Sonya Tayeh
| Sonya Tayeh | |
|---|---|
| Born | New York, New York |
| Residence | New York, New York |
| Education | Dance (BS/BFA) |
| Alma mater | Wayne State University |
| Occupation | Choreographer |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Home town | Detroit, Michigan |
Sonya Tayeh is a dance teacher and jazz and contemporary choreographer from Detroit, Michigan best known for being a choreographer on the television series So You Think You Can Dance. In 2013, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on season nine.
Tayeh was a house dancer during her teenage years and she did not start any formal dance training until she was 18 and a student at Wayne State University. After graduating in 2002, she moved to California and ran a dance company in San Francisco where she developed her own style of choreography which she calls combat jazz. In 2007, she was discovered by a talent agent from McDonald Selznick Associates who saw a performance she choreographed for The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball. Three months after being signed, she booked a job on So You Think You Can Dance.
Since gaining mainstream exposure, Tayeh has choreographed for Madonna, Florence and the Machine, Kylie Minogue, the Los Angeles Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company and the San Jose Repertory Theater. Aside from theater and tours, she stays active teaching jazz and contemporary classes at dance conventions.
Life and career
Early life and education
Tayeh was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She has two sisters and one half-brother.[1] Tayeh started dancing at age 15 when she began frequenting hip-hop and house dance parties with her sister.[2] She started studying ballet and modern dance—as a subject—at age 17 when she was a student at Henry Ford Community College.[3] Although Tayeh was a freestyle house dancer in her youth, she didn't take any formal dance classes until she was 18 and a student Wayne State University.[4] Before starting her training, she was denied by six dance studios who wouldn't let her take classes because they felt she was too old.[5] In addition to her classes, Tayeh was a member of Counter Groove[3] and Full Circle[6] dance companies.
During her time at Wayne State, Tayeh drew on dance history, anatomy, and performance to develop a style that is built on core strength, aggressive partner interaction, and quirky, stylized movements.[7] She graduated Wayne State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in Dance.[8]
Dance career and mainstream exposure
Tayeh honed her style of combat jazz over the course of four years while co-directing The Dance Company of San Francisco with her friend and colleague Chris Jacobsen.[3] An alumnus of The Dance Company of San Francisco is Nick Lazzarini who won the first season of So You Think You Can Dance.[9] When the company closed in 2007, Tayeh moved to Los Angeles and started a dance company called Tayeh Dance.[10] In an interview with Dance Spirit magazine she stated that she named the company in honor of her father who died when she was young.[11] In Los Angeles, she was discovered by talent agent Andrew Jacobs from McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA).[4] Jacobs saw a performance that Tayeh choreographed at The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball.[3] After he approached her, Tayeh invited him and the rest of the MSA staff to see "The Root of Me"—a show she directed and choreographed that the Carnival performance was taken from. The day after the viewing, Tayeh was signed to MSA.[12] Three months after being signed, she was booked as a choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance.[3]
Dance to me is my heart when it's broken, my smile when I´m happy, my outlook on life, and my hope when I´m gone.
Sonya Tayeh[2]
Since gaining mainstream exposure, Tayeh has choreographed tours and/or live events for Madonna, Florence and the Machine, Kylie Minogue, Kerli, and Miley Cyrus.[13] She has also choreographed for Steed Lord and spent three years in residence with the Los Angeles Ballet.[14] In 2010, she choreographed indie singer Lucy Schwartz' music video "Graveyard".[15]
Tayeh choreographed the rock musical The Last Goodbye which is based on Romeo and Juliet and set to a soundtrack of music by Jeff Buckley. It premiered in 2010, but a revised version of the show with a new cast opened in September 2013 at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California.[4][16] In 2011, she choreographed another musical called Spring Awakening for the San Jose Reparatory Theater.[4] In 2014, she choreographed an off-Broadway play based on Bruce Lee's life called Kung Fu.[12] It premiered February 24 with So You Think You Can Dance alumnus Cole Horibe playing the lead role.[17]
In 2015 Martha Graham Dance Company commissioned a new work by Sonya Tayeh which she set to the music of Meredith Monk. It premiered in the company's New York season at The Joyce, Spring 2015 and has been performed by the company while on tour.
Choreography for So You Think You Can Dance
| Season | Week | Dancers | Style | Song | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | Kourtni Lind Matt Dorame |
Contemporary | "Wrestlers (Sticky, Dirty Pop Mix)"—Hot Chip | |
| 6 | Chelsie Hightower Gev Manoukian |
"These Arms of Mine"—Otis Redding | |||
| 8 | Courtney Galiano Mark Kanemura |
Jazz | "The Garden"—Mirah | ||
| 5 | LVW | All Dancers | "Great DJ (Calvin Harris Remix)"—The Ting Tings | ||
| 2 | Melissa Sandvig Ade Obayomi |
"24 Hours" (The Aston Shuffle A-Bomb Remix)—Terry Poison | |||
| 4 | Kayla Radomski Kūpono Aweau |
Contemporary | "Eyes On Fire"—Blue Foundation | ||
| 7 | Janette Manrara Evan Kasprzak |
Jazz | "Move" (Metronomy Remix)—CSS | ||
| 8 | Top 3 male | "True Romance"—She Wants Revenge | |||
| Top 3 female | "Kick It (Stereoheroes Remix)"—Nina Martine | ||||
| 9 | Jeanine Mason Evan Kasprzak |
"Heartbreaker"—MSTRKRFT featuring John Legend | |||
| Talia Fowler | "Shot You Down"—Audio Bullys | Guest Dancer Result Show | |||
| 6 | MT20 | Mollee Gray Pauline Mata Ellenore Scott |
"On a Cloud"—Platinum Pied Pipers | ||
| 1 | Ellenore Scott Ryan Di Lello |
Contemporary Jazz | "Arcadia"—Apparat | ||
| 5 | Kathryn McCormick Jonathan "Legacy" Perez |
Jazz | "So Deep"—Hot Chip | ||
| Ashleigh Di Lello Jakob Karr |
Lyrical Jazz | "Time Flies"—Lykke Li | |||
| 6 | Ellenore Scott Jakob Karr |
Contemporary Jazz | "Tore My Heart"—OONA and Dave Tweedie | ||
| 7 | Top 8 | Jazz | "Pon de Floor" (Samantha Ronson remix)—Major Lazer feat. Vybz Kartel (Jazz | Result Show | |
| 8 | Ashleigh Di Lello Russell Ferguson |
Lyrical Jazz | "Angel Standing By"—Jewel | ||
| 7 | MT11 | Courtney Galiano Ashley Galvan Neil Haskell Robert Roldan AdéChiké Torbert |
Jazz | "Freak"—Estelle feat. Kardinal Offishall | |
| 1 | Mark Kanemura Cristina Santana |
"Starstruck"—Santigold | |||
| Allison Holker Alex Wong |
Contemporary | "Hallelujah"—Jeff Buckley | |||
| 2 | Top 10 | Jazz | Royal T"—Crookers feat. Róisín Murphy (Jazz | Resul Show | |
| 3 | Courtney Galiano Robert Roldan |
"XXXO"—M.I.A. | |||
| 6 | Allison Holker Jose Ruiz |
Contemporary | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind theme—Jon Brion | ||
| Kent Boyd Kathryn McCormick |
Jazz | "Tightrope"—Janelle Monae | |||
| 8 | MT20 | Jordan Casanova Marko Germar Missy Morelli Clarice Ordaz |
"Vanguardian"—Steed Lord | ||
| Top 10 girls | "Pop Drop & Roll"—Chonique Sneed & Lisette Bustamante | ||||
| 1 | Caitlynn Lawson Robert Roldan2 |
"In For the Kill" (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)—La Roux | |||
| Top 20 | "XR2"—M.I.A. | Result Show | |||
| 3 | Ashley Rich Chris Koehl |
"Lights Go Down" (District 78 remix)—Telepathe | |||
| Ryan Ramirez Ricky Jaime |
Contemporary | "With Every Heartbeat" (Acoustic)—Robyn | |||
| 6 | Allison Holker Marko Germar |
"I Know It's Over"—Jeff Buckley | |||
| Melanie Moore Sasha Mallory |
Jazz | Game On—District 78 | |||
| 7 | Tadd Gadduang Ellenore Scott |
"The Gulag Orkestar"—Beirut | |||
| Marko Germar Caitlynn Lawson |
Lyrical Jazz | "Heavy in Your Arms"—Florence and the Machine | |||
| 8 | Sasha Mallory Mark Kanemura |
Jazz | "Raise Your Weapon"—Deadmau5 | ||
| 9 | LVW | All Dancers | "Freak Out (Gold Chains Panique Mix)"—My Brightest Diamond | ||
| MT20 | Audrey Case Tiffany Maher Janelle Issis* |
"Sail"—Awolnation | |||
| Top 10 guys | "Precognition" (Steed Lord Machine Mix)—Steed Lord | ||||
| 1 | Tiffany Maher George Lawrence Jr. |
Contemporar | "Turning Page"—Sleeping At Last | ||
| 2 | Amelia Lowe Will Thomas |
"3326"—Ólafur Arnalds | |||
| Audrey Case Matthew Kazmierczak |
Jazz | "Hear Me Now" (Dri, Lind and Likka Mix)—Steed Lord | |||
| 6 | Allison Holker Cole Horibe |
Contemporary | "Possibly Maybe" (Instrumental)—Björk | ||
| Lindsay Arnold Alex Wong |
Jazz | "Somebody That I Used to Know"—Gotye feat. Kimbra | |||
| 7 | Top 6 | "Scream"—Kelis | |||
| 8 | Tiffany Maher William Wingfield |
"Time is Now"—Moloko | |||
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer Chehon Wespi-Tschopp |
"Fangs" (District 78 remix)—Little Red Lung | ||||
| 9 | Tiffany Maher William Wingfield |
"Time is Now"—Moloko | |||
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer Chehon Wespi-Tschopp |
"Fangs" (District 78 remix)—Little Red Lung | ||||
| Top 20 | Contemporary/Hip-hop | "Torn"—Nathan Lanier | Sonya Tayeh Christopher Scott | ||
| 10 | LVW | All Dancers | Jazz | "Latch"—Disclosure (band) | |
| MT20 | Jasmine Mason Amy Yakima |
"Enjoy"—Björk | |||
| Top 20 | "Ghost of Sky" (Epic Dub)—Steed Lord | ||||
| 1 | Jasmine Harper Aaron Turner |
"Bottom of the River"—Delta Rae | |||
| Amy Yakima Du-Shaunt "Fik-Shun" Stegall |
Contemporary | "Elsa"—The Valerie Project | |||
| 3 | Top 18 | Jazz | "Pretty Face" (Nathan Lanier remix)—Sóley | Christopher Scott Sonya Tayeh | |
| Malece Miller Marko Germar* |
Contemporary | "In the Embers"—Sleeping at Last | |||
| 5 | Top 14 | Jazz | "Dimman Kryper Sakta In"—District 78 | Dmitry Chaplin Sonya Tayeh | |
Nico Greetham |
Contemporary | "Ashes"—The Bengsons | |||
| Makenzie Dustman Paul Karmiryan |
Jazz | "You'll Find a Way" (Switch & Sinden Remix)—Santigold | |||
| 11 | LVW | All Dancers | "F for You"—Disclosure feat. Mary J. Blige | ||
| MT20 | Top 20 | "Stalker Ha"—Kingdom | |||
| Jessica Richens Ricky Ubeda |
Contemporary | "Vow"—Meredith Monk | |||
| 1 | Tanisha Belnap Rudy Abreu |
Jazz | "You Need"—Bengsons | ||
| Carly Blaney Serge Onik |
Contemporary | "Latch (Acoustic)"—Sam Smith | |||
| 3 | Jacque LeWarne Zack Everhart, Jr. |
Jazz | "Back to Black"—Beyoncé feat. André 3000 | ||
Casey Askew Emilio Dosal Emily James Serge Onik Tanisha Belnap Valerie Rockey Zack Everhart, Jr. |
Contemporary | "So Broken" (Live)—Björk | |||
| 5 | Zack Everhart, Jr. Amy Yakima |
"Europe, After The Rain"—Max Richter | |||
| 10 | Top 10 All-stars |
Contemporary/Hip-Hop | "Sweet Disposition"—The Temper Trap | Sonya Tayeh Christopher Scott | |
| 12 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
^2 Due to a shoulder injury, Mitchell Kelly was barred from performing in his routine. He was replaced for the evening by season 7's Robert Roldan and was automatically in danger of going home.
Teaching
Tayeh is a faculty member at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles.[18] She has also taught classes at The Hip Drop Dance Complex,[19] Monsters of Contemporary,[20] Broadway Dance Center,[13] 24 Seven Dance,[14] Hall of Fame Dance Challenge, Loyola Marymount University, NUVO, and Spotlight Dance Works.[3]
Style and influences
Tayeh describes her choreography style as combat jazz because in her words "[i]t’s staccato, aggressive, and engaged, even when it’s slow."[20] SanJose.com characterized it as "fearless, provocative and unique."[4] She has several influences which include two of her former college professors Diane Mancinelli and Erica Wilson-Perkins, Broadway choreographers Twyla Tharp and Bill T. Jones, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, her favorite choreographer Jiří Kylián, and her family.[2][3] In addition, she calls competitive hip-hop dancer Salah her "idol"[2] and Icelandic singer Björk her "ultimate hero".[21]
Awards and recognition
In January 2009, Tayeh was named one of Dance magazine's "25 to Watch".[20] In 2010, she was honored by the Detroit Arts Council[18] and she made the December cover of Dance Teacher magazine.[22] At Wayne State University there is a scholarship named after her called the Sonya Tayeh Endowment Fund that is awarded to students who want to pursue a degree in dance.[18]
In July 2013, Tayeh was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for "Possibly Maybe", "Turning Page", and "Sail"—three routines she choreographed on season nine of So You Think You Can Dance.[23] At the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, she joined the other seven choreography nominees and created a routine honoring dance that was performed just before the Outstanding Choreography award was presented. 2013 was the first year the Outstanding Choreography award was presented at the Primetime Emmys telecast rather than at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony which takes place a week prior.[24]
References
- ↑ "Television’s Hottest Choreographer, Sonya Tayeh, Brings it to the El Portal Stage". TolucanTimes.info. October 28, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "Interviews: Sonya Tayeh". TheHipDrop.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jones, Jen (December 1, 2012). "Combat Force". Dance Teacher. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Tony (September 8, 2011). "In-Depth with Sonya Tayeh". SanJose.com. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ↑ Camus, Renee (September 16, 2013). "Choreographer Sonya Tayeh's Passionate Honesty". Los Angeles Magazine. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Sonya Tayeh". HFCC.edu. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Sonya Tayeh". SonyaTayehDance.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Choreographer Profile - Sonya Tayeh". MSAAgency.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
- ↑ Feller, Allison (December 8, 2011). "All Eyes on Chantel". Dance Spirit. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ↑ Rivers, Ashley (September 1, 2011). "Life After Competition". Dance Spirit. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Sonya Tayeh’s World". Dance Spirit. September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- 1 2 Serchuk, Barnett (September 6, 2013). "BWW Interview: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE's Sonya Tayeh Talks THE LAST GOODBYE & More!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- 1 2 "Sonya Tayeh". BroadwayDanceCenter.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- 1 2 "Sonya Tayeh". 24SevenDance.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ↑ McQ, Jeff (August 26, 2013). "The MIMO Interview: Lucy Schwartz Talks about “Timekeeper”". RecordingConnection.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ↑ Gordon, David (April 10, 2013). "The Last Goodbye, a New Musical Fusing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet With Songs of Jeff Buckley, Will Open Old Globe Season". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ↑ Thompson, Candance. "Quick Q&A: Sonya Tayeh". Dance Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Sonya Tayeh - Contemporary Jazz". EdgePAC.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ↑ "Faculty". TheHipDrop.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- 1 2 3 "25 to Watch". Dance Magazine. January 2009. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ↑ Nguyen, Hahn (September 17, 2013). "SYTYCD Vets Sonya Tayeh, Allison Holker on Creating Emmys' Big Dance Number". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ↑ "December 2010". Dance Teacher. December 1, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ↑ Lara, Maria Mercedes (July 18, 2013). "Announcing the 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominees!". BuzzSugar.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ↑ Garron, Barry (September 20, 2013). "Breaking Bad, Modern Family Are Top Shows at 65th Primetime Emmys". Emmys.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
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