Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In the October Edition of Q&A With Courtney LIVE, Courtney and special guest IDA Judge Christina Belinksy answer your questions on topics including: Advice for tappers at competition Tips for young dancers wanting to pursue professional careers Time limits for solos Scoring discrepancies between judges *Episode was recorded on Facebook Live on October 1st, 2020* CLICK HERE to...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Chloe Roberts and Josh Sallerson Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 33 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, co-hosts Courtney and Lesley explore the challenging world of categorizing dances for competition with IDA judges and teachers Chloe and Josh! Topics Include: Specific expectations for all genres of dance Advice for teachers and c...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Samantha Jay and Miranda Spada Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 32 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney and Lesley chat about how to create unique choreography concepts with IDA judges and teachers Samantha Jay and Miranda Spada. Topics Include:  The creative process for developing choreography  Pushing boundaries in ch...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Ashley Marinelli and Kimberly Soel Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 31 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges and teachers Ashley Marinelli and Kimberly Soel to dive deep into the art of taking class - in the studio, at home, and at conventions. Topics Include:  Expectations for students in-s...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - JT Church and Leslie Church Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 30 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, it's time for our first Spotlight Feature! Courtney and Lesley are joined by 14 year old professional dancer and student, JT Church and mom Leslie Church to hear all about JT's dance journey, from an eager 5 year old who just...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Jen Garaffa and Jessica Olinik Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 29 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley chat with returning IDA judges and teachers Jen and Jessica about everyone's favorite subject - music at competition!  Topics Include: Appropriate music selection Judge's music pet peeves How music infl...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Becky Chiasson and Erika Hogan Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz In Episode 28 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney sits down with studio owners Becky Chiasson (Spotlight Dance Academy, Westford, MA), and Erika Hogan (New Attitude Performing Arts Center in NC and SC) to discuss the ways COVID-19 has changed the dance studio industry, and how they are navi...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Welcome to Season 2 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast! In this episode, hosts Courtney and Lesley catch up on what's been happening since the end of season 1, and look at what's coming up in season 2! Topics Include: The success of season 1 of Making the Impact Recap of IDA's Virtual Competitions Podcast...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor After 35 episodes, 48 guests, and hundreds of your questions - Season 1 of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast is coming to a close! Enjoy a look back at some of our favorite moments in the first season, and hear from our IDA judges one last time with some words of wisdom as we head into the summer.   CLICK HERE to send in y...

Send us Fan Mail In the May edition of Q&A With Courtney, Lesley joins the conversation as the hosts record a live-streamed event to answer your questions in real time! Topics include: Abusing the levels system Parents changing choreography Appropriateness at competition *Please note - due to this episode being recorded from a live-stream event, audio quality may be affected* CLICK HERE to sen...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Christina Bodie & Alexis Evans Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 27 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Christina and Alexis to discuss life post competition dance and which professional dance career route you might consider. Topics Include: What is Commercial Dance? What is Concert Dan...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Catherine Gregorius, Emma Mangeolle, Francesca Savone Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 26 of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley speak with the winners of IDA's Senior Spotlight contest. Catherine, Emma, and Francesca stood out for their unique and inspiring stories, and join the hosts for a conversation on how their final dance competition...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Kelsey Nelson Lack, Katie McGinnis Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 25 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Kelsey Nelson Lack and Katie McGinnis to talk about how dancers can incorporate cross training into their dance training to maximize their potential! Topics Include: Why cross trainin...

Send us Fan Mail In the April Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney is joined by some special guests, Sam and Chellie to help answer your questions on topics including: Advancing up to the next level How judges score age appropriateness Training while at home How judges score routines with the same song CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Court...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Alexandra Frohlinger, Jesse Miller, Max Vasapoli Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor   In Episode 24 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by Musical Theatre experts Alex, Jesse, and Max to talk what sets this genre apart from the rest! Topics Include: The differences between Musical Theatre Dance and Theatre Jazz The...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Casey Dipersio & Lainee Uitermarkt Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 23 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley sit down with IDA Judges Casey and Lainee to talk about how they are navigating the new wave of teaching dance online during the Covid-19 pandemic. Topics Include: Their personal experience teaching virtu...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 22 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley tackle the topic of levels at Competition, with IDA judges Steven and Amy weighing in with their thoughts. Topics Include: The pros and cons of having multiple levels of competition Why the levels system is so often abused Expectations for dancers in each level Ideas to make the levels system fai...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Carrie Euker, Holly Gannett Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 21 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley bring ballet center stage as they discuss how to keep the style exciting and relevant in the competition world. Topics Include: Ideas for keeping ballet class interesting What judges look for in a ballet competition...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Melissa Bartrem, Jen Garaffa Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 19 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley dive deep into the topic of performance anxiety with guests Melissa and Jen. **Advice shared in this podcast is solely the opinions of the guests and hosts, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical diso...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley discuss the effects of the COVID-19 virus on the dance community, from the perspective of teachers, judges, parents, and professional dancers. Topics Include: Suggestions for dancers to stay positive and active during the time away from studios and competitions Insight into the suspensi...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 18 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Kelly and Hillary to discuss the many ways social media has changed the dance world! Topics Include: How social media influences trends in the dance world Easy ideas to self-promote on social media Personal stories of how social media has positively impacted the lives and...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Drew Burgess, Marissa Anderson Hosted by - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 17 of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley are joined by some of the best acro teachers in the biz, Drew Burgess and Marissa Anderson, to talk all things acro! Topics Include: Best practices for safe acro skills Incorporating acro into dance routines at competition Translating acro tr...

Send us Fan Mail In the February Edition of Q&A With Courtney, she answers your questions about the competitive dance world. Topics include: Judging expectations Competing an Acro solo Transitioning to a higher level Finding your performance in contemporary CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anony...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Making The Impact - Courtney sits down for our first interview with dance convention owners, Frank Musso and Christian Clark from Revel Dance Convention. They discuss the in's and out's of starting a convention company and their rise to success in the industry. Topics Include: - Why Revel was created - A look into what makes their events unique - How REVEL h...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Lauren Alto, Beau Hutchings, Kelsey Lack Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 15 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley celebrate Valentine’s Day Week by discussing kindness at competition! Special guests Lauren Alto, Beau Hutchings, and Kelsey Lack weigh in on the importance of etiquette and kindness at competition as w...