Sonya Tayeh

Sonya Tayeh is a New York City-based choreographer. She has worked nationally and internationally across the worlds of dance and theater.

Sonya Tayeh
Born	1977/1978 (age 42–43)[1] New York City, New York
Education	Dance (BS/BFA)
Alma mater	Wayne State University
Occupation	Choreographer
Years active	2002–present

She has earned accolades for her work, including two Emmy nominations for Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, and the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for “Outstanding Choreography” for her work on David Henry Hwang’s dance-play Kung Fu, for which she also received a Drama Desk nomination.

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.[2] Tayeh started dancing at age 15 when she began frequenting hip-hop and house dance parties with her sister.[3] She started studying ballet and modern dance—as a subject—at age 17 when she was a student at Henry Ford Community College.[4] 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 at Wayne State University.[5] 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.[6] In addition to her classes, Tayeh was a member of Counter Groove[4] and Full Circle[7] 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, quirky, and stylized movements.[8] She graduated Wayne State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in Dance.[9]

Dance career and mainstream exposure

Since gaining mainstream exposure, Tayeh has choreographed tours and/or live events for Madonna, Florence and the Machine, Kylie Minogue, Kerli, and Miley Cyrus.[10] She has also choreographed for Steed Lord and spent three years in residence with the Los Angeles Ballet.[11] In 2010, she choreographed indie singer Lucy Schwartz' music video "Graveyard".[12]

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.[5][13] In 2011, she choreographed another musical called Spring Awakening for the San Jose Repertory Theatre.[5] In 2014, she choreographed an off-Broadway play based on Bruce Lee's life called Kung Fu.[14] It premiered February 24 with So You Think You Can Dance alumnus Cole Horibe playing the lead role.[15]

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 Monáe
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 Roldan^2		"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.	Contemporary	"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
		Alexis Juliano 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
		Brooklyn Fullmer 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.[16] She has also taught classes at The Hip Drop Dance Complex,[17] Monsters of Contemporary,[18] Broadway Dance Center,[10] 24 Seven Dance,[11] Hall of Fame Dance Challenge, Loyola Marymount University, NUVO, and Spotlight Dance Works.[4]

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."[18] SanJose.com characterized it as "fearless, provocative and unique."[5] 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.[3][4] In addition, she calls competitive hip-hop dancer Salah her "idol"[3] and Icelandic singer Björk her "ultimate hero".[19]

Awards and recognition

In January 2009, Tayeh was named one of Dance magazine's "25 to Watch".[18] In 2010, she was honored by the Detroit Arts Council[16] and she made the December cover of Dance Teacher magazine.[20] 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.[16]

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.[21] 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.[22]

In October 2020, Tayeh received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Choreography for her work in Moulin Rouge!.[23]

References

1. Montemurri, Patricia (March 20, 2014). "Choreographer Sonya Tayeh rockets to top of dance world". USA Today. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
2. "Television's Hottest Choreographer, Sonya weiners Tayeh, Brings it to the El Portal Stage". TolucanTimes.info. October 28, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
3. "Interviews: Sonya Tayeh". TheHipDrop.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
4. Jones, Jen (December 1, 2012). "Combat Force". Dance Teacher. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
5. Smith, Tony (September 8, 2011). "In-Depth with Sonya Tayeh". SanJose.com. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
6. 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.
7. "Sonya Tayeh". HFCC.edu. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
8. "Sonya Tayeh". SonyaTayehDance.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
9. "Choreographer Profile - Sonya Tayeh". MSAAgency.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
10. "Sonya Tayeh". BroadwayDanceCenter.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
11. "Sonya Tayeh". 24SevenDance.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
12. McQ, Jeff (August 26, 2013). "The MIMO Interview: Lucy Schwartz Talks about "Timekeeper"". RecordingConnection.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. Thompson, Candance. "Quick Q&A: Sonya Tayeh". Dance Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
16. "Sonya Tayeh - Contemporary Jazz". EdgePAC.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
17. "Faculty". TheHipDrop.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
18. "25 to Watch". Dance Magazine. January 2009. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
19. 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.
20. "December 2010". Dance Teacher. December 1, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
21. Lara, Maria Mercedes (July 18, 2013). "Announcing the 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominees!". BuzzSugar.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
22. 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.
23. McPhee, Ryan (October 15, 2020). "2020 Tony Award Nominations: Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge!, Slave Play Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved October 17, 2020.