From stage to screen, Mia Michaels has turned dance into unique works of passion & beauty. This year will mark the highly anticipated release of Mia’s first book, a venture that will propel this multi-Emmy winner to even further heights. Not only is Mia one of the most sought after innovators in the world of dance, but she is also a figure of inspiration to women around the world. One of Mia’s strongest talents is finding the beauty within herself and in others.
In 2015, Mia joined forces with a dream team including Harvey Weinstein, Diane Paulus, & Barry Weissler for the hugely successful Broadway musical Finding Neverland. Mia choreographed a preview of the song, “Neverland” for the 68th Tony Awards featuring Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson. Following the Tony Awards, Mia served as guest choreographer for the opening number of the Rockettes Spring Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall and as guest artist & mentor for Broadway at the White House, hosted by Michelle Obama, Kristen Chenoweth, & Matthew Morrison. Included in Mia’s diverse experience is the critically acclaimed New York based dance company RAW for which she was the founder, artistic director, & choreographer.
On television, Mia has served as an ever-popular judge & contributing choreographer for Fox’s award winning TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” (SYTYCD). Not only has Mia won three Emmy awards for Outstanding Choreography for the television series SYTYCD, but she also made huge contributions towards the show receiving the “Best Reality TV Show” award at the 2008 Reality TV Show Awards. Additionally, Mia’s fan base in Canada has led her to share her talents on SYTCD Canada as a judge & guest choreographer. Other TV credits include a dream sequence with Hugh Laurie for the hit television show HOUSE MD, entitled “Get Happy.”
Uniting with her SYTYCD judge alumnus Adam Shankman, Mia & Adam collaborated for the big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages. The choreography was showcased by a star-studded cast of Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand & Catherine Zeta-Jones. Following Rock of Ages, Mia had a co-starring role in Summit Entertainment’s, Step Up 4. Mia directed & choreographed Blake McGrath’s Relax video, which was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards. Other work in film includes: “Cool Women” for AMC/DreamWorks Television, award winning commercials for Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Bacardi, Coldwell Banker, Ziploc, the WNBA, Star TV & VISA.
The five year run of Celine Dion’s show A New Day, which played at Caesars’ Palace in Las Vegas, was raved by The New York Times, stating, “The greatest pleasure was the go for-broke physicality of the choreography.” The show, featuring a cast of fifty dancers and two hours of pure artistry, was one of Mia’s favorite choreographic experiences. Other shows featuring Mia’s choreography include Celine Dion’s world Tour, Taking Chances, & Cirque du Soleil’s first touring show, Delirium. Mia has also created works for numerous recording artists including Madonna, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Anna Vissi, & Prince.
Mia has had the privilege to hold faculty positions at prestigious institutions of dance around the world including Alvin Ailey & the Joffrey Ballet. Mia continues to teach inspirational master classes worldwide known as Mia Michaels Live (MML) where dancers are taught to dance how their body feels, not to conform to the “normal” industry standards. This new motivational event was debuted world wide in 2017, inspiring dancers & people to access their inner unicorn and to break out & dance from the inside out. This philosophy is how Mia has lived her life, as she is the only plus sized woman to ever receive such success in the dance industry.
Mia’s students, peers & mentors have noted her as a dedicated, live-changing influence of positivity in their lives. Mia has a way of touching each human she encounters with passion, emotional expression, and confidence of self-love.
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