Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Guest - Sean Webb Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 130 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, casting director and former professional dancer and comp kid Sean Webb join us for an in- depth discussion on two of the most important items a dancer can have in their possession - the headshot and resume! Topics Include:  What you need (and don't...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Amie Bush and Jen Garaffa Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 129 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're discussing the prevalence of stealing competitive choreography with special guests Amie Bush, dance educator and choreographer, and IDA judge and dance educator Jen Garaffa. Topics Include:  Why choreography is stolen in the...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Caleb Dicke and Glenn Kelich Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 128 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, 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 mental health professional, remind listene...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - IDA Judges Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 127 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, your IDA judges chime in on their most favorite, least favorite, and downright despised dance competition trends of all time. Topics Include:  Old favorites that we wish would return to the competition stage  Trendy but dangerous skills and tricks  An...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Dana Generette and Maria Pomerleau Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 126 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are discussing the pros and cons of the title division at competition. Is it worth it? Hear the answer to that question and others from competition team director Dana Generette and former studio owner and current IDA judge M...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Alexa Conway and Francisco Gella Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 125 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we welcome studio owner Alexa Conway and master dance educator Francisco Gella to discuss the benefits of modern dance training in the competitive studio setting. Topics Include:  The benefits of introducing modern dance to young...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Amanda Plesa Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor Amanda Plesa, owner and artistic director of In Motion Dance Project in Orlando, Florida, has truly "lived the dream" with a career spanning Broadway to Disney to studio ownership. Joining us today on our second Studio Spotlight episode of Season 4, Amanda gives us the details on the unique reasons In Moti...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Alma-Lea Pace and Steve Wappel Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 123 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are joined by two spectacular guests, studio owner Alma-Lea Pace and StarQuest Dance Competition owner Steve Wappel. Today we're talking about the evolution of levels at dance competitions, and how they've changed the...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Melissa McGhee and Carsen Rowe Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 122 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley dive into the (unknown to them) world of college dance teams! Special guests Carsen Rowe, founder of Tribe 99 Choreography, and Melissa McGhee, coach of the 9x national champion Ohio State University dance team,...

Send us Fan Mail Guest - Mary Marrone Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 121 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, IDA judge and dance studio owner Mary Marrone joins us for a conversation on the benefits and detriments of private lessons for dancers. Topics Include:  How to know when your dancer is ready for a private lesson  What a private lesson should and sho...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Halle Mastroberardino and Donna Michelle Vaughn Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 120 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we discover the many ways things can go wrong at a live dance performance, from costume malfunctions to dropped props and more! Joining us for this discussion today are professional dancers and IDA judges Halle Mas...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Stacey Tookey Hosted by Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor Stacey Tookey has had a long and varied career in the entertainment industry, from pro dance team work to aspiring ballerina to choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance to entrepreneur and business owner. We are excited to bring you Stacey Tookey as our second Spotlight Feature of Season 4.  Follow Stacey Tookey...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Kendall Baab and Adrienne Hicks Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 118 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, dance trainer Kendall Baab and IDA judge and dance educator Adrienne Hicks join us to discuss the importance of a proper warm-up for dancers, and why sitting in a straddle is not the answer! Topics Include :  The 4 parts of a prop...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Aaron Parkhurst and Jason E. Bernard Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 117 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, tap educators Aaron Parkhurst and Jason E. Bernard join us to share insight about the different styles of tap dance that exist and how they really aren't that different at all! Topics Include:  What makes tap dance so di...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Jakub Dvořák and Peter Oxford Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 116 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Czech Republic-based studio owner Jakub Dvořák and Australian-based competition owner Peter Oxford join us for an enlightening conversation on what the competitive dance industry is like outside of the US! Topics Include:  How compe...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Danny Dwaine Wells II and Miranda Spada Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 115 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are joined by IDA judges and dance educators Danny Dwaine Wells II and Miranda Spada to discuss the realities dancers face when moving up an age division at competition. Topics Include:  Expectations for each age divisi...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Karla Curatolo Hosted by Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor Karla Curatolo, owner of Expressenz Dance Center in Indianapolis, IN joins us for the first Studio Spotlight episode of Season 4! With recent accolades like Top 5 Studio of the Year at the 2022 Dance Awards, America's Got Talent and World of Dance, Expressenz is truly making an impact in the dance community! ...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Courtney Rottenberger and Raynor Van der Merwe Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 113 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are debunking the stereotypes surrounding studios that don't compete! Joining us today are IDA judge and former non-competitive dancer Courtney Rottenberger and studio owner Raynor van der Merwe to shed some...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Ricardo Pena and Liz Schmidt Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 112 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by Ricardo Pena of Performance Edge 2 and Liz Schmidt of Spotlight Dance Works to discuss how dance studio programs can level up their training to produce well-trained dancers who go on to collegiate an...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Amanda Nicole DiTullio and Daniel Longo Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 111 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are tackling a huge topic - shock value and triggering subject matter in the competitive world. Joining us on this journey are dance educators and judges Amanda Nicole DiTullio and Daniel Longo to investigate the issues...

Send us Fan Mail Guests - Caroline Diamond and Lynne McNelis Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 110 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are chatting all things hair and makeup with two fabulous guests! Professional dancer and makeup artist Caroline Diamond and beauty industry expert and dance mom Lynne McNelis give some hot tips for hair and makeup at compet...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted by Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Guest: Rhee Gold Kicking off the 4th season of Making the Impact, we are joined today by industry legend Rhee Gold for our first Spotlight Feature! Rhee is a household name in the dance world, spearheading such projects as the Dance Teacher Life Conference and the International Dance Entrepreneurs Association.  Follow Rhee Gold on social...

Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In the Season 4 Opener of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley discuss the exciting things that happened in Season 3 and dish about the fun stuff coming up in Season 4! Topics Include:  Podcast cover art contest winners  Podcast Magazine feature from January 2022  Summer bonus episodes  New Platinum Premi...

Send us Fan Mail We have another summer exclusive bonus episode coming to you LIVE from Diva Dance Competition's 10 year anniversary Nationals in Cambridge, MD. Making the Impact hosted our 2nd LIVE audience event and it was a huge success! Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Julie Swartz, Christina Belinsky, Lauren Alto and Eddie Bennett to answer questions from dance parents, studi...

Send us Fan Mail We have a summer exclusive bonus episode coming to you LIVE from Spirit of Dance Awards Nationals in Hyannis, MA! Making the Impact hosted our very first ever LIVE audience event and it was a huge success! Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Robb Gibbs and Sam Quinn to answer questions from dance parents, studio owners, and dancers! Topics included:  Levels and how judges...