Mia Michaels Journey

When Mia Michaels left SYTYCD USA people were in shock. The amazing and talented, Emmy Award winning choreographer made the official announcement in October 2009 and since then has made some changes to her world, inlcuding her shaved head.

CTV reports:

The Emmy Award-winning choreographer knew something wasn’t sitting right while she was working on the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance, yet she fought that feeling for two years before making the decision to leave the show.

Working on So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s Finale piece was Michaels’ first piece of choreography after leaving the show’s U.S. counterpart and she used all of her conflicted energy and transformed it into something dark, dramatic and beautiful.

The piece, created for Season 2’s Top 10 dancers was created in a dark and pivotal time in Michaels’ personal and professional career. “I was at a point of making massive changes to every area of my life — in my personal life, with my family, (my mom’s dealing with an illness), in my career and then my back injury changed my entire awareness of myself. I realized how much I wanted to really take it all into my own hands.”

She left SYTYCD USA, hired new management and shaved off all her hair.

“I loved my hair, but I couldn’t get it off fast enough,” she says about shaving her platinum ‘do right before appearing on the Top 8 show in Toronto. “I just needed to get it off and start fresh.”

What’s up next?

She has changed everything about her life, dealing with a back injury that led to no feeling in her leg, so intense physical therapy to try and recover. Though she lefft SYTYCD USA she has been working hard personally and professionally with 3 projects in her grasp. Besides telelvision work she is doing a project that explores her journey for a number of dances she choreographed, looking at the stories behind them, the emotion that helped create them.

“It’s totally confirmation that I made the right decision because I wouldn’t be able to do these three shows and work on the U.S. show. And,” she smiles, “it doesn’t conflict with me being part of the Canadian version, which is awesome.”

Though American audiences were devastated by the news of Michaels leaving the U.S. show, Canadians will be seeing plenty more of Michaels.

“I love Canada. I love the show up here. Everyone’s just so wonderful,” she enthuses, promising to be back for Season 3 of SYTYCDC.

“Canada is such a good place for me,” she says. “It reminds me of a time when I found the strength to continue and made difficult decisions and started rebuilding my life. It reminds me of being surrounded by people who offer nothing but love and support.”

[Source]