BLOGS
I know that Mia Michaels is one of those polarizing sorts of choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance, but I'll certainly miss her presence. She's one of my favorite people on that show after Cat and Adam. When she announced via Twitter (which is apparently the thing to do of late) that she was leaving, my suspicious mind immediately jumped to the fact that Adam Shankman had been named permanent judge this season as the reason for her sudden departure, which may or may not be the case, but with the timing and everything one has to wonder.
Then again, as we saw in this week's episode Mia seems to have taken a new approach to training dancers, which could also have contributed to her exit. Instead of the previous season's Mia, who screamed and demanded more from the auditioners, this new Mia seemed very Zen. But her choreography for the Vegas auditions still looked insane, and she made people cry, so her method of getting those same old results doesn't matter to me.
And I'll miss her crazy ass during critiques. I use the word "banoodles" (which I picked up from her usage on the judging panel) on a fairly regular basis, and I liked her slightly out there, but often cutting, remarks. And then there's her choreography, which was so stunning when I first saw it -- and I wasn't particularly even a fan of contemporary dance before this show (I'm more of a ballroom junkie). But the twists and the turns were like nothing I'd ever seen on TV, and the ways they conveyed stories were usually so beautiful. And while I will admit her dances haven't been quite as amazing or unique lately, they still look pretty challenging for these dancers to achieve. I watch the "Door dance" far more often than a normal person should admit to in public.
However, while I adore her and will definitely notice her absence, I don't necessarily think the show will suffer much without her. They've got heaps of choreographers now, many of whom love to do contemporary (Travis, Sonya, Mandy, etc...) and will put the contestants through their paces. Tyce's breast cancer piece got the insane gaga-praise last season that Mia's pieces usually receive, so he's quite capable of bringing out the emotional stories that the judges gravitate towards. Plus, some new blood could be good for the show. I just hope Mia will come back in a season or two with some wild dances stockpiled -- along with some new nonsense words for me to add to my vocabulary. And even wilder hair. And if she shows up somewhere else before then, so much the better; I'll be tuning in for sure.
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I don't think I'll miss her as a person, but I'll definitely miss her routines.
I'll miss her routines and her stank face for sure, but if it means more Travis, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
That news is a blow for the show, indeed. We've lost our earth-mama. I have not missed Brian or Dan (I do miss Mary's choreography), but Mia's routines have consistently been at a level only matched and ocassionally surpassed by Wade's (who has an ambivalent relationship to the show). Still, the Wheel turns, and now her exit will provide other choreographers an opportunity.
As for her crazy hair, she's shaved her head now.
She has shaved her head as of late. She has been a frequent guest judge of SYTYCD Canada which is currently finishing its second season next week. She has also been showing lots of love to our talent here.
Interesting news! I'll miss her work and her comments as I have not missed Brian or Dan. Have had just about enough of Tyce, too. And that new Laurie person is ... kinda mean. Maybe Mandy will show up a little more often this season.
Oh no!!! I'm so sad to hear this!! I have a love/hate relationship with Mia, but just love her choreography. In fact, we named one of our kittens Mia Banoodles in her honour!
I'm in the minority, but I'm glad to see her go. Her dances seem stale and not very exciting as compared to her earlier work on the show. I'm looking forward to seeing new choreographers who can deliver exciting dances. I don't care much for her presence on the judging panel as she was so negative toward some of the dancers last season and can only hope that Mary Murphy takes her hyena screams off somewhere as well.
This is so freakin' depressing. She's a brilliant choreographer and I kinda want to be her. She's also incredibly passionate so her comments were insightful. I'm really not looking forward to this season, especially without Mia.
Agree with H that I'm done with Mary Murphy's screaming. She seems a bit bipolar and it's distracting. What's so great about this show is that all of these dancers are talented and the judges are incredibly critical of them. You feel like they're getting better and, as the audience, we are getting educated on what it really takes to be a dancer.
I'm definately going to miss Mia. Sure, she could be a stone bitch and I've seen her reduce more than a few dancers into a puddle of tears with a couple of harsh words, but there is no question that is is an astonishing choreographer who's brought some amazing dances to SYTYCD.
Last season, she gave us "Gravity", and the year before was the delightly "Door" dance. She brings out amazing qualities in dancers and saw things in a way that I've yet to see another choreographer manage. Yes, there are some amazing contemporary choreographers with the show, but I always looked foward to seeing what Mia came up with. I really do hope she will be back at some point.
I had always hated her and I'm happy to see her go.
I love Mia incredibly. Her assessment of dancers and their honesty on stage is one of the most accurate in my opinion, and I almost always see what she sees or doesn't see in a dancer.
And in terms of recent dancers, I feel her Addiction piece this past season was one of her finest, and her explanation of the process in which that dance came about helps me to understand her new more collaborative sister-hood type approach.
I can't say that I'll miss her presence on the judging panel, but I will miss her amazing contemporary routines. Here's to hoping that she'll go the way of Shane Sparks. In other words, that she'll return to the show at least occaisionally to choreograph a wonderful piece.
i thought perhaps that mia was ill. the last time i saw her, her hair was almost shaved off. could she be receiving treatments for cancer? I hope not..personally, i'm going to miss her right-on critiques and her fabulous choreography.
Greetings! I’ve been following your blog for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Kingwood Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the good work!