, mirroring one another for memory more than praise.

“Every step was for Len,” one visitor told DailyMail.com, holding back tears. “You could feel it.” They weren’t only dancing. “They were saying their goodbyes.”

The music—a stripped-down, melancholy tango—filled the silent studio. There were no ostentatious lifts. There’s no forced drama. There is only a connection. Precision. Respect.

They halted in the middle of their ritual, hands softly caressing, eyes closed—a frozen moment that seemed to resonate through time.

By the final beat, the entire room was filled with tears.

Celebrities and professionals alike—Cheryl Burke, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and even veteran presenter Tom Bergeron—rose to their feet in silence, with many openly crying.

Please share this wonderful song with friends and family after seeing the video below.