Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Britney Hall and Eliza Ohman Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 59 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney and Lesley explore all of the ways being a versatile dancer can lead to a success in the dance world! Joined by guests Britney Hall and Eliza Ohman, this episode covers it all! Topics Include:  What it takes to become a...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Christina Fuschetto, Jill Tremonti Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 58 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, your hosts dive deep into the topic of teamwork in the studio, at competition, in the professional world and in life in general with IDA judges and teachers Christina Fuschetto and Jill Tremonti. Topics Include:  What teamwork l...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Cheryll Custer Klein, Alicia Sehn Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 57 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley speak with multi-talented judges and choreographers Cheryll Custer Klein and Alicia Sehn about the best ways for dancers to take their solo to the next level - literally and figuratively!  Topics Include:  Non...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Voltaire Wade-Greene & John Comix Barella Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 56 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are excited to finally cover one of the hottest topics in the competitive dance world - hip hop! Your hosts are joined by two leading hip hop dancers and educators in the industry, Voltaire Wade-Gr...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Jordan Beyeler, James Washington Manning Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 55 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor discuss the value of mentorship for dancers, from both the side of the mentor and the mentee. The hosts are joined by IDA judges Jordan Beyeler and James Washington Manning. Topics In...

Send us Fan Mail Our next Spotlight Feature guest is Alex Wong, an incredibly prolific and versatile dancer with some unbelievable credits! You may know him from his many television appearances on "Smash", "Glee", and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", or from his time on "So You Think You Can Dance". Or, perhaps you caught him on Broadway in "Newsies", or as...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Karla Curatolo, Troy Haywood Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 53 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judge Troy Haywood, as well as Karla Curatolo, the owner of one of the top competitive dance studios in the country, Expressenz Dance Center, to get down to the bottom of the debate - tricks or te...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Tommy Scrivens and Christina Yoder Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 52 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, musicality is the name of the game. Today, co-hosts Courtney and Lesley hear from IDA judges and dance educators Tommy Scrivens and Christina Yoder about the importance of musicality in all styles of dance, and give some great a...

Send us Fan Mail In the February Edition of Q&A With Courtney LIVE, Courtney and special guest IDA Judge Sam Quinn answer your questions on topics including:  Special needs categories at competition  Costume scoring  Zoom audition vs video submissions for summer programs and intensives Contact improv & so much more! *This episode was previously recorded on Facebook Live - 2/1/2021* CLICK H...

Send us Fan Mail Guests -  Colin Shea Denniston, Jesse Miller Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 50 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by veteran IDA judges Colin Shea Denniston and Jesse Miller for a deep dive into one of the most burning questions in the dance competition world - what really goes into the judging process for ad...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Ashley Canterna Hardy and Joey Ortolani Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 49 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judge Joey Ortolani and dance teacher Ashley Canterna Hardy for a discussion on the importance of presentation for the competitive stage. Topics Include:  How proper presentation begins...

Send us Fan Mail Guests -  Lauren Manning, Susie Riefenhauser, Ryan Parma Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 48 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we discuss a variety of non-performance career options for dancers with three industry professionals - Lauren Manning of Dance Media, publishers of Dance Spirit and Dance Magazine; Susie Riefenhauser of OtherSpace I...

Send us Fan Mail Making the Impact welcomes Sophia Lucia as our next Spotlight Feature guest! You may know her as The Guinness Book of World Records title holder for the most consecutive pirouettes (55) , or maybe you've been following her dance journey since she was featured on Lifetime's Dance Moms! Courtney and Lesley sit down and chat with Sophia about her incredible performance care...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Joshua Blake Carter and Becca Grden Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 46 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, the topic of conversation is improvisation - from improv in class to the professional world and everywhere in between! Joining us this week are guests Joshua Blake Carter from Giordano Dance Chicago and IDA Judge Becca Grden. T...

Send us Fan Mail Guests -  Amber Nadelkov and Clarice Ordaz Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 45 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we go back in time to remember the "good old days" of competition as Courtney and Lesley sit down with IDA judge Amber Nadelkov and comp kid turned professional dancer and teacher Clarice Ordaz.  Topics Include:  The da...

Send us Fan Mail On this special episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA affiliated competitions Diva Dance Competition, Star Talent Productions, Gems Dance Competition, and HD Dance Competition to discuss expectations for the 2021 competition season.  Topics include:  Need-to-know info for studio owners to pass to students and parents  Saf...

Send us Fan Mail In the December Edition of Q&A With Courtney LIVE!, Courtney and special guest Emily Branigan answer your questions on topics including:  "Creepy" themed dances for minis  How to get into judging  Hair diversity on the competition stage  The open category CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A with Courtney episode. You can request to...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Robb Gibbs and Leslie Scott Zanovitch Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 42  of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley hear from special guest Leslie Scott Zanovitch, founder of Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD,) along with IDA judge and teacher Robb Gibbs on the subject of age appropriateness in the dance world....

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Michelle Tolson and Max Vasapoli Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 41 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges and teachers Michelle Tolson and Max Vasapoli for an important conversation on the role of race in the dance world. Topics Include:  Why representation matters  Strategies for implement...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Mary Roberts and Terrill Mitchell Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 40 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley talk with jazz dance experts Mary Roberts and Terrill Mitchell to uncover some truths about jazz in the 21st century!  Topics Include:  Steps and movement qualities that are MUSTS in your jazz training  Why th...

Send us Fan Mail On this Spotlight Feature, Courtney and Lesley are joined by Maud Arnold of Syncopated Ladies to chat about her dance journey, the inspiring work she does through The Chloe and Maud Foundation, how having a degree in Film from Columbia University influences her life and work, and so much more! Follow Maud  Arnold @maudiepooh Check out some of her latest projects: www.maudarnold.co...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Brandon Cournay and Ryann Taylor Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 38 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley hear from IDA judge Brandon Cournay and studio owner Ryann Taylor about their thoughts on guest choreography for competitive dancers.  Topics Include:  Benefits and downfalls of using guest choreographers  How...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Hillary Zbyszinski and Marissa Anderson Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 37 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, IDA judges and teachers Hillary and Marissa dive deep with co-hosts Courtney and Lesley on the topic of block scheduling  and what to expect during the upcoming 2021 competition season. Topics Include:  Pros and cons of the...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Alexandra Frohlinger and Traci Swartz Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 36 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges and industry professionals Alex Frohlinger and Traci Swartz to give advice for the best ways to create a stunning self-tape or virtual submission for competition or auditions! Topi...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Jeanette Abell and Paul Thiemann Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 35 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, co-hosts Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges and teachers Jeanette Abell and Paul Thiemann to dive deep into the important topic of gender in the dance studio, as well as at competition and in the professional world.  Top...