It’s kinda a bummer that a bunch of So You Think You Can Dance videos got taken down. I realize that Fox owns the show, so they get to do what they wish with them. Oh well.
This one from my favorites list is still standing, however, so I get to write about it. I swear, Cat Deely and the Judges couldn’t say “cheeky” enough while talking about this dance. From season 5, Evan and Randi performing a Mia Michaels contemporary to “Koop Island Blues”.
This is a decidedly lighter side of Mia, and I love that as much as her darker side. I’ve always adored mismatched couples, and that’s exactly what you see the first moment in the dance, especially with Randi wearing those stilletto platforms (those come off eventually) and towering a half a foot over Evan. You can just see this slightly dorky guy who can’t believe his luck to get this curvy, sexy bubbly girl on his arm. And of course, the focus of his admiration happens to be her behind.
Mia uses clever and cute choreography to illustrate this admiration and tongue-in-cheek”iness” abounds.
Ok, well not really. It’s only for today’s round of NYC auditions. Lucky ducks, those dancers! Hopefully she’ll return for more auditions, or one week of the top 20 shows. One can only hope!
It is safe to say that Ms. Mia Michaels is my favorite choreographer that I discovered from watching So You Think You Can Dance. She is singular in talent, artistry, power and communication. Damn if she knows her stuff. Many of the dances that I have in my Looking Back at So You Think You Can Dance list are hers, and it’s easy to see why.
“Dancing is a feeling expressed from the inside out.” Mia Michaels
She practices that philosophy every time she creates:
For those of you who don’t know, Mia also choreographed Celine Dion’s monumental A New Day show that was THE show to see in Las Vegas for years. If you haven’t seen it, or clips of it, this is not your normal 10-dancers-hip-hopping-in-a-line-to-the-singers- music-show (and those shows are good too, don’t get me wrong). She really added depth to the show and worked closely with director Franco Dragone (of Cirque du Soleil fame–and incidentally, Mia also worked on “Delirium”) to create an emotional, theatrical experience that blended itself seamlessly to Dione’s epic music catalog.
How ’bout that, huh? I love the way all the really gorgeous male bodies move and ripple together, forming a beautiful frame for Celine. Their movement also really lends itself to the engrossing, obsessive feel of the song. Plus, half n@ked boys are just really nice to look at (thanks, Mia).
“The beauty of art is that there are no rules.” Mia Michaels
That last quote goes so beyond the “I don’t know art, but I know what I like” way of thinking. If there are rules on art, that limits the depths of creativity for art based in reality: real thoughts, real feelings, real experiences. Society tries to put limits on art all the time, because sometimes that’s easier than confronting art and experiencing it, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Mia certainly has no rules on herself, and can also embrace her darker side. “It was dirty, it was raw, it was ugly…and it was absolutely beautiful.” Mia Michaels
Just check out this fierce, teeth and claws bared piece to Duffy’s “Mercy” (nominated for an Emmy Award):
Mia has a penchant for choreographing with props–beds, benches, doorways, and some may think it distracts, but I just think it adds to basing it in reality.
Mia can be harsh and abrasive (“I am a cutter and I will cut you!”), but she is also generous and loving. If you watched this past season of So You Think You Can Dance, you witnessed B-Boy Legacy’s transformation from a gifted street dancer to an artist who understands that dance is about communication, and giving everything you have to communicate it. The more dancers she inspires that way, the better the world will be. And I mean that.
Can’t wait for the upcoming documentary film Move, directed by Kurt E. Soderling and Melinda Songer, featuring Mia and many other choreographers from the dance world. Release date is 2010, but nothing more specific than that. I’ll update you as soon as I know more!
The dancers (well, at least those that are in for the long run) are beginning to “settle in” as the top 18 performed last night on So You Think You Can Dance. More talent is coming through, and nerves as well, and its easy to see at this stage who is going to be eliminated at the end of the night.
I am always thankful that the dancers have Cat Deely as an anchor on stage when they’re coming down off their performance and have to face the harsh reality of the judges. Besides being amazingly tall and devastatingly beautiful (not to mention a fashion maven), she really takes care of the kids and makes sure there’s positive spins on everything, as was the case last night when Channing was called a “sack of potatoes” by Nygel Lithgoe.
Some pieces on Tuesday night fell a little flat, such as Bianca and Victor’s Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine, and Channing and Phillip’s Samba, but there were some jewels as well.
Wade Robson has a fierce, fantastic imagination and was able to look at Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and play with the idea that there were once people in the painting and Vincent got rid of them (which makes them come back for mischevious revenge). He comes up with an amazingly quirky and mesmerizing jazz routine for Peter and Pauline that cranked with immense enjoyment. The dancers really committed to the movement and their characters and it really worked for me.
The only not-so-great thing about this piece was the darn screen in the background, making me so dizzy with a spinning “Starry Night” that it was hard to concentrate on the dancers!
Since Mia Michaels is not on this season (sniff), Wade is now my favorite choreographer. I must have watched his group piece to “Comanche” ten times on my DVR, I loved it so much. His choreography just has a hungry, on-fire attack to it that lends itself so well to the dancers this season. They seem to love performing his stuff (almost as much as I love to watch it)!
Karen and Kevin got a Tabitha/Napoleon hip-hop number where they got to be a manly mechanic and a sexy racing groupie. I realize that NappyTabs is not always a total crowd favorite, but the combination of Karen/Kevin, racing and sex really percolated into something fabulous, clever and fun. Much gyrating! It’s safe to say that Karen isthe SYTYCD resident hottie this season (Mary Murphy already put her on the Hot Tamale Train last week). It’s well deserved on her part, as she really made the hip-hop moves work for her, even though she was out of her element. And she plays the sexy card uber well (did we mention she’s sexy?). Judge Adam Shankman fell out of his chair describing her and the rest constantly say they can’t keep their eyes off her because she’s a magnet on stage. Kevin has his work cut out for him.
Argentine Tango is by far my favorite ballroom style dance, and last night’s Ryan and Ellenore Tango really delivered. Choreographers Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo created a slow and sultry dance with a ton of precision work with the feet. Ryan and Ellenore smoked on the stage, with a quiet fierceness and “laser-like connection” (Adam Shankman’s words).
Image courtesy of FOX
They committed completely in both technique and the emotion the Argentine Tango demands. In fact, they were so focused that even Ellenore’s dress being caught in the heel of her shoe for about 40% of the dance didn’t faze either of them one bit. Amazing.
So it was with sadness, but no surprise that the two sent home by the judges at the end of the show were Phillip and Bianca, both of them tappers. Well, at least there is one tapper left–good luck Peter, I’m rooting for you from my living room. Hopefully, there are more out there who are rooting as well.
It’s the last elimination round in Vegas for So You Think You Can Dance season 6 and the talent is lining up. I was sad to learn that tap dancer Ryan (brother to Evan, finalist last season) was cut, and earlier than last year. You just wanna put on tap shoes of your own when he starts hoofing it, he will be missed this season. I hope he tries again.
Next up was the group challenge, where they were divided up into groups of 5 and given a random piece of music. They had overnight to choreograph a piece. The very first group up (with favorite Russell Ferguson) was probably the most notable. They drew a Broadway selection and did a just fantastic combo that melded the best of B’way jazz and street-like moves. Nigel Lithgoe absolutely loved it, and so did I.
Mia Michaels
After that was the (da-da-dummmm) Mia Michaels round. Before the break, they played snips of quite a few dancers saying how scared they were. I thought to myself “What? You get to dance with Mia Michaels and you’re scared????” But then I remembered, I’m not a pro dancer, and I’m not in Vegas with them. ;o)
Here’s the ultimate Mia Michaels dance quote: “Do not give me empty steps.” This she stated to the dancers on stage, knees knocking. And she’s right. Mia is of course known for flat out not liking people who do this and just cutting them. She tells dancers all the time that she cuts, and she likes to cut. This is a woman who means business.
This year, however, she injected a bit of love to her dancers, with a pep talk beforehand, and a meditation/prayer. What is this? A kinder, gentler Mia Michaels? Wow!
She was not kinder with her choreography, and I noted how much more difficult this year’s combo was than last.
A B-Boy contestant, Legacy, caught the eye of Mia and the other judges who were blown away by his street interpretation of the steps. He really got the flow and communication of the piece and was able to fill those steps like Mia wanted. Legacy was tremendously moved after his Mia experience, and was visibly emotional as he said she “changed something inside of me.” He told Mia “Your movement means something and you made me a better dancer.” I LOVE it when dancers really get it about dance. Legacy felt he came out of his comfort zone (which is always a dangerous place for a dancer to be) and moved on to the next round.
Mia, unfortunately, will not be back to So You Think You Can Dance after this round, and her choreography will sorely be missed.
Judges Tyce DiOrio (left), Mary Murphy, Nygel Lithgoe
Next was the Broadway round with Tyce DiOrio. The girls got “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” from Sweet Charity and the boys did a selection from Movin’ Out (for more see my post on Twyla Tharpe). I love it when men dance together, all the macho comes out (and sometimes shirts come off, as with ballroom dancer favorite Matthew Hauer). There’s just something exciting and invigorating about a bunch of men doing a really strong piece with lots of jumps and moves where they leap up and down on their knees. Yum.
After the Broadway round, 38 dancers were left and from that will be the Top 20 for season 6. Break a leg to them all!
