Travis Wall
Travis Michael Wall is an American dancer, dance instructor, and choreographer specializing in contemporary dance and jazz dance. He is best known for his 2006 appearance as a competitor on the second season of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on the Fox Network. As of 2012, he was a choreographer for the show. In 2011, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the show's seventh season and won the award for his work in Season 11. In 2012, he starred in the Oxygen reality show All The Right Moves, where he, Teddy Forance, Nick Lazzarini and Kyle Robinson launched their own dance company called Shaping Sound.
Early life and background
Wall was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His mother, owner and operator of the eponymous Denise Wall's Dance Energy, recalls putting him in a walker and watching him imitate the dancers. He began dancing at the age of three, training at his mother's studio, and competing in a number of conventions.Career
Early career and training
His professional career officially started at the age of nine when he appeared in a Dr. Pepper commercial. In 1999, he won the Junior National Outstanding Dancer Scholarship Award. On April 27, 2000, at age 12, he started a two-year run in The Music Man on Broadway, playing a resident of River City/Winthrop Paroo understudy. This led to him performing at the 2000 New York City Dance Alliance's closing-night gala. In 2006, New York City Dance Alliance awarded Wall its Teen Outstanding Dancer of the Year award and he toured with the group for a year.''So You Think You Can Dance''
In 2006, at the age of 18, Wall competed on the second season of the show So You Think You Can Dance, making it to the final four contestants before placing second behind overall winner Benji Schwimmer. Wall was praised by the judges as the most technically talented dancer in the competition. Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman have listed Wall, his brother Danny Tidwell, Season 4's Will Wingfield and Season 5's Kayla Radomski as the most talented dancers on the show, later adding Season 6's Billy Bell and Jakob Karr to that list.While on the show, Wall danced in Mia Michaels' The Bench routine for which she later won an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography. During the Fall of 2006, Wall toured the United States with the top 10 dancers from the So You Think You Can Dance competition. He returned to the show in 2008 during the Season 4 auditions to teach choreography. He did a surprise audition on the 4th episode as "Danielle Chorizo".
On July 23, 2009, Wall returned to So You Think You Can Dance along with fellow Season 2 contestant Heidi Groskreutz on the 100th episode of the show, to perform the Emmy award-winning piece The Bench, choreographed by Mia Michaels.
Post-''SYTYCD''
Wall danced on the October 16, 2007 Dancing with the Stars results show, in a piece choreographed by and starring Wade Robson. Wall, along with Tidwell and many previous finalists of So You Think You Can Dance, performed during the second annual Idol Gives Back charity event on April 9, 2008. Nigel Lythgoe produced both shows at the time.Wall performs regularly with American Dance Artists, in Delmarva, as well as for Evolution dance company in Los Angeles, California. He teaches students contemporary dance at NUVO, a dance convention that tours the nation. In 2007, Wall and Ivan Koumaev made a dance video called Its About Time designed to be for the viewer's entertainment rather than for instructional purposes like most dance videos.
Wall was in the 2008 Disney movie Bedtime Stories, starring Adam Sandler, alongside SYTYCD Season 3 contestant, Lacey Schwimmer. In 2010 Wall worked as an assistant choreographer for the Academy Awards, alongside Mia Michaels and Brian Friedman.
So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit: Cardio Funk was one of two home exercise videos released by the producers of SYTYCD. Wall choreographed a contemporary dance and corresponding cool-down routine for the video.
Wall choreographed and performed in an ensemble piece featuring New York City Ballet principal ballerina Tiler Peck to a piece by Nuttin' But Stringz for ABC's Dancing with the Stars April 13, 2010 episode in a feature called "Macy's Stars of Dance".
In 2010, Wall choreographed several numbers for the VMA's.
In 2011, Wall choreographed a floor exercise routine for Olympic All-Around Champion Nastia Liukin which she will use to try to earn a spot on the 2012 Olympic USA Gymnastics team.
Wall will be starring in a new reality show "All the Right Moves" with Teddy Forance, Nick Lazzarini, and Kyle Robinson. The four men are launching their own dance company called Shaping Sound.
Wall has appeared twice on RuPaul’s Drag Race, first in the season 5 episode “Why It Gotta Be Black, Swan?” to choreograph a ballet based on the life of RuPaul, and most recently in the season 11 episode “Draglympics” to choreograph routines for an Olympics-like challenge.
Wall has appeared in two episodes of in seasons 13 and 14 to choreograph routines for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders training camp candidates.
In 2018, Wall has appeared in a video against homophobia, dancing on This is me from The Greatest Showman while Shoshana Bean is singing.
In 2019, Wall choreographed the Off-Broadway musical “The Wrong Man” which debuted at the MCC theater, featuring Joshua Henry.
Choreography for ''So You Think You Can Dance''
Wall earned 2011 and 2013 Emmy nominations for his contemporary choreography in seasons 7 and 9. He won a 2015 Emmy for routines he choreographed for season 11. Along with Mandy Moore, he jointly won a 2017 Creative Emmy Award.| Season | Week | Dancers | Style | Song | Note |
| 3 | 5 | Jaimie Goodwin Hokuto "Hok" Konishi | Broadway | "Mr. Bojangles"—Fosse | by Tyce Diorio Travis Wall assisting |
| 5 | 6 | Jeanine Mason Jason Glover | Contemporary | "If It Kills Me"—Jason Mraz | |
| 5 | 7 | Top 8 | Jazz | "Let It Rock"—Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne | |
| 6 | 1 | Bianca Revels Victor Smalley | Contemporary | "Wasted Time"—Me'shell Ndegeocello | |
| 6 | 4 | Ellenore Scott Ryan Di Lello | Contemporary | "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead"—Stars | |
| 6 | 7 | Ellenore Scott Jonathan "Legacy" Perez | Contemporary | "Machine Gun"—Portishead | |
| 6 | 8 | Ashleigh Di Lello Ryan Di Lello | Contemporary | "I'm There Too"—Michelle Featherstone | |
| 7 | LVW | All dancers | Contemporary | "A Beautiful Mess"—Jason Mraz | |
| 7 | MT11 | Kent Boyd Lauren Froderman Mark Kanemura Kathryn McCormick | Jazz | "Paris is Burning"—St. Vincent | |
| 7 | 1 | Adéchiké Torbert Kathryn McCormick | Jazz | "Addicted to Love"—Florence and the Machine | |
| 7 | 2 | Ashley Galvan Mark Kanemura | Jazz | "Wonderful"—Annie Lennox | |
| 7 | 4 | Lauren Froderman Kent Boyd | Contemporary | "Collide" —Howie Day | |
| 7 | 5 | Robert Roldan Allison Holker | Contemporary | "Fix You"—Coldplay | |
| 7 | 8 | Kent Boyd Neil Haskell | Contemporary | "How It Ends"—DeVotchKa | |
| 8 | LVW | All dancers | Contemporary | "Yellow"—Vitamin String Quartet | |
| 8 | MT20 | Alexander Fost Mitchell Kelly Caitlynn Lawson Ryan Ramirez Ashley Rich | Contemporary | "Moth's Wings"—Passion Pit | |
| 8 | 1 | Sasha Mallory Alexander Fost | Contemporary | "Stupid "—Sarah McLachlan | |
| 8 | 1 | Melanie Moore Marko Germar | Contemporary | "Turn to stone"—Ingrid Michaelson | |
| 8 | 5 | Jordan Casanova Tadd Gadduang | Contemporary | "Brotsjór"—Ólafur Arnalds | |
| 8 | 5 | Caitlynn Lawson Mitchell Kelly | Jazz | "Piece of My Heart"—Janis Joplin | |
| 8 | 8 | Kent Boyd Lauren Froderman | Contemporary | "Collide"—Howie Day | Guest Dancers |
| 9 | LVW | All Dancers | Contemporary | "I Won't Give Up"—Jason Mraz | |
| 9 | MT20 | Top 10 girls | Contemporary | "Where the Light Gets In"—Sennen | |
| 9 | 1 | Audrey Case Matthew Kazmierczak | Contemporary | "Unchained Melody"—The Righteous Brothers | |
| 9 | 5 | Witney Carson Nick Lazzarini | Jazz | "Sing It Back"—Moloko | |
| 9 | 5 | Jaimie Goodwin Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Contemporary | "Outro"—M83 | |
| 9 | 8 | Eliana Girard Alex Wong | Contemporary | "Without You"—Harry Nilsson | |
| 10 | 1 | Jasmine Mason Alan Bersten | Contemporary | "Can't Help Falling in Love" —Ingrid Michaelson | |
| 10 | 1 | Malece Miller Jade Zuberi | Jazz | "Silver Screen Shower Scene"—Felix da Housecat | |
| 10 | 4 | Jenna Johnson Tucker Knox | Contemporary | "Hangin' By a Thread"—Jann Arden | |
| 10 | 7 | Tucker Knox Robert Roldan | Contemporary | "Medicine"—Daughter | |
| 10 | 8 | Amy Yakima Travis Wall | Contemporary | "Wicked Game" —James Vincent McMorrow | |
| 10 | 10 | Jasmine Harper Fik-Shun | Contemporary | "Spiegel im Spiegel"—Arvo Pärt, performed by Angela Yoffe & Vadim Gluzman | |
| 11 | LVW | All Dancers | Contemporary | "Lay Me Down"—Sam Smith | |
| 11 | 1 | Emily James Casey Askew | Contemporary | "All of Me"—John Legend | |
| 11 | 2 | Valerie Rockey Ricky Ubeda | Contemporary | "Oh Darling"—Gossling | |
| 11 | 4 | Bridget Whitman Emilio Dosal | Contemporary | "The Leaving Song"—Chris Garneau | |
| 11 | 4 | Bridget Whitman Carly Blaney Jacque LeWarne Jessica Richens Marcquet Hill Ricky Ubeda Rudy Abreu Teddy Coffey | Jazz | "Love Runs Out"—OneRepublic | |
| 11 | 5 | Jessica Richens Casey Askew | Contemporary | "Like Real People Do"—Hozier | |
| 11 | 5 | Top 7 Guys | Contemporary | "Wave"—Beck | |
| 11 | 6 | Jacque LeWarne Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary ballet | "Adagio for TRON"—Daft Punk | |
| 11 | 7 | Ricky Ubeda Jaimie Goodwin | Contemporary | "Smile"—Michael Jackson | with All-Star |
| 11 | 9 | Top 4 | Contemporary | "Wind Beneath My Wings"—RyanDan | |
| 11 | 9 | Jessica Richens Robert Roldan | Contemporary | "When I Go"—Over the Rhine | with All-Star |
| 12 | MT20 | Kate Harpootlian Edson Juarez | Contemporary | "Shaped Like A Gun"—Tailor | |
| 12 | 1 | Team Stage | Contemporary | "Stabat Mater"—Woodkid | |
| 12 | 3 | Team Stage | Contemporary | "Beautiful Friends"—Helen Money | |
| 12 | 5 | Jaimie Goodwin Edson Juarez | Contemporary | "Your Day Will Come"—Son Lux | with All-Star |
| 12 | 8 | Gaby Diaz Hailee Payne | Contemporary | "Do Not Hang Your Head"—Elizabeth & the Catapult | |
| 12 | 9 | Jim Nowakowski Alex Wong | Contemporary | "November"—Max Richter | with All-Star |
| 3 | J.T. Church Robert Roldan | Contemporary | "The Mirror"—Alexandre Desplat | with All-Star | |
| 3 | All-Stars | Contemporary | "Send in the Clowns"—from A Little Night Music | ||
| 4 | Tate McRae Kathryn McCormick | Contemporary | "She Used to Be Mine"—Sara Bareilles | with All-Star | |
| 5 | Contestants and All-Stars | Contemporary | "What the World Needs Now is Love"—Hal David and Burt Bacharach | ||
| 5 | Emma Hellencamp J.T. Church | Contemporary | "I Will Not Forget You"—Max Richter | with All-Star | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
Danced as Guest or All-Star for ''So You Think You Can Dance''
Publications
In February 2007, Wall was featured in a fashion/dance spread in movmnt magazine. The following June, Wall interviewed Whoopi Goldberg for the magazine.Wall was featured in the photography book Moving Still: a Life Performance by David Benaym.
Personal life
In 2007, his adoptive brother Danny Tidwell was a runner-up of the third season of So You Think You Can Dance. He, too, had trained with their mother Denise Wall, who also trained Jaimie Goodwin, a Season 3 contestant. Wall is openly gay. In March 2016, he got engaged to UCLA gymnastics coach Dom Palange after 5 years of dating. Wall announced the couple's split on his Instagram page on August 3, 2018.Filmography
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
Source:| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
| 2011 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2012 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2013 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2014 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2015 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2016 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2017 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2018 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance | |
| 2019 | Outstanding Choreography | So You Think You Can Dance |