1197 replies to this topic

[Hyper Critical]

I am so pleased that she is back with the show for Season 3, will we get the Mia of S1 or the Mia of S2?

[cagewench]

I liked Mia's judging and comments better in S1.

[Arscelona]

Mia was barely a judge during Season 2, I would like to see more of her, if not judging then choreographing. I cant wait to see what works of art she is going to create!

[eatingpaste]

Mia Michaels is probably my favorite thing about this cheesy show. I'm hoping she's a lot more visible in S3 than she was in S2.

[EmpressI]

More Mia choreography.. I don't mind her judging but don't sacrifice that for her choreo.

[pointoforder]

Mia Michaels is probably my favorite thing about this cheesy show. I'm hoping she's a lot more visible in S3 than she was in S2.

Ditto!!! More Mia, please.

[NaturalTop]

Ugg. I like most of her choreography but the less I have to hear her spew her earthy-crunchy venom the better.

[wordsmyth]

Glad to hear that Mia is back. I thought she might have passed on another season. When Katie, the NY dance instructor was going through her routine I noticed a flexed foot and immediately wondered if Mia would be all giddy over her. While I hope Mia is more of a presence this season than last, I will admit that I lost some respect for her as a judge last season over her unneccessarily scathing critique of Heidi.

[Rinaldo]

I just mentioned that in the "Philosophy" thread: Mia slamming Heidi for "lack of technique." Though that was unusually cutting, I might have accepted it as fair (sincere, expert) criticism if she hadn't gone on to praise Ivan's contemporary duet precisely because he didn't yet have the technique for it and was "raw." Then it all starts to look like arbitrary favoritism.

[Hyper Critical]

I don't want to go into a huge retread of MiaGate, I think her criticism of Heidi may have come out of left field to both the audience and Heidi, however I thought it was probably very useful to Heidi overall - in the larger career sense. Someone on another huge dance board said that she took ballet with Heidi as a teacher for more than a year just after Heidi made the top 20 and restated it repeatedly through S2 - was her biggest fan, so in my estimation, if Mia found her lacking - this is kind of scary - it goes back to the whole teachers teaching things that they are not qualified to teach. Heidi is a great gal, wonderful WCS and Latin dancer, very versatile in the larger sense, did an incredible job in the Afro-Pop, great partner and definitely had the biggest growth path in S2, but most folks have limitations and Mia pointed hers out. This may surprise some that didn't go to the tour, but Mia's parent's dance studio also taught ballroom. That is all.

[Rancide]

I love Mia. She's the best thing about this show. Contemporary is my favorite style, and Mia is my favorite choreographer. Mia-Heidigate didn't bother me last year, but then muffin-face Heidi was my least favorite of the women who didn't get cut in the first or second round, so I was applauding even though I did think it was perhaps unnecessarily unhelpful.

More Mia! I don't love the Earth Mother crap, but as long as she can choreograph like that, I'll forgive any annoying affect in the entire world. More Mia, please!

Edited by Rancide, May 27, 2007 @ 12:11 PM.

[Anna Rain]

I'm acquainted with a dancer who's worked with Mia Michaels before, and apparently crying during practice with her is not unusual. It's actually considered the mark of a good, demanding teacher/choreographer if the dancers cry.

I think she's a bitch and a half, but her work is amazing. The final six Hide & Seek routine was the most beautiful and moving thing I've ever seen.

[pointoforder]

I love Mia. She's the best thing about this show. Contemporary is my favorite style, and Mia is my favorite choreographer. Mia-Heidigate didn't bother me last year.... I don't love the Earth Mother crap, but as long as she can choreograph like that, I'll forgive any annoying affect in the entire world. More Mia, please!

Rancide, I'm with you. Mia's choreography is so great that i'm willing to indulge her Earth Mother shtick.
With respect to Mia-Heidigate, I think dance is so subjective (especially if making comments beyond technique). I think Mia was saying Ivan and Heidi both lack techinuqe, but Ivan "spoke to her" in a way that Heidi didn't. I respect that (I actually agree with her as well, but that's not my point). One of the reasons I actually like this show better than AI is that the judges actually have opinions and share them... (Even offering comments beyond technique.) It might just be gut reaction, but they share them and often they go beyond technique to comments like "xyz person just stood out more in a dance." Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don't, but I like that they are actually putting themselves on the line.

Edited by pointoforder, May 27, 2007 @ 9:30 PM.

[alvin etler]

I also think that the distinction with Ivan and Heidi had to do with the point in the competition. Ivan was being praised Midway through the season for grasping concepts that were far outside of his experience. Heidi was on the cusp of winning and Mia wanted to voice that she was the most limited dancer still left in the running, which I agree that Heidi was the most limited.

[RyanCrowell]

I hated Mia's choreographer in season 1, except for the Melody/Ashle routine and the "King of Pain" routine for Nick/Kamilah. I don't enjoy seeing the same dreary lyricals again and again and again and again, nor did I care about seeing her weep over Blake, not that I hated Blake or anything, but the whole "he feels the spirit of the music and I'll weep like a baby," was boring to me.

I didn't miss her on the judging panel in season 2, because she often had such a pretentious manner of speaking in the first season, and sometimes she was very contemptuous (like when she laughed about how bad the Allan/Melody lyrical was). Sometimes she has a way of saying exactly what needs to be said, and saying it in a way which is blunt and unvarnished and just right, like when she told Benji she had realized what a limited dancer he was (and thank goodness somebody finally said it), or when she told Melody to stop with the HMV. Unfortunately, the way she spoke to Heidi, and to that blonde girl (Joy?), had the undertone of, "I'll get you my pretty!", and like she was using her power on the show to get at them because she knew they couldn't really say anything back to her. I thought Heidi was one of the few dancers in season 2 who truly was good at just about everything they threw at her, so when Mia told her she wasn't good enough, it was just heartbreaking to see. Heidi had no chance of winning (Benji was the clear winner from day 1), so this was more about crushing Heidi's dream than stopping Heidi's chance of winning.

Edited by RyanCrowell, May 28, 2007 @ 4:29 PM.

[Arscelona]

when she laughed about how bad the Allan/Melody lyrical was

Well to be exact she said that it was beautiful awful and odd at the same time and she wasnt laughing at the time! That was a better comment than what everyone else said! Also I seriously doubt she was trying to crush Heidi's dream, she was just speaking her opinion,as a judge thats her job, IMO.

I cannot wait to see more of her.

[RyanCrowell]

Didn't Mia say some comment at some dance event or something, before the finale, again panning Heidi? I can't remember. I thought there were some moments outside of the show where she was making the negative comments about Heidi, which is part of what bugged me. I just felt like her comments on Heidi were based on something beyond dance. I know at the time some people felt she was biased against the non-lyrical dancers, but I don't think that was it, there was just something about her and Heidi.

Anyway, the whole Mia/Heidi thing, like Nigel telling Ashle she had no star quality, was a big downer for the end of the season, but at least Heidi took the whole thing with professionalism and eventually Mia did praise her.

[mocoo]

I still havent forgiven that woman for the shit she gave Heidi. Looking back Heidi was the most underrated dancer out of both season.

She made whoever she danced with look better. She danced all types I believe and with the exception of a few (hip hop and pop) she got rave reviews from people.

Whatever went down between Mia and Heidi was personal. It was too out of the blue. Either that or Mia is on a different channel then the other choreographers. I thought Alex DiSilva was going to cream in his pants after watching Benji and Heidi.


Just My Opinion.

Edited by mocoo, May 29, 2007 @ 10:37 AM.

[Hyper Critical]

Didn't Mia say some comment at some dance event or something, before the finale, again panning Heidi?

I think that Craig DeRosa's bitter, bitter dance teacher made up a bunch of hogwash about Mia on the Fox boards regarding her keynote speech and classes at an annual dance teacher's convention last summer sponsored by Capezio or something like that.

eta:

Some of her comments turn dancers into circus freaks, in a way, that are to be ogled and marvelled at, and it makes me uncomfortable for the contestants as a viewer.

I'm not defending - just remarking that she has worked with Cirque du Soleil where atypical types are featured and revered. I completely understand how she may bug, but I think it's just part of her.

Edited by Hyper Critical, Aug 12, 2007 @ 11:45 AM.

[MistressSarcasm]

I think Mia is biased in favour of lyrical dancers - she is one of those people who frequently equates technique with lyrical or contemporary dancing. I won't fault her too much for that, however, as other judges are biased in favour of certain styles. For example, Mary will frequently go to bat for ballroom dancers and praise their ability to transition to other styles moreso than other types of dancers.

I think my main problem with Mia as a judge and a choreographer is her fascination with "interesting" concepts. I remember her fighting with Nigel after the audition of a little person, and she was so interested in how the contestant would be able to dance with a partner. She kept reiterating how she thought it would be fascinating. She expressed similar sentiments after Melody and Allan's lyrical. Mia's obsession with "uniqueness, "spirit," and "humanity" when dancing just smacks of pretension and even condescension towards certain dancers. Some of her comments turn dancers into circus freaks, in a way, that are to be ogled and marvelled at, and it makes me uncomfortable for the contestants as a viewer.

I just wish I could watch her choreography and never have to hear her speak about dancing.

[minky]

You know her dumb ass attempts at directing technique?

When my boyfriend and I are at a loss for the right words to describe something, we usually switch to joke mode and say, "more human." Thanks for that, Mia!

"Could you make XYZ more like...um...you know...(hee hee)...'more human.'"

[MistressSarcasm]

Oh man, "more human" is the ultimate Mia-ism. How does one, exactly, move ones arm like a human? Is there an all-encompassing, universal way that a "human" moves an arm?

She does beautiful choreography, but is she ever full of shit.

Edited by MistressSarcasm, May 30, 2007 @ 10:21 PM.

[justmy2cents]

"Could you make XYZ more like...um...you know...(hee hee)...'more human.'"

I've got to try this. The dog might look at me funny, though. :)

For example, Mary will frequently go to bat for ballroom dancers and praise their ability to transition to other styles moreso than other types of dancers.

This may not be the right thread for this and I might not be remembering important examples, but I wanted to defend Mary, at least briefly. My only recollection of Mary saying things like this (very pointedly about ballroom people) has been when she wants to tell the audience that the ballroom dancers were dancing a ballroom style that was not their specialty. Like Artem, dancing American style foxtrot and cha cha (he does international style ballroom, not American style). And Benji, doing Viennese Waltz (as a Latin and swing person).

On the one hand, I've always appreciated her making that distinction for them, because it was true that they were out of their narrowly defined specialties and they adapted well. It was a nice thing to point out that they probably weren't coasting those weeks. On the other hand, the times she's chosen to do that - well, both Artem and Benji looked to me like they had had enough previous ballroom experience to have a leg up from non-ballroom people, so (without really understanding classical dancing) it might have been more like telling a lyrical dancer that they weren't in their specialty when they were doing Afro-pop, or something. I'm not really sure how necessary it was to say something to give the dancers credit at the time. But at least I perceived Mary to have an arguably legitimate reason (wanting to educate the public) for saying something like that. Whereas sometimes I perceive Mia's comments to be plain old mean and biased, with no sort of plausible redeeming explanation.

But that's just my impression. I very well might be wrong about this.

[shimi]

I liked a few of Mia's routines ( Calling You and Hide and Seek) but just based on this show I find her choreography OK but kind of overrated. But then again, I am not a ardent fan of the genre called lyrical. I am amused by the fact that she seems stoned most of the time when she's just judging, but then her eyes will narrow and she'll let fly with these vicious comments ( to Heidi and Donyelle, towards the end) that just make her come off like a crazed diva.

[NewsGirl2]

There are a lot of things I dislike about Mia, but I loved when she said that she felt dorky critiquing Travis's and Martha's krumping routine in her flowered shirt. Hee!

[Sunidesus]

I don't enjoy seeing the same dreary lyricals again and again and again and again, nor did I care about seeing her weep over Blake, not that I hated Blake or anything, but the whole "he feels the spirit of the music and I'll weep like a baby," was boring to me.

That was so weird! At the time I remember thinking that he had figured out that she wanted people to cry for some reason of her own so he did his best acting job so that she'd like him. No idea if that was the case obviously, but it was the impression I got at the time.

[MistressSarcasm]

justmy2cents, I'll keep my response brief since this is the Mia thread. While you are quite correct, I also recall Mary defending ballroom/partner dancers doing non-ballroom routines as well (for example, hip-hop or lyrical) moreso than any other type of dancer. For example, she went out of her way to praise Dmitry for doing hip-hop or pop, same with Benji and Heidi. I feel that Mary is the ballroom peoples champion in all styles, just like Mia is the lyrical person champion.

[justmy2cents]

You may very well be right, MistressSarcasm. I tend to have selective memory - for example, I instantly forget whatever Mary says when I don't agree with her. It comes in handy, I'm sure. :)

I seem to remember Mary "championing" Jamile in the first season, Allison toward the beginning of last season, and Travis toward the end - and enthusiastically so (wooo!!). In contrast, Mia always has seemed to me to be a little begrudging of her praise : I get the feeling that she'll like you ONLY if you're HER flavor of lyrical <or> she might give you a pass if you're "raw". Because the ballroom people we have had (and probably will have) tend not to be like that, I see it as a pretty difficult bias to surmount and I therefore perceive Mia as more biased against ballroom people than Mary is against lyrical.

[JoannaOC]

Whether one likes Mia or not, I think she shows an example of a particular kind of dance vocabulary and style of teaching choreography. I think each of the judges can recognize elements of good dancing in general, but each one is also a specialist in at least one particular dance world. Do they value precision or spontaneity? do they want the dancers to be "pulled up through the center" or "connected to the ground?" How does a teacher communicate verbally to a dancer how to move a certain way? Maybe saying someone should be "more human" in her dance world is shorthand for telling the dancers not to hide behind precision and technique and be more vulnerable, whereas a ballroom teacher might be more interested in a stylized expression of emotion. I think Mia forgets she's on TV sometimes and just talks to the dancers as if they were in a studio.

[ajay]

Joanna, I think you may have nailed that distinction. I could totally see that happening with Mia.