Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Chip Abbott and Summer Renner Disher Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Today's throwback episode brings back an important topic - movement quality! Our spectacular guests, studio owner Summer Renner Disher and dance educator and choreographer Chip Abbott school us on the importance of movement quality for competitive dancers, and give tips on teaching tech...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Jeremy Duvall and Lindsey Klein Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 245 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley discuss lyrical dance and its importance with two dance educators known for their love of lyrical. Jeremy Duvall and Lindsey Klein give insight into exactly why lyrical deserves regular training from tiny dance...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Emily Branigan and Hillary Zbyszinski Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor This throwback episode takes us back to season 3 of Making the Impact, where dance educators and IDA Judges Emily Branigan and Hillary Zbyszinski shared insight about expectations for dance parents. As we head into competition season, enjoy this refresher course on parent etiquette! This ep...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Christine Brocious and Megan Woods Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 243 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by podcast fans, dance moms, and fundraising queens Christine Brocious and Megan Woods to talk about the many ways fundraising can help offset the financial burden of competitive dance! Topics Inc...

Send us Fan Mail Guests: Ryland Early and Danielle Beeman Hosted by Courtney Ortiz  Uproar Dance Competition might be newer to the scene, but they have years of experience in the competitive dance world and know a thing or two about what makes a great experience. From their Teacher Oasis and high level production value at the event, to their Uproar Training Scholarship awarded in each city, Uproar...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Karli Dinardo and Tatiana Nuñez Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 241 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we take an inside look at a day in the life of a Broadway dancer. Karli Dinardo and Tatiana Nuñez give us the scoop on everything from booking the gig to what it's like to be in a long-running show. Topics Include:  The audit...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Drew Burgess and Lisa Curatolo Turpin Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Today's throwback episode brings us back to 2024 with a conversation about pirouettes! Like we always say on the pod, good technique never goes out of style, and that goes for pirouette technique too! Enjoy this chat with two experts on pirouettes! This episode originally aired on Febr...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Michelle Leagans and Jessica Olinik Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz In Episode 239 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we hear from two dance educators about the technique and power behind every great jumper! From tour jetés to switch leaps to flying discs, this episode covers your favorite jumps and leaps with helpful hints to take you to new heights! Topics I...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Caleb Dicke and Glenn Kelich Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor This throwback episode of Making the Impact takes us back to 2023 with a conversation about stage fright. Courtney and Lesley discuss their experiences with stage fright with two wonderful guests. Caleb Dicke, professional dancer and IDA judge, and Glenn Kelich, former professional dancer turned men...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Rayne Thiemann and Brionna Trilling Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 237 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're exploring the ways facial expressions can inform performance quality in competitive dance. Joy, fear, sadness, curiosity and more can all be expressed through the face, and contribute to the success of a piece. IDA...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Samantha O'Neil Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz  DECAdance Competition provides a totally unique competition and “un”convention experience, with genre-specific adjudicators, live music at their “un”convention, and complimentary meals for studio owners! On this week's episode of Making the Impact, Courtney sits down with DECAdance Competition owner Samantha Tirone O’Neil...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Kiyah Rush, Megan Friedman, Brandi George Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 235 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are excited to learn more about the world of dance convention assistants. Studio owners Megan Friedman and Brandi George join us, along with professional assistant Kiyah Rush to give us the inside scoop on what it tak...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Tracey Boon and Rachel Perlman Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor This season on Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're throwing it back to episodes we loved from previous seasons! Today on the podcast, we are headed back in time to 2021 with a topic that is still relevant now - how to develop a competitive mindset. This episode originally a...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Lex Dorohoy and Amy Tully Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 233 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we tackle a tricky topic - how many solos does a dancer really need? IDA judges and dance educators Lex Dorohoy and Amy Tully join us to break it down and reveal the ideal number of solos for a successful season. Topics Include:  The be...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 232 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley hosted a live Q&A in July 2025 at the Dance Teacher Web in Las Vegas!  Topics Include:  Competition choreography do's and don'ts  Inappropriateness at competition  How to retain students when the grass might look greener at another studi...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - James Du Chateau and Lizzy Steirer Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor The winner of the Making the Impact Award fan favorite contest from 2025 was Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio's routine "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" We are excited to welcome choreographer Lizzy Steirer and competition director James Du Chateau to the podcast to represe...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Welcome to season 7 of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast! Courtney and Lesley kick off the new season with a recap of the summer and share some exciting news about what's coming up this year! Topics Include: How we spent our summer months! News & Updates   Cover art contest winners for season 7  Making the Impact...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Maddie Marcadis & Stephani Sosa Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz In our special summer bonus episode of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney hosted a live podcast event at Streetz Dance Convention's Nationals where parents, students, and teachers joined us for a Q&A alongside some fabulous guests! We loved connecting and meeting so many Making...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Season 6 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast is a wrap! We have had such a wonderful year discussing some unique and important topics in the dance industry, and we're excited to reminisce, but also give you a sneak peek at season 7! Topics Include:  Favorite episodes of season 6  Info on summer bonus episodes  What&a...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - IDA Judges Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 230 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we invited our IDA judges to chime in with their takeaways from the 2025 competition season. These judges have seen it all, from coast to coast, and this season did not disappoint!  Topics Include:  What your judges LOVED seeing on stage this season  ...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Peter Chu Hosted by Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor Contemporary dance is a genre that can be hard to define, but what everyone can agree on is that it is one of the most popular styles of dance in the industry. Peter Chu joins us on our final genre spotlight episode of season 6 to discuss the ways contemporary dance has evolved and why it will take ongoing support from...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Gregory Kanelos and Jenny Hogan Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 228 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, our "day in the life" series continues with a look into studio owner life! We hear from two different perspectives - Jenny Hogan, owner of Brava Dance in New York for 16 years, and Gregory Kanelos, owner of Studio G Danc...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Kasie Auten and Brittni Johnson Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 227 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we explore how and why dancers are susceptible to a perfectionist mindset, and discuss how to use those traits to your advantage while also staying grounded. Topics Include:  Strategies to focus on progress rather than perfection...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Joey Ortolani and listener submissions  Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 226 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we invited our listeners to share their experiences with toxic behaviors they've encountered at dance studios. We hear (anonymously!) from dance teachers, dance parents, and dance studio owners the things to look out...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Sally Cofield, Krysten Danielle Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 225 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're joined by two IDA judges to spill the tea on the hot topic of perfect scores in competitive dance! Topics Include:  Are judges even allowed to give a perfect score?  What goes into considering giving a perfect score - t...