Profile: Mia Michaels

Modern Dance Choreographer, Teacher and Dancer

Oct 23, 2008 Karen Lotter

As timeless as her choreography is, so elusive is Mia Michaels about her biographical details. Maybe she believes the dance should do the talking.

On the official website of Fox’s So You think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) – as well as on thousands of other websites and blogs – people seem as interested in what modern dance choreographer, Mia Michaels wears and who she sleeps with, as the breathtaking dance routines she puts together.

Modern Dance Choreographer

Mia Michaels won an Emmy in 2007 for a routine from So You Think You Can Dance. Although she shared the duties as choreographer and sometime judge through series 1 - 4 of So You think You Can Dance with choreographers of the caliber of Tyce Diorio, Alex Da Silva and Doriana Sanchez as well as larger than life judges in season four - Mary Murphy and show producer Nigel Lythgoe – it seemed to be only modern dance choreographer, Mia Michaels, whose approval the dancers wanted.

Type the words Mia Michaels into Google’s search box and over three hundred and twenty thousand hits will appear, one being her official website. The rest are fan sites and repositories of lust and speculation – one only needs to look at the unofficial fansites, the Groups on Facebook, to understand that this Florida born dancer and choreographer is regarded by many in the same league as the rock stars whose routines she so carefully crafts. Mia Michaels is God has almost 3 000 members and Mia Michaels, please choreograph my life, almost 1 000.

Mia was Born in Coconut Grove, Florida

A visit to Mia Michael’s MySpace page indicates that she is a Pisces, is 42, and lives in New York, New York. Consulting a variety of sources, the consensus is that modern dance choreographer; Mia Michaels was born in Coconut Grove, Florida, to a family of dancers. Her father Joe Michaels (the original Camel Man) taught her jazz, tap, and ballet from the age of three. Mia also trained at the Miami Conservatory and began choreographing at the age of seven or eight, for local shows.

“I was one of those kids in dance class who would change the choreography and stylize it -- I would always change it to make what I thought was better." Mia told the Finis Jhung from danceart.com.

Choreography for Madonna, Prince and Gloria Estefan

She has worked with Madonna, Prince, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan Jon Secada, Jimmy Raye and Celine Dion. Her amazing choreography has graced the stage of Cirque du Soleil’s live music concert tour, Delirium.

Las Vegas Choreography for Celine Dion

Mia’s choreography for Celine Dion’s A New Day with 50 dancers, under the direction of Franco Dragone at Caesars’ Palace in Las Vegas received stunning reviews. The New York Times raved, “The greatest pleasure…was the go-for-broke physicality of the choreography.”

Work History of Modern Dance Choreographer, Mia Michael

Mia Michael was also the founder, artistic director and choreographer for RAW, an acclaimed New York-based dance company and has held faculty positions at the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and the International Dance Festival of Italy. She also worked with companies like the Jazz Theater of Amsterdam, Joffrey II, The Kirov Academy, Utah Contemporary Dance Theater, Miami Ballet, and was a soloist with Miami City Ballet.

She was commissioned to create work for Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Jazz Dance Chicago, and Oslo Dance Ensemble. Mia’s been off-Broadway with If These Shoes Could Talk, and Fort Chaffee.

Her work in film and television includes Cool Women for AMC/DreamWorks Television and award winning commercials for Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Bacardi, Coldwell Banker, Ziploc, the WNBA, Star TV and VISA.

Mamma Mia’s Advice for Young Dancers

In an interview about her work with the young dancers on So You Think You Can Dance, Mia Michaels explained. "I nurture them," she said. "I'm Mamma Mia and they look to me for that tough love. ... They know I only want them to be brilliant.”

Sources:

1. Mia Michaels Columns in movmnt magazine
2. Mia Michaels Danceart.com interview
3. Official website
4. Mia Michaels – Reality at work by Alison , Aug 1, 2004 Danceruniverse.com

The copyright of the article Profile: Mia Michaels in Contemporary Dance is owned by Karen Lotter. Permission to republish Profile: Mia Michaels in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Mia Michaels - Choreographer, Teacher and Dancer.

Mia -Cover of Dance Teacher Magazine.

In Bed with Mia - Backstage

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Comments

Oct 24, 2008 12:30 AM

Guest :

Although Mia Michaels has presented us with wonderful choreography, she is a bitch. A wanna be Diva.

A whole group of us do not like her personally and in SEASON 4, she came off so hateful and angry against the women while being all gaga over the boys. The popular consensus of Mia in our group is that she is a very insecure, jealous old hag, especially jealous and resentful of Carrington.

HER many, many personality flaws detract from any work she may offer. My group had absolutely no interest in her presentations and we all took our breaks during her routines. HER overly emotional behavior is enough to make anyone gag and laugh. THE WOMAN thinks so much more of herself than anyone else does.

I cannot stand her or her work.

Oct 24, 2008 1:05 AM

Karen Lotter :

Well you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think it was obvious to anyone who even knows a tiny bit about dance that the boys in Season Four were much stronger than the girls.

So now you've vented, about Mia, I hope you feel better.

I believe we haven't even see the beginning of her best work yet.

Dec 1, 2008 9:00 PM

Guest :

personally i believe that mia michaels is one of the most creative and inovative choreographers of this generation..
as a young aspiring dancer/choreographer, mis michaels has had the absolute biggest influence on my style of dance.
i absoluteley love her and i think that she is amazing!!
p.s
if you dislike her soo much..
then why are you on a page about her??

Jan 13, 2009 7:55 AM

Guest :

I love Mia and all her works. Its just ashamed how people could sound so stupid sometimes over a computer. But Mia keep up the work and let your haters hate.

Jan 30, 2009 4:37 PM

Guest :

Its obvious the uneducated comments of the above person are out of pure envy.
Funny how the people Mia liked more were the people who went further in the show.

And, her name is Kherington...get it right.

Mar 3, 2009 6:05 AM

Guest :

Amanda Bunnell =]
IF YOU HATE MIA SOO MUCH, STAY OFF OF HER PAGE!!!
Don't start acting like High School students again.
Thanks!

Mar 16, 2009 4:10 PM

Guest :

WE clearllly all luv Mia great work n the other ppl are right if u hate her sooo much get off her page because u r no where near 2 her achievements or standards u kno what i will call that ...JEALOUSY....great work Mia keep it up!!!

Mar 18, 2009 5:13 PM

Guest :

luv ya 4eva mia!!! <3

May 21, 2009 11:17 PM

Guest :

I started watching SYTYCD on season 3,because I was bored and thought I would waste a little time. I absolutely fell in love with dance, mostly because of Mia.
She is such a beautiful and talented soul. I truly love the way her mind sees things. She is an exceptional being.

Jun 3, 2009 9:34 PM

Guest :

I have to agree with the first comment about Mia thinking too much of herself. And let me get this out of the way in case any other commenters challenge my argument based on my presence here: I came here after doing a google search b/c I watch SYTYCD on FOX and felt Mia Michaels would often come off as elitist, etc..., and would often wonder how many others out there might feel the same. I have a problem with the way she condescends contestants & dancers on the show and I wanted to see how large a percentage out there might feel the same. It is NOT an automatic dismissal of criticism simply because I have a dissenting opinion and I happen to be on a Mia Michaels site at the same time. You know, I seen Mary Murphy or Nigel often express criticism or dislike without totally knockig someone or dogging them, and Mia, along with Tyce I feel have been way out-of-line at times with the way they present their opinion to these auditionees, and the moment the criticism turns their way they can't be havin' it for even a millisecond. It's so much a one-way street it's ridiculous! They are the posterchild for the prima donna celebrity who never gets told "NO."

Jun 4, 2009 10:02 AM

Guest :

Mia's work is awesome, fantastic, inspirational,.... Who cares if she is a bitch (I cannot attest to that) as she is the Quentin Tarantino of choreography and may her work continue for many many years to come.

Jun 7, 2009 4:03 PM

Guest :

Of course she's talented, everyone knows this and no argument there, but i get the feeling that her level of talent and success have given her an entitlement complex where she can speak to the dancers however she wants and who cares if she's the tyrannical chef CUZ you're in her kitchen, so get out!!!

Jun 7, 2009 6:36 PM

Guest :

This was from some gossip site on SYTYCD, and unfortunately we get to see again the side of Mia we don't want to remember:
"Brandon Bryant (VIDEO): Wow, this POOR guy. I couldn’t believe how venomous Mia Michaels was to him. Talk about a bittersweet victory: Brandon got a majority of votes to make Top 20, but neither Lil C or Mia were convinced he was good enough, and Mia’s comments became personal. Basically, she said she couldn’t stand watching him on the dancefloor, thought he was conceited and that he annoyed the “sh!t” out of her. Wtf? Is this the same Mia Michaels? I adore her work, but never knew she was spiteful like this. Turn off! Thank god that the other judges: Nigel, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman and Mary really stuck up for him. I was particularly happy to see Mary Murphy express her anger at Mia’s comments and announce she didn’t want to put up with her “crap”. That deserves a scream: WEEEEAAAAAUUUUOOOOO! Thank you, Mary! I think Brandon’s dancing is outrageous and hope he proves Mia and Lil C wrong."

Now, Mia is very good and very talented, but a little decorum is in order, honey! How can you sit there and judge personality but at the same time show a defect? I mean, if we're getting all analytical, at least try to choreograph a show of respect for the contestants and we can then fall for you just like we fell for your talent. Au revoir!

Jun 7, 2009 9:17 PM

Guest :

Yes, I am afraid that her talent alone does not make it impossible for her to be a bitch along with it, as mentioned in the first comment there. Talent should not make all of your flaws invisible if someone loves you for your talent. The world is full of talented people, some of us find it quickly, some are still looking. When I think of talent I think of the moment where a person actually spots the thing they feel greatest about. How does that make you perfect? How does that make you automatically nice?

Jun 23, 2009 10:35 PM

Guest :

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!
Mia Michaels you are wonderful. I love your moves there so awesome. the way they flow. I want to be just like you. I guess when i dance it just doesnt flow or come from the heart, but im working on that. I dont feel it like i want to. My sister loves to dance and she loves your moves tooo. With her it comes from her heart and she feels it.
Josie Ajiringheye from Victorville, CA

Jul 9, 2009 4:19 PM

Guest :

I love mia michaels. Every time i see a piece of hers I'm moved to tears... its amazing

Jul 17, 2009 10:49 PM

Guest :

Mia's choreography is absolutely brilliant, and I love her as an artist. However, I don't understand everyone bashing the first comment... to be honest, it's spot on. Mia has offered some wonderful work to the world of dance, but she ADMITTEDLY favors the male dancers and it is clear that she harbors some resentment towards the female dancers. At one point in season 4 she said to Chelsie--albeit during a good critique--that Chelsie was so beautiful she could just stab her. And that's the BEST of some of her comments towards the young, pretty, blond girls she critiques. Mia is definitely a bit insecure about the fact that she was never able to make it as a professional dancer due to her body type, and I think that's why she tends to dislike or at least be harsher with the thin, blond female dancers. Definitely some kind of psychological reasoning behind her favoring of male dancers--and I'm not saying I hate her for it, because I love her and her choreography, but sometimes her critiques need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Despite all of that, she's not absolutely in love with every male dancer she sees. HOWEVER, there are patterns to pick up on there, too. Remember Danny? She picked up on some "arrogance" in his dancing during auditions, and in this season, she had a similar problem with Brandon, basically bashing him because she didn't agree with other judges that he was absolutely brilliant. She couldn't pick up on any problems, just simply "didn't get it." Face it, just because she's a brilliant choreographer doesn't exactly make her the kindest, most humble and unbiased woman on the planet. Nobody is perfect.

Jul 17, 2009 10:59 PM

Karen Lotter :

Yes, I think it is important to be able to distinguish between Mia Michaels the Choreographer and Mia the Judge. And anyway television loves controversy doesn't it? These shows are meant to attract viewers and Mia Michaels certainly does - she is a very compelling person.

Jul 25, 2009 8:56 AM

Guest :

I really do think that despite of her talent she is full of herself, and very rude. These kids on the show are already nervous and dancing their asses off, there is no need to belittle them. Tyce has turned into her as well. They act the same and say the same things. Basically they think that they are cool by belittling others.

Aug 6, 2009 2:17 PM

Guest :

mia michaels is the queen of generation,we all agree to this..this women is amazing in everything,she made me just love dance..to this who say she is crazy(our whole life depend on crazy people,don`t u think??)..to other wonderful choreoqraphers(i`m sorry u r all great but how many time u make us cry like she did)

Aug 7, 2009 11:19 AM

Guest :

All I can say is that most artistic people are VERY insecure if they let you in and you really get to know them. Yes, she does have a very inflated opinion of herself, some mistake that for arrogance but it's really a defense mechanism for insecurity.

I also think that a lot of sniping and bitter comments are made to be "memorable" and create a lot of exposure, media hype for the show which generates ratings. it's all about money people, look at how they are pimping the moveie "Fame" which is produced by the some production company that does SYTYCD. It's one big dysfunctional family

Oct 15, 2009 10:23 AM

Guest :

Okay people, before you going being all mean about Mia Micaels, you try doing her job! :O I bet none of you could do as great of a job. I am now doing a report on her, and by doing this I respect her more than I ever did. So all you haters out there, you obviouisly just don't know anything about dance because if you did then you would respect and like Mia Micahels. :D Now maybe some things I don't agree, infact I LOVED Bradon from season 5, she always hated on him but, she came around and liked him in the end. Just because you don't agree with someone doesn't mean you shouldn't respect them!
Go MIA!! :D
I hope you don't leave SYTYCD! :D

Oct 18, 2009 5:36 PM

Guest :

<3 mia!!!! XD

Oct 21, 2009 7:17 PM

Guest :

Hello~ I Just wanted to add alittle something. When i first started to watch the show around when it first aired.. and Mia was one of the judges.. She kinda caught my eye.. and i'm not quite sure if was postive or a negative. As time went on with the all seasons including the present one~ I came to a CONCLUSION~ What i thought (my opinion only) about Mia. She portrays (like someone said earlier) a spiritual individual with such warm compassion for life, people, etc. But when she started to have non-spiritual,and no compassion behavior with some of the contestants i knew what i felt in the begining about Mia was infact a negative. I guess I always thought or felt spiritual, compassionate people are not perfect BUT not a B.... either. So i think it's all a "facade" with Mia. Like all facades it's a beautiful front covering a beautiful building.

Oct 21, 2009 9:14 PM

Guest :

Mia Michaels is a wonderful and talented person. There are millions of personalities we all love and adore WHO have less than perfect personalities. Not one person on earth has a flawless personality. No one has the right to be critical of another person's character. I love all her work and really don't worry about her personal stuff.
The judges on SYTUCD are not there to be youe best friend. They are there to guide and teach the dancers what it is all about. When these dancers get a break and maybe audition for a great stage production at least they will have an idea of how hard it can be. Cudos to all the judges and choreograhers. These contestants will be smarter and better prepared for the real world.

Nov 4, 2009 6:27 AM

Guest :

I am very sad to hear that Mia has left SYTYCD. Her contributions to this show will be missed. She made the normally non-dancing TV public more aware of what dance can be.

Jan 5, 2010 8:30 PM

Guest :

Mia Michaels is one of the most inspiring people i have ever seen and yet to meet, I think her work her personality and her emotion through dance is more amazing then i could ever imagine. Ive been a dancer for ten years and has had her as my idol for soooo long. She inspires me so much! I can not wait to meet her at the pulse dance convention if she is going.

27 Comments