So You Think You Can Dance: Mia Michaels Tribute

A few weeks ago the producers of So You Think You Can Dance did something they have never done before in their seven seasons: they had the dancers recreate routines from past seasons. The one thing they had in common was they were all routines choreographed by Mia Michaels.

I like most of Mia Michaels routines, and they did many of my favorites and other fan favorites. However, none of the dancer's interpretations of the routines lived up to the originals. It may be because we are all so used to the originals, or that many were choreographed specifically for the strengths and individuality of the original dancers, and in some cases simply because the original dancers were just better. But in spite of the reasons, it was still interesting to see the routines recreated by the season 7 dancers.

Among the routines they included, was my favorite (as well as many others' favorite) Mia Micheals routine, The Bench. It was not the best of the night, however. I think that if I had never seen it before, with Travis and Heidi, that I probably would have liked it better. But a great routine like that becomes ingrained in your memory with those you first saw perform it. And Travis and Heidi not only performed it perfectly, they had the right emotion also, which was what put it over the top. You can see a performance of it here.

I think the best routine of the night was "Gravity," performed by Lindsay and Cole. The theme of the routine is someone who is trying to overcome an addiction, and it was orginally performed by Kayla and Kupono. I just love Kayla and Kupono's performances and characters, it's so intense and emotional, but Lindsay and Cole performed it well also. It's interesting to see how differently the couples interpreted the dance, especially how differently Cole and Kupono interpreted their role as the addiction. Which do you like better?

Kayla and Kupono - Gravity


Lindsay and Cole - Gravity


My favorite Mia Michaels routine (other than The Bench) is a group dance from season 7. The routine is performed to Sting's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." I wish they would have done this routine for the group dance for the Mia Michaels tribute episode instead of the routine they did. I don't even remember what that group routine was, is was so unmemorable for me.

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Travis Wall: Choreographer Extraordinaire

I'd like to spout off the merits of Travis Wall, dancer and choreographer.

Travis almost won the title of "America's favorite dancer" on season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance. It wasn't because Benji Schwimmer was a better dancer necessarily that he won instead of Travis. It was only because Benji won more viewers' hearts. Travis is now one of the choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance, and he has proven that not only is he an excellent dancer, but he is also an excellent choreographer. His routines are so heartfelt, filled with emotion, and a joy to watch.

This week's routine by Travis was performed by Audrey and Matt. The routine was based on the scene in Titanic where Jack draws a portrait of Rose. Now, Titanic is not my favorite movie, and when they said that Jack and Rose's story is one of the greatest love stories, I laughed out loud. (I'm sorry if I offend you Rose and Jack lovers out there. I'm just voicing my opinion.) I won't go into the reasons I don't like the film, but I will say that this routine, like most Travis Wall routines, was beautiful. It was set to "Unchained Melody," and the dance centered around a chaise lounge. Audrey's kicks were incredible, and when she ran across the chaise and into Matt's arms at a crescendo in the music, I thought this is choreography perfection. She stumbled a bit when she started the sprint across the chaise, but that landing as Matt caught her made up for it. The ending was a little clunky, but this is only week one of the competition itself. Matt and Audrey will find their groove in the weeks to come, I'm sure. Matt and Audrey are now my favorite dancers. It might be because they were lucky enough the get a Travis Wall routine. *wink*

Unfortunately, I can't find the routine on YouTube. When, and if, it becomes available I will post it. I do, however, have a few photos.



Travis Wall is young, and he has an incredible career ahead of him. In fact, he has started his own dance company, and a new reality TV show, All the Right Moves, will chronicle its beginnings. The show premieres July 31 on the Oxygen cable network. I hope he and his dancers are successful.

As promised, I am including another one of my all time favorite routines from So You think You Can Dance. This routine is from season 2, and features Heidi Groskreutz and, you guessed it, Travis Wall. It is considered by many fans to be the best routine of all time from the show. It was choreographed by Mia Michaels, another choreographer who fills her dances with heart and emotion. It's a beautiful piece. All you have to do is mention "the bench," and SYTYCD fans know exactly which routine you're talking about.

Enjoy!