| Blake McGrath | |
| Birth Name: | Blake James McGrath |
| Birth Date: | 1983 11, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation: | Dancer, choreographer, singer, model, actor |
Blake James McGrath (born November 21, 1983) is a Canadian professional dancer, pop singer, actor, model, and choreographer. He was known for being on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance in 2005, and on the MTV reality dance show DanceLife.[1] He has also developed a solo singing career with a debut album Time to Move in 2010.
On May 27, 2023, McGrath got married.[2]
McGrath was born in Mississauga, Ontario.[3] He attended Cawthra Park Secondary School, School of the Arts and Applewood Heights Secondary School in Mississauga as well as St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario.
His early television appearances include: (1997) playing Stuart Sanger, and the TV show recreation of Goosebumps book "Stay Out of the Basement", in which he played the brother Casey.
In 2015, McGrath was chosen to perform on Michael Jackson's thirtieth anniversary special. In 2006, he performed alongside Paulina Rubio at the 2004 Latin Grammy Awards. Also in 2006 he has an appearance in the documentary Freestyle (with Brian Friedman). He has appeared in Gap campaigns (with Sarah Jessica Parker), and in advertisements for iPod, JCPenney (which he also choreographed), and Hummer.[4]
He has danced with stars such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Adam Lambert, Ashanti, Destiny's Child, Katy Perry, Craig David, and Jewel.
In addition to his appearances on television shows, McGrath has also appeared in the films Butterbox Babies, Life With Mikey, Chicago, and Rent.[4] He was also featured as a dancer in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in the episode Commercial Breaks. He was a waiter, and studied at Tiffany Dance Academy in Hamilton Ontario, Deborah Thomson School of Dance in Brampton, Ontario and Joanne Chapman School of Dance in Brampton, Ontario.
He is owner of VIP Dance Events which tours major cities throughout Canada.[1] Lastly, he appeared on the 9/10/13 episode of Dance Moms as a guest choreographer.
In 2005, McGrath participated as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. He appeared in the 2007 reality TV show DanceLife produced by Jennifer Lopez. In 2014, he appeared in the Lifetime hit Dance Moms as a guest choreographer for the Candy Apples Dance Center (CADC), the main rival of the Abby Lee Dance Company.
He is the lead choreographer for the audition cities and alternating third judge on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.[1] [3] He has had contributions for all three seasons to date of the Canadian series as follows:
| Season | Week | Dancers | Style | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 (Canada) | Week 3 | Arassay Reyes Nico Archambault | Contemporary | "Let Me Leave"—Marc Broussard |
| Week 4 | Kaitlyn Fitzgerald Izaak Smith | Jazz Funk | "Breakin' Dishes"—Rihanna | |
| Week 5 | Top 12 | Contemporary | "I Surrender"—Celine Dion | |
| Week 7 | Lisa Auguste Nico Archambault | Jazz Funk | "When I Grow Up"—The Pussycat Dolls | |
| Week 8 | Lisa Auguste Miles Faber | Contemporary | "The Face"—RyanDan | |
| Season 2 (Canada) | Week 2 | Amy Gardner Vincent Desjardins | Contemporary | "When You Say My Name"—Mario Spinetti |
| Week 3 | Kim Gingras Emanuel Sandhu | Jazz Funk | "Love Sex Magic"—Ciara feat Justin Timberlake | |
| Week 4 | Top 14 | Jazz Funk | "LoveGame"—Lady Gaga | |
| Week 5 | Jayme Rae Dailey Daniel Dory | Contemporary | "It Must Have Been Love"—Kari Kimmel | |
| Week 8 | Jayme Rae Dailey Emanuel Sandhu | Jazz Funk | "I Gotta Feeling"—The Black Eyed Peas | |
| Season 3 (Canada) | Week 2 | Kloé Schultz Jonathan Arsenault | Jazz | "California Gurls"—Katy Perry feat Snoop Dogg |
| Week 4 | Nathalie Heath Mackenzie Green | Contemporary | "After Afterall"—William Fitzsimmons | |
| Week 5 | Nathalie Heath Jonathan Arsenault | Jazz | "Teenage Dream"—Katy Perry | |
| Week 7 | Janick Arseneau Jeff Mortensen | Jazz Funk | "Come On Girl"—Taio Cruz feat Luciana Caporoso | |
As of 2019, McGrath lives in Los Angeles, California.[4]
McGrath acknowledged he was bisexual in a 2009 interview with the Canadian gay magazine fab. "I've been attracted to men and attracted to women... My feelings change all the time. One day I can feel like I'm gay, another day like I'm straight. But I'm not just one or the other, I'm Blake McGrath and I'm attracted to somebody on the inside."[5]
| Year | Album details | Peak | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | US | |||
| 2010 | Time to Move
| 39 | - | |
| 2013 | Love Revolution
| - | - | |
| 2019 | Innervention | - | 19 | |
| 2021 | Wild Love | - | - | |
| Year | Album details | Peak | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | US | |||
| 2017 | Vintage Tomorrow
| - | - | |
| 2017 | I Am Blake McGrath
| - | - | |
Stage Fright Tour (2011)