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Mary Murphy (choreographer)

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Mary Murphy
Born
Mary Ann Murphy

March 9
Lancaster, OH, USA
OccupationChoreographer
Known forJudge on So You Think You Can Dance (2005-present)
Websitewww.marymurphy.tv

Mary Murphy (born March 9) is a ballroom dance champion[1], accredited dance judge, and a regular judge and choreographer on the FOX dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.

Career

Mary Murphy is a former U.S. champion ballroom dancer and worldwide TV personality. She was born in Lancaster, Ohio, the only daughter in an Irish family of four children.[2] She graduated from Northwest High School in Canal Fulton, Ohio. Mary is a poor ballroom teacher. She does poor moves, and has poor technique. She is not sexy. Her plastered smile is not sincere. She is definitely not on the hot tamale train. [3]

Shortly after graduating from Ohio University with a degree in Physical Education and a minor in modern dance, Murphy moved to Washington, D.C. where, looking for a summer job, she answered an ad in the newspaper for a local studio recruiting instructor trainees. Some time later the studio owner invited her to attend the United States Ballroom Championships in New York City.

In April 1990, she opened the Champion Ballroom Academy in downtown San Diego. Whilst running the dance school, she regularly commuted to Europe representing Austria as national champion with Manfred Stiglitz. The demands of travel took their toll, and despite the promise of placing in the top six in the world, they eventually parted.

For the next five years she went on to build a list of accomplishments with various partners including the Southwest Regional Dance Tournament, the Saint Louis Star Ball, and the International Grand Ball. With partner Bill Milner, Murphy made the U.S. Open Standard final in an unprecedented six months. Finally, in 1996, she and partner Jim Desmond made the final of the U.S. Open American Smooth and won the U.S. Open American Nine Dance.[4] She retired from competition and shifted her focus toward her dance academy.

She acted as a dance double for Julia Roberts in the movie Something to Talk About and appeared in Dance With Me, starring Vanessa L. Williams.

So You Think You Can Dance

While in Hollywood being screen tested as a judge for the first season of Dancing with the Stars, she met with the producers of another new dance show in early 2005. She was offered a slot on rotation as a judge and choreographer for the Fox summer series So You Think You Can Dance and returned for season 2 in 2006, spending noticeably more time at the judging table than season 1. Fans of the show developed a love/hate relationship with her emotional commentary and vocal antics; she earned herself the name Queen of Scream. On March 8, 2007, TV Guide reported that Murphy would be joining executive producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe permanently at the judging table for season 3, airing Wednesdays and Thursdays of Summer 2007.[5] In 2008, Murphy began making special guest appearances on new versions of "So You Think You Can Dance" around the world; in countries like Australia, Canada and Norway.

'Chance to Dance' program

In 2006, Mary partnered with a local San Diego-area school district to offer dancing as a regular part of their curriculum.[6] The goal of the "Chance to Dance" program is to provide children with dance classes, resulting in exercise and an exposure to culture and arts. Children are taught dances such as merengue, foxtrot, and swing in their classrooms.

The program is in the process of obtaining non-profit 501(c)(3) status, in order to accept donations and scholarships.

She currently runs her dance studio and organizes a Las Vegas dance competition, the 'Holiday Dance Classic'. She frequently serves as a judge in several reputable competitions, including the U.S. National Ballroom Championships.

Awards

  • Winner, Favorite Host/Judge, The 2007 Reality Really Awards[7]
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, 2007 Heritage Dance Classic[8]
  • Nominee, Favorite Judge, The 2006 Reality Really Awards[9]
  • U.S. National Professional 9-Dance Champion, 1996 United States Ballroom Dance Championships
  • Austrian National 10-dance and Ballroom Champion, Representatives at the World Championships[10]

References

  • This article incorporates text from [1] released under the GFDL License
  1. ^ Instructors :: Mary Murphy :: DanceVision.com
  2. ^ Official biography released under GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL)
  3. ^ The Independent
  4. ^ Buyer's Guide :: DanceVision.com
  5. ^ TV Guide (March 8, 2007)
  6. ^ Falls Church News-Press - Dancing for the Masses
  7. ^ TVGrapevine.com Big Brother 9
  8. ^ Fox Broadcasting Company: So You Think You Can Dance
  9. ^ Fox Reality's First Annual "The Reality Remix Really Awards" Celebrated What Reality TV is Really All About | Business Wire | Find Articles at BNET.com
  10. ^ Mary Murphy - So You Think You Can Dance | Pop Tower

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