Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Angelina Young Savage, Michelle Tolson Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 14 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley chat with tap specialists Angelina Young Savage and Michelle Tolson about the importance of tap in the dance industry. Topics Include: What judges look for in the tap category The differences and similari...

Send us Fan Mail In the January Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney is joined by special guest, her co-host Lesley Mealor, to help answer your questions on topics including: How essential are tricks in routines Keeping the stage age appropriate Proper song selection for dancers Clarifying genre placement for competition CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Sheena DiMatteo, Daniel Tardibono Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 13 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, guests Sheena DiMatteo and Daniel Tardibono sit down with Courtney and Lesley to discuss the ins and outs of costuming for competition! Topics Include: Best practices for costuming dancers appropriately Glitzy costumes vs plain c...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Kelli Rooney and Natalie Layton of High Demand Dance Competition. Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz In this week’s episode of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney interviews owners of High Demand Dance Competition, Kelli Rooney and Natalie Layton, and finds out what makes their events stand out from the others in the industry! Topics Include: The background...

Send us Fan Mail Guest - Christina Belinsky Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In this episode of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley sit down with IDA Judge, Performer and Choreographer, Christina Belinsky, to talk about how to take critical feedback at competition. This episode includes: Advice for how to apply feedback from competition in class  How to challenge yourself if you’re...

Send us Fan Mail In the December Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney (and a few special guests) answer your questions on topics including: Performance vs. Technique What makes a dancer stand out Proper level to place your dancers at competition Are tricks essential in competition choreography?   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley chat with Erika Hebron and Mary Roberts about the benefits of technique in all styles of dance. This episode covers: Ideas for keeping technique classes fresh and engaging How a strong technical foundation can prevent injury as well as help a dancer bounce back from injury Tips for how to work on your technique on your own,...

Send us Fan Mail On this week's special episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney interviews Sandra Choi, owner of Just Dance Invitational! The show includes: The backstory behind Just Dance Invitational Just Dance Invitational’s mission to further dance education for students The special assistant training program offered by Just Dance Invitational   Follow your Ho...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Courtney and Lesley sit down with male dancers and IDA Judges Eddie Bennett, Colin Shea Denniston, and Robb Gibbs to talk about their experiences in the industry, from studio to stage. This episode covers: The benefits of having a male teacher for boys in dance Costuming for boys Tips for choreography Ideas to keep boys interested and invested in dance The blog that inspire...

Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney chats with teachers and IDA judges Emily, Jessica, and Miranda about the expectations for each age range at competition. The conversation includes: Ideas for teaching age appropriate concepts Specific tips for teaching certain steps What the judges are looking for in each category in terms of...

Send us Fan Mail In the November Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney (and a few special guests) answer your questions on topics including: Age expectations at competition Transitions within routines Judges’ preference between clean and simple, or difficult and messy choreography Tights or no tights?   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Court...

Send us Fan Mail Hosts - Courtney Ortiz, Lesley Mealor Guests - Adrienne Hicks, Joey Ortolani In Episode 6 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges and choreographers Adrienne Hicks and Joey Ortolani to talk about all things choreography. This episode includes: Tips for staying inspired as a choreographer What the choreographic process is lik...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Anne Roberts and Kym Yadisernia Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz    On this week's special episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney interviews Anne Roberts and Kym Yadisernia, owners of Diva Dance Competition! The show includes:  The backstory behind Diva Dance Competition How Diva’s live judging format works Diva’s mission to bring awareness to...

Send us Fan Mail   Guests - Christina Fuschetto, Maddie Kurtz Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 3 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Christina Fuschetto and Maddie Kurtz to talk about the importance of knowing the differences between lyrical and contemporary styles at competition. The conversation covers: The evolv...

Send us Fan Mail Guests: Chloe Roberts, Christina Young Yoder Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 2 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Chloe Roberts and Christina Young Yoder to discuss the ins and outs of competition cleaning. The conversation covers: The benefits of cleaning as you teach, and the benefits of choreog...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Casie Goshow, Derek Mitchell, Jim Nowakowski, DJ Smart Host - Courtney Ortiz In Episode 3 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney is joined by four sought-after convention faculty members to share their advice for a successful convention season! Topics include: Convention training and etiquette Tips from your Faculty  Prepping for the dance competitio...

Send us Fan Mail Host - Courtney Ortiz In the October Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney (and a few special guests) answer your questions on topics including: Levels at competition How to stand out in the crowd The value (of lack of value) in dancers performing multiple solos   To send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A podcast with Courtney, owner of IDA, visit www.impac...

Send us Fan Mail Guests: Troy Haywood, Ash Marinelli Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 1 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley chat with IDA judges Troy Haywood and Ash Marinelli about what dance competitions taught them. The conversation covers: The influence dance competitions had on them as young dancers How attending competitions led to th...

Send us Fan Mail Intro Episode: Meet the Hosts of Making The Impact! Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In the intro episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor introduce themselves, explain what Impact Dance Adjudicators is, and let you know what to look forward to in Season 1! This episode includes: - Background on the professional...