Mary Murphy (choreographer)
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| Mary Murphy | |
 Mary Murphy, 2006
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| Born | Mary Ann Murphy March 9 Lancaster, OH, USA |
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| Occupation | Choreographer |
| Known for | Judge on So You Think You Can Dance (2005-present) |
| Website www.marymurphy.tv |
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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.
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[edit] Biography
Mary Murphy is a former U.S. champion ballroom dancer and current 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[3].
[edit] Career
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. While 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.
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.
[edit] 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 international versions of So You Think You Can Dance, including So You Think You Can Dance Australia, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, So You Think You Can Dance Scandinavia and the finale of Dansefeber in Norway.[6]
As of Spring 2008, Murphy is judging season 4 with fellow judge, Nigel Lythgoe. She is known for her trademark scream, enhanced by her mouth being too close to the microphone. It is also sometimes distored by the sheer volume of the scream.
[edit] 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]
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from [1] released under the GFDL License
- ^ Instructors :: Mary Murphy :: DanceVision.com
- ^ Official biography released under GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL)
- ^ The Independent
- ^ Buyer's Guide :: DanceVision.com
- ^ TV Guide (March 8, 2007)
- ^ http://bloggingsytycd.blogspot.com/2008/02/mary-murphy-to-guest-judge-top-16.html Mary to Guest Judge Top 16
- ^ TVGrapevine.com Big Brother 9
- ^ Fox Broadcasting Company: So You Think You Can Dance
- ^ 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
- ^ Mary Murphy - So You Think You Can Dance | Pop Tower
[edit] External links
- Mary Murphy at the Internet Movie Database
- Official Website of Mary Murphy
- Mary Murphy's Champion Ballroom Academy, San Diego, CA
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mary Murphy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mary Ann Murphy |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Ballroom dance champion and choreographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 9 March |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lancaster, Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
