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| Mia Michaels | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mia Michaels |
| Caption | Mia Michaels in 2012 |
| Birth date | 22 September 1966 |
| Birth place | Grosse Pointe, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Choreographer, dancer, artistic director, television personality |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Notable works | So You Think You Can Dance, The Fabric of Jazz?, Swan Lake (staged productions) |
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award, American Choreography Awards |
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer and performer known for her contemporary and theatrical dance work, television choreography, and role as a judge and guest choreographer on national and international dance programs. She rose to prominence through major network exposure and has created repertory for ballet companies, Broadway-adjacent projects, pop concerts, and film. Michaels's work is noted for its emotional intensity, storytelling, and fusion of contemporary, lyrical, and theatrical movement vocabularies.
Born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she is the daughter of artists and developed early interest in studio-based and performance dance scenes in Detroit and the Great Lakes region. She trained in multiple forms at local studios before relocating to New York City to pursue professional dance training amid the downtown contemporary dance community. Michaels studied with teachers and mentors who were connected to institutions such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham-associated studios, and other commercial dance networks, assimilating technique from diverse lineages including modern, jazz, and contemporary traditions.
Michaels's early professional career included work as a backup dancer and choreographer in commercial and theatrical projects across Los Angeles, New York City, and touring circuits. She collaborated with pop and recording artists on music videos and concert staging connected to labels and production companies operating in the Los Angeles music industry and on television productions for networks including Fox Broadcasting Company and ABC. Her visibility increased substantially after joining the creative team of competitive dance television formats and after repeated engagements with prominent contemporary ballet companies and regional theaters across the United States and Canada.
Michaels's choreographic approach synthesizes elements from contemporary dance, lyrical jazz, theatrical mime, and athletic partnering. Influences cited in her work trace to figures and schools such as Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, Pina Bausch, and contemporary choreographers emerging from institutions like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and American Ballet Theatre workshops. Her movement vocabulary often emphasizes torso articulation, dynamic weight shifts, floor work, and expressive gestural motifs, and she frequently integrates narrative strategies used in musical theater and contemporary ballet repertory.
Michaels became widely known through her recurring role on the competitive dance series So You Think You Can Dance as a guest choreographer and judge, participating alongside producers and judges associated with 19 Entertainment and network programming executives. She has appeared on international versions of the franchise and on talent shows and award telecasts produced by organizations such as PBS, NBC, and entertainment specials tied to the MTV and VH1 platforms. Michaels has also contributed choreography for televised concert specials, variety shows, and documentary segments profiling contemporary dance on outlets including CBS and cable arts programming.
Michaels has created pieces for professional companies, festivals, and commercial artists. Her repertory includes contemporary works staged for companies and venues such as Ballet Austin, National Ballet of Canada, and regional performing arts centers. She has choreographed for large-scale pop concert tours and music videos tied to artists represented by major record labels, and has been involved in staging and creative direction for theatrical revues and dance festivals, with engagements at institutions like the Vail Dance Festival and urban performing arts centers in Los Angeles and New York City.
Her choreography has been honored with awards from television and dance institutions, including a Primetime Emmy Award and recognition from choreography societies and critics' circles. Michaels has received grants, fellowships, and nominations from arts organizations and has been profiled by major media outlets and cultural institutions that document contemporary dance and performing arts achievement.
Michaels has maintained residences in major cultural centers and has been involved in arts education initiatives, master classes, and philanthropic efforts supporting dancer training and arts access. Her outreach includes workshops at conservatories, collaborations with nonprofit arts organizations, and guest teaching at universities and dance schools linked to conservatory programs and local arts councils.
Category:American choreographers Category:People from Grosse Pointe, Michigan