The Emmy battle continued between TV’s popular dance competition shows “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” Once again, they were pitted against each other in the race for Best Choreography, but for the first time, both shows won. The winners were Derek Hough, Julianne Hough and Tessandra Chavez representing “DWTS,” and Travis Wall representing “SYTYCD.” It was the first ever win for Julianne Hough, Chavez and Wall, but it was the second win for Derek.
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Travis Wall (‘SYTYCD’) Emmy interview: Marriage equality inspired nominated dance
Chavez and the Houghs won for their “Elastic Heart” routine. It was the seventh overall nom for Derek, the third for Julianne and the first for Chavez. This was only the second time ABC’s celebrity dance contest prevailed in this category, following Derek’s previous win in 2013.
Meanwhile, “So You Think You Can Dance” won the award for the ninth time. Travis Wall was a contestant on the show in season two and actually performed a routine that won the show one of its first Emmys: “Calling You,” choreographed by Mia Michaels. Wall has since returned to the show as a choreographer and mentor, and this was his fifth Emmy nom in a row. He was rewarded for his dances “Wave,” “When I Go” and “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
Also nominated for “Dancing with the Stars” was Witney Carson. The 21-year-old is a relative newcomer to the show, but she’s already a winner; she took the season 19 title with celebrity partner Alfonso Ribeiro. She contended for her very first Emmy for choreographing three dances with Ribeiro: “369,” “It’s Not Unusual” and “Sing with a Swing-Apache.”
Two other “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographers were also in the running: Spencer Liff has been choreographing dances for the FOX show since 2009 and earned a previous Emmy bid in 2012, losing to Joshua Bergasse for NBC’s Broadway drama “Smash.” This year Liff was nominated for three dances: “Hernando’s Hideaway,” “World on a String” and “Maybe This Time.”
Sonya Tayeh was also nominated for the second time for “So You Think You Can Dance.” Her last nomination was in 2013, when she also lost to Derek Hough. She contended with the dances “Vow,” “So Broken” and “Europe, After the Rain.”
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Photo: Derek Hough at Creative Arts Emmys, 2015. Credit: Buchan/Variety/REX
Photo: Travis Wall at Creative Arts Emmys, 2015. Credit: Picture Perfect/REX
