Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Q&A with Courtney - February Edition

Transcript

Q&A with Courtney - February Edition · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Hi everyone and welcome to Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and we are here today for this month's episode of QA with Courtney.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Each month I sit down to answer all of your questions that you send in about the dance competition world.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's February and the dance competition season has officially begun.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's also my birthday month, so shout out to all the Pisces out there.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Before we jump right into our questions, I want to give a huge shout out to all of our listeners, supporters, and subscribers who have been tuning in for the past few months.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: We are so excited to share that our podcast has already hit over 10,000 downloads since our launch in October, and we couldn't have done it without you.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Some of our most popular episodes have been Episode 4, Lyrical vs.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Contemporary, with over 1,200 downloads, episode 13, The Do's and Don'ts of Costuming for the Competitive Stage, and Episode 3, 10 Tips for Dance Convention Training.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So if you haven't had a chance to listen and check out the other 16 episodes of our season so far, head over to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify to listen now, and don't forget to subscribe.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: We also love hearing from our listeners.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: So if you'd like to hit us up and share your thoughts on our episodes, or if you have future episode suggestions or requests, or maybe even a question for me to answer on an upcoming Q ⁇ A with Courtney episode, be sure to head to our website now and send away.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are not already following us on social media, be sure to stay connected online with Impact Dance Adjudicators.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: We post weekly judges tips, we have blog articles coming directly from your judges, and we offer online judges critiques which have kept us super busy this season.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: You can even find out which events our IDA judges will be at throughout the year.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: So don't forget to head over to Instagram and Facebook now to follow us.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Since the season is officially in action, I'm sure so many of you dance moms, teachers, and dancers are still purchasing those final few things to prep for the competition season.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you are in need of a new rolling rack travel bag to store all of your costumes.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you need a new cosmetic case.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: If so, our season sponsor, Level Up Dance Supplies, can absolutely help you with all of your dance gear and dance bag needs.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: They carry the top name brands including Glamour Gear, Rack and Roll, K Miami, Yoffi, and so many more.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Level Up Dance Supplies specializes in dance bags with racks, which are perfect for competition and carry up to 13 different styles and brands.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: They have even designed their own line of dance products, including new rolling rack travel bags, cosmetic cases, mirrors, stretching bands, and so much more.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if you or your dancer is in need of any final dance supplies this season, be sure to head over to their website now at levelupdanceupplies.com.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: And don't forget, use the coupon code impact at checkout to receive$10 off your very first order.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, let's jump right into your questions this month.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: We have had so many questions flooding in from across the country, and just a reminder, if you have a question you want me to answer on an upcoming QA with Courtney episode, head to our show notes and click the link, or head to our website at Impact Dance Adjudicators.com slash podcast to submit your questions now.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: You can choose to remain completely anonymous, or you can share your name in studio and we'll give you a shout-out live on the air.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: We also really love audio questions.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to be featured on the pod, send over your questions now.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, and now it's time to jump into our very first question of this month's episode.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: This question is coming from a dance teacher named Emily from Meridian, Idaho.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Her question is, Hi IDA, I love this podcast.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: My dancers are struggling with the performance element of their contemporary routines.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: They are typically great with their facial expressions, but we're a little lost with this style.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've noticed a lot of well-trained, beautiful dancers not really use their face much in contemporary and score really high.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: But whenever we go for this subtle intensity, our feedback tends to be that our facials were lacking.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Our group routine is more about movement than an actual story.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: What is the best way to go about giving a good performance in this genre without over-the-top facials?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Hi Emily, thanks so much for this great question, and I'm so glad you are enjoying our podcast.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is a very, very good question, and I think that this is struggle that a lot of dancers and teachers and studio owners face when it comes to performance at competition.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: I totally know what you're talking about as far as contemporary dances that have, you know, not a lot of performance in the face or the facial expressions.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the best advice that I can give is, and I say this a lot when I teach and a lot when I teach on conventions, is we can always tell a story with the use of our focus and the use of our eyes.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes when I watch dances when I judge, I feel like that there's a lack of focus in a lot of dancers where their eyes don't really seem to have any energy going through, or that there's no intention behind their eyes and their focus.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that can immediately, regardless of having huge facial expressions, really begin telling a story, even if there isn't even a huge storyline in the dance, like yours is, like you mentioned.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I would immediately say use of focus and not just having energy through the eyes, but also not being afraid to throw the head and to look at the hand or change the eyesight to up to the sky, incorporating those directional changes with our head and focus will automatically enhance the dance, not only visually, but also in the performance element.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that obviously it really depends on the choreography.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: And since this is just a general question and I haven't seen your routine, I don't really know what the storyline is.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you mentioned there's not really a story, but I do think that dances that have more of a story are easier to help understand to the audience member.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it I think it also helps the dancers connect and try to explain that story through their movement a little bit easier compared to us to a dance that doesn't have a direct storyline attached.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's harder to kind of find the performance and have that intention clear.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, even as a dancer myself, I always kind of like to know what the backstory is.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I want to know what I'm trying to get across as far as the actor in the performance to make sure that I'm relaying that properly through my movement and through my acting, so to say.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that I'm not against not having a story.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think you can absolutely have contemporary dances without a storyline, but it is helpful.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: As a dancer, you don't always have to make the audience know the story as long as you as the dancer know what the intention is.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a helpful, helpful tool as far as performance.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess, Emily, my best recommendation as far as this question is go back through the routine as you're in rehearsal and really make sure that the dancers are using their focus at all times.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: If the focus is supposed to be directly to the front, make sure they're really using their eyes and focusing at themselves in the mirror.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we can even work on taking the mirrors away from rehearsal and flipping them around or closing the mirrors off so you can see what their focus is looking like from the front and not having them rely on the mirrors to help get them through.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's something that a lot of dancers struggle with as well is maybe we forgot to ever run it without the mirrors and rehearsals before we hit the stage of competition.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's like the make or break it moment because a lot of us as dancers, we rely on the mirrors.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: We like to see that's that's another set of eyes for us essentially.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it helps us with transitions, it helps us with formation changes and things like that.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: But we also need to make sure that we're using that, the mirror to its best ability with the intention as well.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to just rely on that mirror.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe I would recommend flipping the dancers around, seeing what their performance is like without the mirrors involved in rehearsal, and then going step by step through and just making sure that the focuses are clear and everybody's looking on the same eye angle for this look here, and making sure they're following the hand when they're supposed to, because those tiny details will definitely make a difference in how it will score and how it will come across at competition and on stage.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then my next bit of advice would be: even if there isn't a story, I would just let the dancers know what the intention is.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Are we happy?
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Are we sad?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Are we upset and angry?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: Are we neutral?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And if we are neutral and we don't have a story, I think that just making sure that they have that strong eye contact and focus straight out to the audience when we're supposed to, that will really help set the mood.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: But if we can attach some descriptive words as far as expression to the dance, that will really, really help them understand where their performance can come from and what we want to get across with this routine as far as our acting is concerned.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that this has been a helpful answer to your question, and I wish you guys all the best of luck in your contemporary dance this season.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Our next question is an audio question coming in from an anonymous dance parent.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: Hello, I was just wondering what you look for in an intermediate dancer.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_02: My daughter is 10 years old and she's being moved up from novice to intermediate.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: I trust my studio, but at the same time, I feel like she's still a very novice dancer.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: She works very hard.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: She dances a lot of hours, but it takes her a long time to learn every skill.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_02: She doesn't yet have clean splits consistently.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: She doesn't always have a clean pirouette.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_02: She can't do a leg lift, you know, she works hard, but these skills take her a really long time.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_02: She absolutely loves to be on stage and loves to compete.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm just wondering, you know, what you typically look for for somebody moving up from novice to intermediate, aside from the hours in the studio.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, thanks so much for this great question.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: And this question is obviously regarding levels, which is the hottest topic ever.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: We all know, and we've talked about many level-related questions on some of the previous QA with Courtney episodes, as well as within our roundtable discussions throughout the season so far.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: But good news is for all of the listeners out there, we are having a level episode coming your way very soon, which is launching in April, and we dig really deep into all of your questions about what the judges really look for in each level, whether it's novice, beginner, intermediate, advanced, elite, whatever they call it.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: We really discuss that in full detail.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited for you all to hear that one because we get so many questions flooding in about level placement and dancers in appropriate levels.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: So this question is a great one.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for sending this in, my anonymous dance parent.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I can understand that fear of transitioning from, you know, the lower level to the next highest up level.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's definitely a scary transition sometimes, especially if, you know, the dancer doesn't feel ready or if the dance parent doesn't feel ready for that transition, but it's gonna happen eventually.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, her hard work is paying off because she's at the studio for many, many hours.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that it might be a little bit scary because the skill set might feel like she's not ready for that level, but I have to acknowledge and say that I'm extremely glad that you are not keeping her held back in the novice level, even if you feel like her skill set belongs there.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to applaud you for moving her up to the level that she belongs based on the amount of hours, because that is actually one thing that kind of makes this level system a little bit hard to figure out.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of dancers and teachers, mainly the teachers actually, since the teachers are placing the dancers in their their appropriate level, they tend to kind of base it around skill set instead of actually following the rules of what the competition has laid out and states you need to be in the intermediate level if you're at the studio from four to six hours a week.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And most of the time, those, what at least how I look at it, is those hours that they're referencing refer to the moment you step foot into the studio until the moment you leave.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that should also include hours for rehearsals for competition routines.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people eliminate that into the equation and say that it's only about how many classes they take and how many days a week or hours of dance they're actually training, which I disagree with.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that if you're in rehearsal for a competitive dance routine, that's part of your training, which should be included in your hours for which level placement you belong in.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: So if your dancer truly is dancing from four to six hours a week or whatever the range is for the competitions that you're going to, I think that she definitely belongs in that level.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I applaud you for, you know, allowing that to happen.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you to your teacher who is following the rules correctly, because I think that's the main thing we all have to make sure we're following the rules properly and not gauging it off of, oh, well, I've seen dancers in the intermediate level doing three pirouettes and my dancer is not at that level that yet.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just gonna leave her in the novice division because she's gonna score better.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, that is a true fact.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's always going to be different level dancers within the level.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Just because you're comparing your dancer to the next dancer doesn't mean that they don't belong in that level.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: If the rules state that you have this many hours of dance under your belt and you are technically supposed to be in that level, then you just have to go with it.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I personally feel that if you are a dancer who feels like at the bottom end of that level and you see dancers who are at a higher caliber level than you within your competition, then you should really just use that as motivation to keep working hard in class.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's always going to be a winner, unfortunately.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's a competition for a reason.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, it is a very hard industry where we compare ourselves to one another and other people all of the time.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: But in the end, if you are happy with how much hard work you're putting into the studio, and if you are happy with the progress that you have made for yourself as a dancer year after year, that's really, really all that matters.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's not always about the first place trophy.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's not always about the ultimate diamond triple platinum adjudicated award.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, that feels really nice, but even if you as a dancer make the goal of, all right, my goal, I'm in the higher level this season.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to try to get one level bump up than what I've done in the past.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Or I my goal is to get a platinum because this is my very first time being in the intermediate level.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I will be so, so, so proud if I can achieve that goal.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Then that's awesome.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think that sometimes we have to remember to have our own personal goals and not just look at the bigger picture as to like how you placed within other people.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that would be some helpful advice as far as how to approach uh moving into that next level.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: But as far as what are we looking for as judges when it comes from novice to intermediate, I know that I personally really want to see those basics and fundamentals of the genre or style that you're presenting nice and clean.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I look for that in the novice level as well.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: I really, really want to make sure that dancers understand proper positions.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: I want to see clear and clean arm positioning.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: I want to see that they understand how to do a clean preparation for their pirouettes.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: I want to see high pases, pointed feet, lengthening through their legs, stepping up off the floor, leading toe ball heel, chassising with their toe ball heel.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Things like that.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: The fundamentals and the basics are what I'm really looking for in the novice category.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And once we bump up to the intermediate category, you should have already mastered those basics and fundamentals at this point.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: And now we're trying to maybe advance to the next layer of things.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, something as simple as maybe the novice category is doing a single pirouette that with a high releve and a high passe and a strong jazz preparation.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe for the intermediate level, you've moved on to your double pirouette.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I still want to see all of that technique nice and strong.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: I shouldn't see that be thrown out the window because we feel that the intermediate level needs a double.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you are more successful at doing a clean single pirouette with a solid preparation and a gorgeous finish, I'd rather see that than a sloppy double pirouette.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure that every teacher across the world has said those exact words.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes as a dance parent, it's really hard to understand that.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: But from a judge's perspective, and we I say this probably on every single episode, we don't want to see what you can't do.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: We want to see what you can do.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if there's something that you're working on in class, that's meant to be kept in class for you to continue to work on until it's perfected for the stage.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to see what you're working on on stage because we're gonna immediately have to take points off because if it's not properly executed or the technique isn't there or the foundation and fundamentals isn't there, then unfortunately that's what it comes down to is losing some points.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't want you to lose any points.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to keep your score at a 100 for each judge and you know, go from there.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't specifically have a skill set of on a list of specific types of things I want to see in the intermediate level.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: It it really comes down to making sure that what you present is clean.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, it it is hard when people do abuse a level system because it does become essentially a comparison game at that point, like we I briefly mentioned earlier.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to have to do that.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there may be dancers who have clean double pirouettes, but one might have done it slightly better and their technique score is going to be higher than the person who didn't nail their landing and fumbled through it.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's things like that where we have to remember to always finish through all of our steps properly and not rush onto the next thing.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think another thing that is important to remember while we're competing is style is important for me.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think that dancers who have style immediately catch my attention.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, technique is important, but I hope that, you know, the technique level that you have at the intermediate level is showing me your foundation and your basics.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm really looking to see.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: I don't need you to do things that are beyond your skill set and too advanced for you.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: I want to see what you can do with maintaining that technique that you've worked so hard on from that novice level that you've brought into the intermediate.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think that the intermediate level, people feel really pressured to show what they're working on and all of these acro tricks that, you know, might not be as clean as they could be.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the reason for that, especially for the intermediate level, is because people are abusing it and people are putting advanced dancers who should be in the advanced level, intermediate level, and somehow making it seem that they only train six hours a week or five hours a week or whatever it is, when really they have 20 dances and they, you know, maybe they only take six hours of technique class, but they're at the studio probably over 10 hours a week with all their rehearsals and they're putting them in the intermediate category.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's where I feel like it's not really fair.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that a lot of parents and a lot of teachers see all of these dancers doing all these impressive skills in the intermediate level and think that their dancers should be doing the same.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: But that's not always true.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we as judges definitely know when someone should be in the advanced category.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: However, we don't always have the opportunity to bump them.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: It really depends on the competition and if they allow that.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: So unfortunately, we are trusting that you as a teacher, I know you're a dance parent who I'm talking to right now, but we hope that the teachers are properly placing their dancers, and that way we can judge fairly across the board and not have to upset anybody in the process because we would love to be able to bump if we're allowed to, and we gladly will as a unanimous judging panel, but that option is not always there for us.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to judge what's in front of us.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, some people work the system, and that's really unfortunate.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I really wish that everybody would just follow those rules.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: But in the end, I think that do what you do best on stage.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: Don't stress about what we need to achieve into the intermediate level.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: As long as your technique is clean, as long as your timing is there, you're counting your music, as long as you are showing us all of those basics and fundamentals that you have learned and brought from that novice beginner level up with you into the intermediate level, and maybe are showing us a few additional things that you are, you know, working towards, but doing them very clean, that will be so perfect and so better.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Don't get discouraged by some of the more advanced dancers that you may see in the intermediate level that are beyond, you know, what you are currently doing.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: Just take it all in for you and really just focus on yourself and where you're at in your training.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's really hard to say sometimes because we're in that competitive world, but I promise that will get you far as long as we just focus on ourselves and use those advanced dancers that we do see that might, you know, get a higher placement than us or whatever it may be.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Be inspired by them.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Use that as motivation.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: That might, you know, make you want to get into the studio an extra few days, or that might just change your perspective of how you're going to approach class when you get back to the studio after that weekend's over.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that's a helpful tip and I hope that you and your daughter have a fabulous season this year.
• 21:19
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• 21:24
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• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: And now, back to the show.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, our next question is coming from a dance parent who wants to remain anonymous from Washington State.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Their question is, my daughter has an acro open solo this year.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: In years past, she has always done jazz.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: She was told by a few fellow teammates that the judges don't like acro and that acro isn't considered a main style of dance.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: What are your thoughts on acro in the dance world?
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do certain styles of dance typically do better than others at competition and conventions?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this couldn't be a better question because we actually have an really, really, really great acro episode coming up next week.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're tuning in, be sure to check in next week for our upcoming acro episode that's launching at the top of March.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: We sat down with two acro experts in the industry and discussed the genre of dance in full detail.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that that's helpful.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: But in the meantime, I would love to answer this question for you.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that acro absolutely is a style of dance.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually exploding in the competition world right now.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone is doing acro, and I'm not really sure where that came from, which is totally okay.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: But you are definitely seeing a lot more acro skills in competition than you have in the past.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: And that's awesome.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think that having the acro training under your belt is an essential skill to learn and know how to do.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: And complementing that with technique and dance training is a valuable tool.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's really, really great.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: I totally support the acro.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: I will say that I don't think it's going to hinder your dancer's score or how she succeeds in the competition.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, acro is definitely a category of competition.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: The teammates are unfortunately wrong that they are, you are not going to score lower or that the judges don't like acro, that is totally not true.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think that maybe the misconception in the industry is that we, as judges, want to see dance.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I love a great acro routine.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: If it's an actual acro routine where we're covering all the basics and we're doing clean passes and we're doing clean gymnastics and we're, you know, showing some of the contortion elements and even fusing it with some dance elements.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm all for that.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes acro routines, if done properly, will take over the whole competition and win.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: You just really never know.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I do not think that by her doing an acro dance compared to a jazz, although, like previous years, it's going to prevent her from having a good score if she, if you know, this is her new skill that she's succeeding with.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm glad that she's branching out and trying a new style.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess my best recommendation would be to make sure that all of her acro tricks are done properly with the clean technique as far as finishing the lines with your feet, making sure your knees are pulled up, straight legs, making sure we're stepping into our preparations properly, making sure that all of the elements are done safely.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's another thing.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think that we, as acro dancers, we feel that we need to kind of jam-pack the routine to get the score higher.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I'd rather see less as more always.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: So if, you know, you're gonna do a big, huge tumbling pass towards the end of the routine and it's not as clean as it would have been if you would have done it at the beginning, then I'd rather see you do it at the beginning and maybe we eliminate the one at the end.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: Making sure that the routine is as clean as possible and as safe as possible.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's the main thing.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: We are on a stage that's probably, you know, if you're lucky, it might be sprung.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there will be Marley on the floor.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't want to be cringing in my seat with watching your acro passes happen.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: I want to make sure that you are going to always safely execute them.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: So overall, I think that acro is, again, really great.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really glad that we are doing more of it into the dance world because it really helps you understand the mechanics of your body.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: It really helps you engage your core.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: You get a lot of more upper body strength as well, and uh just makes you a stronger, more versatile athletic dancer in the end.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that it's nothing but good things.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: I just hope that everything's being executed properly and safely.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's my biggest concern with acro.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I definitely think that, especially, you know, it is a dance competition in the end, so we're not at a gymnastics meet.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I would recommend making sure that the acro dance in the solo is also highlighting some of your dance ability as well.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: I love to see that fusion in there.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's important to remember, like where we're at.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: If it was just like a gymnastics floor routine, that's that's a different whole different style than what I want to see at a dance competition in the acro dance category.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: So feel free to incorporate some Pierwets in there.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Feel free to incorporate some of your ballet technique or your jazz style or whatever it may be into the fusion of your acro abilities.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: As far as if certain styles do better at a competition than others, I think that the majority right now is contemporary in the dance world.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: For some reason, everybody wants to do a contemporary solo, and I guess that's totally fine.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: But because that is the majority, it sort of seems to seem like that one's gonna always win.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that it honestly just comes down to that there's more of it.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: So there's more contemporary dances to pick from.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas if there is one acro dance that blows my mind that just like kept me on the edge of my seat in nothing but good ways and an extremely high score, they might win the competition, like I mentioned.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't think that there's a favorite style that the judges lean towards, but I do think that there are styles that dancers do succeed with more frequently at competition.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the reason being is that it sometimes comes down to artistry.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, a lot of contemporary routines are choreographed with a specific theme or a specific style that really shows a lot of expression and storytelling and things like that.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the choreography is, you know, executed so well to get the storyline across, and people are really moved by those pieces.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: They sometimes tend to score a little bit higher than just a standard acro routine, so to say.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing about contemporary dance, which we kind of briefly mentioned in our episode four lyrical versus contemporary episode, is that there is a little bit more freedom in contemporary to get away with things.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: For example, in contemporary, you can kind of have really beautiful movement quality in disguise the fact that you may not be the most flexible dancer and you may not have these beautiful extensions that another dancer alongside you may have.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: However, if you're in a lyrical style, we're really looking to see that flexibility, those extensions, the finishing of the lines, and in contemporary, you're able to kind of disguise that a little bit easier, which, you know, if it's choreographed properly and disguised in the right way, then you might get a higher score, you know, depending.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: So it just really depends on the genre.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that there is a style that we cater towards or that wins more frequently.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think it just depends on what the choreography is, the execution, the storytelling, and the total package overall as a whole.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this answers your question, and I hope that your daughter has a blast doing her acro solo throughout the season this year.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, we've made it to our final question of this month's episode.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: This question is coming from a studio owner named Skylar Hart from Clifton Park, New York, and her studio is Premier Dance Performing Arts Center.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: Her question is: When you judge an event, do you find that you score routines in comparison to other routines at the event?
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you find that you score based on a general criteria that you have for routines competing in certain age-level divisions, regardless of what other talent may be at that specific event?
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: I've always been curious about this, as at some events I find judges score comparatively, and others they score based on what I would deem a basic understanding of where dancers should be at technically and artistically at their age and level.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is a fantastic question, so thank you so much, Skylar, for asking this one.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that this really is depending on the competition as well as possibly the judging panel and how the judges choose to approach each event when they're judging.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: But I can certainly understand why this question would come up.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that I can help answer, at least from my perspective, as to how I approach a judging panel when I'm sitting there for the weekend.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: So as a judge, I have a general idea and expectation for what each level dancer should be doing and what each age level dancer should be doing.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think that the hard part with this new level addition to the competition world is that previously in the competition land, which we have discussed before in our age range expectations episode, previously before levels existed back in the day at competition, that we kind of based everything around our expectations for the age level.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: So as a dance teacher and as a dance educator who's working with dancers in the classroom, we know what we want to be seeing a nine-year-old doing.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: We know what we want to see a 13-year-old doing.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how we kind of judged based on what they're achieving on stage within their routine.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: However, now we've kind of added levels to the mix, which makes it a little bit harder to know exactly what a beginner nine-year-old should be doing and what an advanced nine-year-old should be doing.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where it becomes a little tricky.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so not only that, you know, we have we have that to work with, we have what we as a teacher and educator expect for each age range and each level.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: But now we also have to throw regions into the mix.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: And what I mean by that is every region is very different as far as the talent caliber.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: And if you grew up on the West Coast, and let's say you were born and raised in California, you grew up at a competitive dance studio, you're now a judge and you live in California, but you fly across the country and you're going to judge at an event in Massachusetts.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: The talent caliber might be completely different for an intermediate level dancer at the age of 10 that in Massachusetts than it would be for an intermediate level H10 dancer in California.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that judge may have a higher expectation for what they feel is acceptable for the intermediate level.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that really comes into effect as to how a judge will judge.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to remember those type of things.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that we have to remember is because of all the regional differences as far as talent level, you may have three completely different judges on a panel, all coming from completely different parts of the country who have completely different expectations.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure that their critiques will back that up and their score will reflect that.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: But it really just depends on how they approach the judging panel at that event.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: The way that I kind of approach it is that I kind of have a feel for the talent at the event, and I decide to judge based on the talent that is there.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: I am not walking in with a mentality of, well, you know, the talent needs to be at this particular level.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: And if it's not, then I'm gonna score it super, super low.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: No, I don't think that's true.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think that we have to judge based on the region, based on the talent at that event.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a perfect example of what it's like to actually go into the real world as well, because something that I always mention often to people when they ask about judging and ask about auditioning and things like that, you never know who's gonna show up.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: So at one event, you may be sweeping the competition and winning all of the first place awards and all of the high platinums or whatever the highest award is.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: And you are gonna feel on top of the world and you're gonna be so pumped and so excited.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we love to win, right?
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: But then you might go to an event a few weeks later, and depending on the caliber of talent that's there, you may not be that first place studio anymore.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: You may now have become the sixth place studio.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that is just because of who was in attendance and who you were up against.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: And that's just how the world works sometimes.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same thing that applies to auditions.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: I am a professional dancer in New York City.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: I've been auditioning for the past over 10 years.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it really comes down to that.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: It sometimes comes down to who showed up that day.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if they were better than you, if they didn't show up, would you have gotten the job?
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: If would you have won first place essentially?
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, those things do come into play.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I like to judge based on the talent that's at the event that I'm at currently.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to bring those expectations of, oh, well, I was in Arizona last weekend and I saw an intermediate level dancer do five pirouettes.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_00: So that's now my expectation for intermediate level dancers across the country.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, that's not true.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because the intermediate level dancer who is doing five pirouettes, that might be what intermediate is in that region, which is crazy to think because it does exist.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_00: I promise you, it does exist.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it really depends on, you know, who their teacher is and how they're training them and, you know, all of those things come into play.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_00: But either way, I think that I'm not speaking for every judge, but I do feel that majority of judges probably do cater their judging to the event as a whole and what region they're and seeing the level of caliber of talent at that specific event.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that helps answer your question, Skyler.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd like to wish you and your studio the best of luck this season at competition.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so that wraps up our February edition of QA with Courtney.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you enjoyed.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: And if you did, don't forget to head over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts and hit that subscribe button so you can stay with us and connected every Monday throughout the dance competition season with more weekly episodes.
• 35:53
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• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: And if you'd like to follow me, my handle is Courtney.org.
• 36:03
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• 36:08
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• 36:14
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• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: And don't forget, do you have a question that you've been dying to ask me?
• 36:22
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• 36:24
  SPEAKER_00: Head over to our website now at Impact Dance Adjudicators.comslash podcast to submit your question for an upcoming episode of QA with Courtney.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: Coming up in the next few weeks, we have some exciting topics, including acro at dance competitions, social media in the dance world, and pushing through performance anxiety.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's episode of Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: Till next time, keep dancing.