A choreographer to the stars is teaching dance at the University of Arizona

Tyce Diorio, the Emmy-winning choreographer and judge from “So You Think You Can Dance,” is spending the first half of the 2024 fall semester teaching dance classes at the University of Arizona.

“It is great to be here at the university working with these up-and-coming artists,” said Diorio, “especially at this point in their journey.”

Diorio is best known for his 15 seasons on Fox’s hit series, “So You Think You Can Dance,” for which he won the 2009 Emmy for outstanding choreography.

He has worked with show-stopping artists, including Taylor Swift, for whom he choreographed the “RED,” “Reputation,” “1989” and “Lover” world tours. He was also behind Swift’s iconic music videos, “Shake It Off,” “Look What You Made Me Do” and “ME!”

His extensive credits include working with The Weeknd and Lorde on their music videos, dancing with Janet Jackson on her “Velvet Rope” world tour and collaborating with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

“Each artist is different, each celebrity is different,” he said. “They have different expectations and you want to meet those needs as a director or choreographer.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Diorio was immersed in the performing arts from a young age. He began dancing at 9 years old, studying theater dance, jazz, tap and African jazz.

“It was dance and music and the arts. That’s what I was looking at since day one,” he said.

By 18, he had moved to Los Angeles and quickly began working with Jackson, Paula Abdul and Kenny Ortega.

Now, Diorio brings his wealth of experience to Tucson, where he’s teaching classes and creating “HYPSONIK,” a new work for the School of Dance’s upcoming “Fall for Dance” concert.

“(‘HYPSONIK’) is about the connection to music and how it drives everything,” Diorio said. “It drives us in life. It drives us to dance. We need it in every performance. It’s like water — at least to an artist,”

Diorio said he is excited to be working at a university that has been proven to be very “fruitful” for dancers. Some notable alumni include Jessica Polsky, who has danced on Broadway, and ballet dancer Julie Zukaitis

“The faculty here is incredible,” he said, singling out UA School of Dance Director Duane Cyrus. “Cyrus is the one who called me, and he’s iconic. … They are really lucky to have him here.”

Cyrus is ecstatic to have Diorio on board.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

“Normally a guest of his stature, you can get them for a week or 10 days. So having him here for this extended amount of time, for half a semester, is truly incredible,” said Cyrus.

Cyrus asks his students each year who they wish to have as a guest instructor. He received numerous written requests printed with Diorio’s name and was eager to get connected.

“He has depth to his work, and I hope the audience will see that in November when they come to the concert,” Cyrus said.

Diorio is working with students weekdays through early October to prepare for “Fall for Dance,” taking place Nov. 7-10 at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd., on the UA campus.

“So that’s where they get to synthesize everything — the technique, the understanding about their bodies and movement and all that wisdom that he is giving them, along with his creative ideas that they get to perform on stage,” Cyrus said.

Diorio selected two casts of students to perform his choreography and will be working closely with them during his stay.

“He had a whole audition to select the students for his work,” said Cyrus “All the students were there, they were giving their best and I know they are excited about being in his classes.”

Abigail Reed, a 20-year-old dance major, is thrilled to be one of the students Diorio selected for the performance.

“I was really excited to work with him,” said Reed. “When I found out he was coming, I was like ‘I need to be in that piece.’”

When Diorio leaves on Oct. 11, creator of The Drop Dance Studio in Tucson Reuben Dorame will teach the classes for the rest of the semester.

Diorio will stay in contact with the school as his two casts continue rehearsing his piece.

Individual ticket sales for “Fall for Dance” are expected to open Oct. 18 at dance.arizona.edu.