UB Interview: Mary Murphy Talks Fashion, Robin Thicke & More

Mary Murphy is quite literally a mover and shaker. After making her champion-style mark on the world of ballroom dance, the Ohioan twirled her way down to Tinseltown, first acting as a dance double for Julia Roberts in the movie Something to Talk About, and then appearing in Dance With Me, a film starring Vanessa Williams. Mary currently serves as judge and choreographer on Fox’s long-running reality competition series So You Think You Can Dance.

In 2010, she had one of the biggest face-offs of her life when she underwent surgery for thyroid cancer. She was declared cancer-free soon after.

The bubbly personality continues to train countless junior and adult champions. She also runs her dance studio, the Champion Ballroom Academy, and organizes a successful dance competition, the Holiday Dance Classic in Vegas.

UrbanBridgez.com reporter Danielle caught up with Mary Murphy at the GBK Pre-Emmy Gift Lounge at the W Hollywood Hotel (sponsors included Caribbean Living, TC Intimates and Pelo Hair Los Angeles) to talk fashion, busting a move to Robin Thicke, meeting the legendary Stevie Nicks and more.

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UrbanBridgez.com: Tell us about the dress you wore to the Emmys?
Mary Murphy: I heard it was going to be a bit cooler the day of the Emmys, so I wore a purple velvet Marc Bouwer gown. I just love the way it fit. I love that it’s an old Hollywood classic design with a little bit of shoulders. It’s very low-cut with a split up the front. It has a quite a bit of a train in the back, but it’s not too bad to walk forward in–as opposed to the dress I had on last year, which was couture, and I nearly bit the dust in about 15 times!

UrbanBridgez.com: What are some of your getting-ready rituals?
Mary Murphy: I always listen to Madonna while getting ready. I also do an hour and a half of beauty treatments before every So You Think You Can Dance show: I electrocute my face; I dermabrasion my face; I put all these masques on. It’s quite a process. I exercise. And then I spritz on Tiffany perfume.

UrbanBridgez.com: What’s your fashion obsession?
Mary Murphy: I just love shoes. I actually have a shoe pantry. It’s supposed to be an overflow pantry. All of my shoes are in plastic cases, they all have their little home. That way, I can quickly figure out what shoe to go with, especially since I travel so much. My favorite shoe designers are Christian Louboutin, Stuart Weitzman, Sergio Rossi and Jimmy Choo.

UrbanBridgez.com: Who is your red carpet style icon?
Mary Murphy: We don’t see her as often as we used to, but I always think that Julia Roberts always gets it right. I’m a huge fan of hers, and I wish we saw more of her on the red carpet.

UrbanBridgez.com: What is your favorite song on the radio?
Mary Murphy: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke. You can really move to it!

UrbanBridgez.com: What’s been your most memorable celebrity encounter?
Mary Murphy: I was walking down the hallway after taping So You Think You Can Dance. I turned around to look behind me and I saw Stevie Nicks with her arms wide open. She was in the building for another show. I thought I was seeing a vision. She wanted to hug me! It was such a surreal moment because I’m such a Stevie Nicks fan. I grew up listening to her music. I almost keeled over!