Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / IDA Competition Spotlight - Elevation on Tour

Transcript

IDA Competition Spotlight - Elevation on Tour · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Elevation on Tour strives for fairness and excellence in all they do, with integrity and love at the heart of their business.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Today on Making the Impact, Courtney sits down with our friends at Elevation on Tour to learn more about what makes their events unlike any other.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure you've heard through our seven seasons of Making the Impact, or the word IDA thrown around left and right, or that is my company, Impact Dance Adjudicators, where I help staff judges for dance competitions.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: And we work with 15 or more than 15 different dance competitions and conventions in the dance or industry in the United States.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: And uh we get to sit down right here on the podcast to hear more about the behind the scenes, more about what it takes to run an entire dance competition and convention event or directly from the owners themselves.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: So this has been such a treat to introduce back in season seven.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: We actually did competition spotlight features back in season one of the podcast and they were a hit and we have gained so many new competitions to our roster at IDA that we were like, all right, let's bring it back and make this happen for new competition companies.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we're thrilled to have uh two owners here joining us on the podcast.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to tell you a little bit more about the competition that we are sitting down with right here or right now.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: That competition is elevation on tour, and they are redefining the competition and convention experience.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Or with a strong focus on service integrity and innovation, or they have thoroughly thought out conventions with our emphasis on inclusivity, artistry, and character development or two competitions featuring multiple performance levels, four judge adjudication panels, and specialty critiques in artistry and technique, which is so unique and cool for our industry.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Can't wait to learn more about that.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: And they really think about valuing the teachers and the dancers and the parents at their event.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Or I have had the opportunity to even teach at a few of their dance conventions, which I've loved and working with them on the other side as well to provide judges for their competition events.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: So the two owners of Elevation on Tour have over 65 years of combined experience running dance events.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: So they know a thing or two.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: They know exactly what they're doing to make this experience perfect for y'all.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: They are wonderful human beings.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: I love working for them and working alongside them for with IDA.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I cannot wait to introduce the two owners of Elevation on Tour, Brie Pena and Christina Cross.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, y'all.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_05: Hey Courtney.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, Courtney.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: How are you?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Good to be here.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: So, so good.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for wanting to sit down and chat with me today.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_06: We're excited to be here.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_06: It's been great working with you for the last few years.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_06: And now we get to be on your podcast.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I know this is a first-time podcast.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: You you've never been on a podcast before.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Is that true?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Very true.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Newbies to the podcasting world were welcome.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to share a fun fact with all of our listeners out there.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: So Bree actually hit me up a few years ago and as a podcast fan first.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I I'm pretty sure and Brie, you can tell me more about this, but I'm pretty sure that you were listening as an avid diehard listener to making the impact first before you then let me know that you have a dance competition and you want to work with IDA judges.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_06: For sure.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_06: So actually, I found you because we have a mutual friend, Terrell Mitchell.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_06: And he was on one of your episodes, I don't know, maybe season two.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_06: Jazz dance episode.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_06: And so it was super fun to listen to him there and obviously be introduced to you in the podcast.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_06: And so then from then I was hooked and I became a weekly listener.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_06: And then fast forward a little bit when we started branching out into expanding from competition to convention, another one of our mutual friends, James, he was guesting for us and we were in need of another teacher.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_06: And I was like, what do you think, what do you think Courtney would say?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_06: I I don't know if she would say, okay.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_06: And he was like, you should definitely reach out.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_06: And I'm so glad that I did because it's been wonderful working with you and we can't wait to, you know, keep partnering together more.
• 5:08
  unknown: Yes.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: See, okay, listeners out there, we talk about networking and connections and how small the dance world is.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: I really think it matters here.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like you eventually would have probably discovered this podcast at some point in your time.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: But because we had a a guest on our podcast that you already knew that then led you to the pod, that then then led you to wanting to use our judges, to then having me teach for you, it's all about networking and connections, y'all.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I love hearing that and thank you so much.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a treat working with you both as well and getting to meet your staff and getting to come and experience an event as well, which is just run so professionally and organized.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: I absolutely adore working with y'all.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I can't wait to learn more about elevation and share with the world uh what y'all are doing for our dance industry.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: But before we learn about the competition and convention, I want to learn more about you both.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, whoever wants to start, if you can share a little bit more about your dance life, where you grew up, how you got into dance, what where dance has taken you in your career, and also maybe how you guys connected and wanted to start a dance competition.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_05: So we're based in Texas, and I grew up right here in the Land Star State doing drill team, which is very, it's a really big deal here in Texas.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_05: A lot of young girls that grow up either, you know, doing gymnastics, which was my kind of my road, or doing dance will eventually end up in the drill team space, um, dancing for their schools.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_05: And my coach at Klein Oak High School, she started a company called Crowdpleasers in 1988 and or 86.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_05: And I came to work for her in '88.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_05: And I started it as just a college teacher, just teaching uh halftime football routines around Texas.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_05: And we were together building that business.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I got a degree in advertising and then came to work full-time for her.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_05: And she and I ended up being business partners, and we built that business together for oh, I don't know, 17 years, I believe that we were partners, and over 20 years we were together.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_05: So it was a really awesome relationship because she was, you know, so near and dear to me before she even started the company.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_05: Eventually, I went on to take over the company.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_05: And when Brie was 18 years old, she was also on her drill team and I hired her right off of her team.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_05: No, and she came on and kind of did the same thing, started the same way that I did teaching during college and has worked for the company for over 25 years.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_05: She eventually obviously went on to work full-time for Crowdpleasers.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_05: And then in 2017, when I bought the other half of Crowdpleasers, Kay was retiring.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_05: And Brie and I had big plans and decided that we wanted to branch out and start doing events to serve the studios in our community.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_05: Along the way, I had had three children and they all three were dancers.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_05: And we were we were working in the drill team space, but I was dance momming in the studio space.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, interesting.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_05: And just learning a lot about that side of the business and realizing that we could take a lot of the skills that we had honed for 25 years in the drill team space and apply those for studios.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_05: And one of the things I think that makes us so unique, having that scholastic dance team background, is that those drill team directors in Texas, they are really tough customers.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_05: And so we we cut our teeth serving some really some customers that had really high expectations and demanded, you know, the absolute utmost in organization and innovation.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_05: And we were able to bring some of that, all those things that we learned to the stage comp world.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_05: And she and I have done that together for the last eight years.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_05: She still currently works for CrowdPleasers.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_05: And she also is my business partner at Elevation.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_05: And it's just been a really awesome experience getting to do both and serve in both lanes because they're, you know, kids are kids.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_05: They're kids on drill teams and they're kids in the studio space.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_05: And that's what we're about is serving the kids.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_05: And so we want to do that in any capacity and any lane of dance that we're, you know, blessed enough to get to do that.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_05: And so we're we're super excited to now have eight years under our belts of doing this for studios all over Texas.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_05: But really, three years ago, we moved out of Texas and have been going up the East Coast.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_05: We're now in Florida, Georgia, um, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_05: We're hitting up New Jersey this year, which we're so excited about.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_05: And have lots of other cities to add to our to our plans in the coming years.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, it's been a it's been a really neat ride just getting to learn all the different facets of all the different lanes of dance that we served in.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_05: So it's been great.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_05: Awesome.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_05: And it's been really fun getting to do that with her.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Aw, I love this team.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: What a great partnership you two have.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: This is awesome.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you so much, Christina, for sharing.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: And Bree, you're up next.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_06: So I grew up dancing in studio and then I took a little hiatus to play sports, which is hysterical.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: When was that?
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: How old were you?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_06: I so I left studio in my summer between fifth and sixth grade year.
• 10:40
  unknown: Okay.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_06: Because I decided that I was gonna play basketball, volleyball, and run track.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_06: Which if anyone knows me knows that I am allergic to running, so that's just not a thing.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_06: But I think it was, you know, all my friends were doing it, and I was like, okay, cool, I'm gonna be a sports girl.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_06: So I took a little dance vacation for three years in middle school where I played sports, not very well, but I did make the teams.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_06: I, you know, I think I was a good teammate and cheerleader more than a player, but that's okay.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_06: And then it was funny because I was headed into high school and went to a basketball camp in the summer for the high school I was going to and realized that all of these girls are taller than me, bigger than me, faster than me.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_06: And there was no way I was making that team.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_06: And so then I quickly pivot-turned myself right back to dance and got back into studio and then tried out for my high school team and made it.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_06: And it was such a wonderful experience.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_06: And honestly, being on that high school team and having that scholastic dance experience really did change and shape me and really, you know, recoursed the purpose for my life, I think, because I had such a positive experience with that.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_06: And approaching high school graduation, my mom was like, You are not going to college for dance.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_06: I will not pay for a dance degree.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_06: And I just kept saying, But that's what I want.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_06: I I want to go to college for dance.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_06: I want to be a dance major, and I just don't think I can leave dance behind.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_06: And she just kept telling me, well, that's fine, but your dad and I aren't gonna pay for a dance degree.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_06: Four years later, I graduated with a dance degree funded by my parents.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you, mom and dad.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_06: And then after I left college, I decided to go back to the high school dance team world and directed a team in a high school for four years.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_06: And I loved it.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_06: It was such a wonderful experience.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_06: Honestly, you know, public school can be a tough place where you're doing what you love in the arts, but there's just a whole bunch of other things involved in the public school setting that can be really draining.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_06: And entering that fourth year, Christina called me in the fall.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_06: It was in the middle of my football season.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_06: And she was like, hey, guess what?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_06: Like, you know, some people some things are changing around here.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_06: Do you want to come on board full-time?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_06: Which was always my dream.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_06: But I was like, I'm not sure I'm ready to leave teaching yet.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_06: I don't know if I'm ready to leave directing yet.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_06: And it was a little bit like get on the boat before the boat leaves.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_06: And I was like, okay, well, then I'm going.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_06: I told her I needed to finish up a year.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_06: So I finished out that year.
• 13:08
  unknown: Wow.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_06: And then transitioned.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_06: That was in 2007, coming on board with CP full-time.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_06: And it's just been, you know, an amazing experience ever since then.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_06: So then obviously getting to work so closely with Christina and obviously Kay, the founder, just to grow Crowdpleasers into being such an influential provider for dance in the scholastic setting all of those years.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_06: And then it was just super exciting to watch her girls go through the studio side from that perspective.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_06: So not just having the experiences that I had growing up, but then watching someone parent through that.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_06: And now, years later, I have my own children and I have two that are dancers.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_06: And so I get to produce dance events and then I get to attend dance events as a parent.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_06: So that's been really eye-opening and a fun experience to do it on the mom side.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_06: So then, you know, we started talking about elevation actually back in 2011.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_06: And just so many things were happening at that time that you know, I was about to have my first child, and crowd pleasers just really needed a lot of attention during that time.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_06: So we decided to hold off on the expansion plan and stepping into the studio space.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_06: And then in 2017 decided it was it was time to make the leap.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_06: And then we officially began in 2018.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: Nice.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: I love this story.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: And this is why I like to get to know the owners because I work with y'all on a very business side of things, but I never really got to know your backstory and how you even got into this world.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I loved hearing what you said, Brie, about how uh Christina came to you, but the timing didn't really feel right for where you thought you'd be or what you wanted to do at that point in your life.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a really important lesson for people to hear and know that sometimes these opportunities are gonna come when you least expect it.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it might be a tough decision to decide like, is this really what I want to do?
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because what if you say no and that opportunity doesn't come back?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you have to decide in that moment, like, is this worth the risk?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: And is this going to like be a payoff for me down the road?
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Is this gonna be the right choice for me?
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because I don't know, it's it's hard to make that call, especially if you if you didn't feel like that the time was right just yet.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: But it seems like it was the right decision for you.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_06: Definitely.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, I can't imagine what I would be doing if I would have said no all those years ago.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_06: So I definitely I agree that and and for me, I'm very risk averse.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_06: I am safety Sally all the time and just making really big changes and jumping into things is usually not my MO.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_06: But obviously, I had such a connection with Crow Pleasers and Christina and felt like, you know, that ultimately was going to be my goal of where I wanted to end up.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_06: And it just presented itself a little bit sooner than I thought.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_06: I loved my time directing.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_06: I loved my time teaching and teaching in public school.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_06: I thought I would have made it, you know, maybe eight years total, only made it to four, but it was definitely the best decision that I could have made and an amazing opportunity for sure.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_05: What Brie doesn't realize is that that ship would never have just sailed for her.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_05: I would have made room for Brie whenever she was ready to come.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: Wait, that's amazing.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_05: That's kind of that's kind of how we roll around here.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_05: We we make room for the people that are right for the company, even if we don't have a job for them exactly at the time.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_06: That is amazing.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_06: And that's how every company because that's what we do.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_06: But at the time, I was like, if I say no, someone else is jumping on that train and the train is leaving the station.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_06: So I better hurry up and pack up, pack up my teaching bags over here and and jump, jump ship.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: So we hear that all the time in the industry that like everyone's replaceable and it's all about timing and you know, all these things that we hear.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, yes, in many instances, it really that really does matter.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: But it sounds like if you've created the right connections and you like the people respect you in the right way.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: And like, yes, if the timing isn't right, then it sounds like in this situation, like you said, Christina Brie was gonna be there at some point in her lifetime, whether it was now or later, and that door was open, which is really awesome to hear that you would be able to honor that.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I love hearing this backstory of you both.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: What a partnership.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's just so great.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not surprised to hear how close you are and how much you respect one another and trust one another and your business practices because what you're providing at Elevation is just so unique in different ways that that some things that the industry hasn't tackled yet, or as well as just running a professionally run event that you've thought out so many details.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt that as someone who has come on site and worked at your event or as a faculty member.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm sure that your customers feel the same exact way and dancers or um see it too.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I would love to start off by learning a little bit more about some of those things I'm hinting at that make your competitions unique.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, every there are so many competitions in our industry, over 200 probably at this point in time in just the United States.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: The overall uh picture and experience is mostly the same.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we're gonna perform, we're gonna get some critiques, a score, we're gonna get ranked, we're gonna do it all over again with our next dance.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: And then go to the next competition the next weekend.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: So when you were launching in 2017 and 2018, what did you know you wanted to bring to your event to m to make it unique and fresh?
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_05: So I think uh the thing that really shaped or informed the way that we wanted to go about presenting ourselves to the studio side of the industry is probably was shaped a lot by my experience as a dance mom.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_05: I on the crowd pleaser side, we were so used to serving people in a way that was that that was extravagant.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_05: We we serve people extravagantly.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_05: I don't, I don't really know any other way to put it.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_05: And I didn't see that on the studio side.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_05: And you know, as a as a parent, of course, you don't have a lot of interaction with the people who are putting on the events.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but I but I did, I don't know, I'm just very observant, and I it's just it was just a feeling that it was just like it wasn't there.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_05: It wasn't, you know, they obviously, and you know, there's lots of great people doing great things in this industry.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_05: Totally.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_05: But I will say that we went to some events where I didn't see that.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_05: I I saw people who were just cranking kids onto a stage and it didn't feel very personal, and it didn't feel like there was a connection, a human connection that I knew that we could provide because we had such a long-standing history of serving well.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_05: And so that that is really the thing that rises to the top for me.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_05: The other thing that it I feel like should go without without saying is the organization of the event.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, that that just should be a given.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_05: You know, you're if if this is what you do, you're an event producer, and this is your expertise, then that those things should be boxes that are checked immediately and obviously.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_05: And that just also did not seem to be the case.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_05: We would go to competitions and they would run an hour behind or an hour ahead or two hours ahead.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm, you know, trying to get from point A to point B to get my kid on the stage, and the studio owner is saying, Your kid is on in four numbers.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm like, how is that even possible?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_05: Her call time was supposed to be, you know, two hours from now.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_05: And those kinds of things just made me feel like that not only were the studio kids and the directors not being served served well, but as a parent, I didn't feel like I was being served well.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_05: And so we just wanted to be able to bring that sense of service and caring about people and caring about their experience to a whole different level.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_05: And it's just it, it's it's really kind of it's second nature for us to be this way because we that's how the drill team world is here in Texas.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_05: But we have found that this is not second nature in the studio world.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_05: And people are absolutely baffled by the level of service that they get from us.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_05: It seems it seems like an obvious thing to do, but it's it's obviously not.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I will I will add really fast, just from my perspective on the judge's side of things and as a faculty member, that that also applies to me as well.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that says a lot about how you're choosing to run your event.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: There's many organizations that will kind of mainly focus on the customer experience only, and then the staff and the faculty and everybody behind the scenes aren't getting that same level of care and empathy and treatment and detail and organization, right?
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes I've been on many events where it's just kind of a free for all, like good luck, you know.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt like I was so taken care of, walked into your event exactly knowing what I'm supposed to do, where I need to be, or uh I had deep great meals, like you know, all of The treatment things that we're really pushing for at IDA in particular, but just in the industry standard in general, um, was so elevated at your event.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I just want to say, throw that in there that it, it, it's it's seen from all sides.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that means that you're you really have noticed that on the dance mom side.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: And even if that's how you treat everybody on the staff and faculty and for your other drill drill team event, I love that you're bringing that also to the studio dance world.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_05: Well, well, people are our passion, is our very first core value.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_05: And we say all the time, even to our staff, that that doesn't just mean that we're here for the kids or here for the studio owners, that we're here for to serve everyone that is that we are blessed to have in our circle, you know, and that impacts the event.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_05: And it really, yeah, I'm glad that you brought up the thing about the judges being treated well because that's a really big thing.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_05: If you're gonna come into our world and we're gonna ask you to sit there for 16 hours and judge, you know, hundreds of children, we feel like we're gonna get a better product out of you and a higher quality critique if you're well taken care of.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_05: And so it just the the tentacles of our passion for serving people are just they're never-ending, I feel.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_06: I think another thing is just, you know, the inclusivity that we want people to experience because at competitions and conventions, it can feel so one-sided.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_06: You know, you have to be the most talented dancer in the space to feel like anybody cares that you're there.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_06: And or you have to be the parent that, you know, has your dancer in seven numbers in order for anyone to care.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_06: Or you have to be the studio that's bringing 120 entries for anybody to care.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_06: And we just want to be the complete opposite of that because every single dancer and every single studio and every single parent matters, whether you're bringing three entries or, you know, 75.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_06: And I think that our customers and the people that attend our events do feel that just because we're trying to make sure that everyone feels seen and appreciated for what they're bringing, even if it is, you know, just a few entries because they're just getting into the competitive dance space.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, there's a lot of studios that we serve that aren't really sure that they want to stay in the competitive dance side, or they're not really sure if they want to keep going to convention because they're having a hard time seeing the value in it.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_06: And I think that that's so unfortunate because we know we know the value that comes with convention, and obviously you do with being, you know, such a prominent convention teacher.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_06: But it's really hard for them to hold on to the reasons why they're spending their weekends doing it and honestly, the really expensive price tags.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_06: So we feel like it's important to represent the positive sides of the industry and let people really see what value their dancers and studios are getting out of their hard-earned money.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_05: And also that there's value there for every dancer, not just the top 2% who are gonna who are gonna go on and be professionals, you know.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_06: That's that is really at the core of our passion for these kids is well, and I think again, just also doing this as dance parents and like, you know, former dancers ourselves.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_06: I I wasn't headed straight to Broadway.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_06: Number one, I would have been way too scared to put myself out there because I'm Safety Sally, but also probably wasn't gonna make it.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_06: And I think there's so many kids that just feel like, you know, they love being at the studio and they love doing these things.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_06: But to be honest, when they're 18, their dancing days are probably done.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_06: And I think, you know, again, I have young dancers now.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_06: I don't know where their careers will go, but there's a good chance that they're just gonna really love dance while they're in school and they're gonna learn a lot of life lessons and be really great at becoming an accountant.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_06: I don't know, something else, but they're gonna be incredibly polished and hireable because of all the things that dance has taught them.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_06: So I think that that should be the forefront is you know, not just the trophies and not just being number one, but what are the things that dance is really teaching you that's gonna make you a better human?
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: Totally agree.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about being a good human and learning life skills from dance.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that competition and convention is a part of that.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: And when you look and, you know, as an adult, reflecting back to my years as a competitive dancer who grew up in the studio dance world my entire life.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: I remember those really fun events.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: I remember uh one that comes to mind is Star Power because they would always throw the frisbees and it was just like iconic, you know, at the time.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: That was what we looked forward to.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: Or another competition would always have a montage video that had different dances pooled from that weekend and you would like cheer for your studio, like right at the top of the award ceremony.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, those little details I think that competitions have found that make them unique matters to the memories that you'll look back and reflect on so many years later into your adulthood.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I know that what you guys are providing, you want those kids to remember this that happened at elevation, and oh my gosh, you remember this teacher at elevation, and oh my my judge's critiques were so unique at elevation, like I'll never forget that was my favorite competition.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's what you're hoping for as a competition owner when you're serving these dancers.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: Or, like you said, whether they continue on with dance or whether they don't, and maybe one day they're gonna bring their dancer to your events down the road.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: So something I'd love to jump into that I think is super unique that I learned about when um you started working with us, but also experiencing it a little bit um on site when I judged is your four judge panel and how that makes how you have structured your critiques based on having four judges.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: So, why did you guys want to have four, number one, instead of the standard three?
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: And what do you do with our artistry and technique judges?
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: How does that work?
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: How does it impact their score?
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: What are their critiques look like?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_01: Tell the world a little bit more about that.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_05: So um, we have the two traditional judges, and that, you know, that looks very much like most competitions.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_05: However, I will I will say that we spend a lot of time and effort on on training our judges.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_05: One of the things that we really focus on is teaching them how to deliver a critique that has a lot of integrity.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_05: We're gonna tell the truth, but we're gonna do it in love, and we're gonna do it in a way that is compassionate and inspires the kids to continue to work on their craft and to and to try to, you know, help them in their dance journey rather than tear them down and just tell them all the things that you know were not, were not great.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_05: But those two traditional judges, they will, they will score off the whole score sheet and deliver a very comprehensive uh critique.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_05: Then we have our artistry judge who is more focused on the artistic elements of the score sheet and they have 50 points.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_05: Um, so it's just it's half of the points for that, for the to make up the 300 points.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_05: Um, so they're doing the 50 points, and then also their critique is very focused on the artistry components of the score sheet as well, which we feel like is really helpful because if you're a hundred-point judge and you've got to hit all of these different sections of the score sheet, you can't really go super in depth um in the critique.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_05: And it and it it gives you that opportunity to really dig in and really, I don't know, deliver.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_05: I I love the word robust, a really robust critique that is that brings a lot of value to the experience.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_05: And then the same on the technique and execution side of the score sheet.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_05: They have 50 points, and then that uh judge, of course, is uniquely qualified to deliver a really strong technical critique.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_05: So we feel like honestly, we're always looking for different ways to add value.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_05: That's just a that's a big priority to us.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_05: Like, you know, like we said before, we're we're both dance moms.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_05: We can't we just have a different vantage point knowing the amount of money that these people, and not just money, but the amount of time and energy and effort and all the all the sacrifices that are made for that kid to dance for two minutes.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_05: Right, you know, what what can we do to add value in every way, shape, and form?
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_05: Value before, value after, and value, you know, when they leave the event.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_05: So that's just another way that we do that.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_06: Well, and when we started, we were thinking, like, you know, what is gonna set us apart?
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_06: What is gonna be the thing that, you know, is a different experience.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_06: And just looking at starting from ground zero and deciding what does the score sheet look like and all of these different competition specifics, it was a great, it was an exciting thing to implement and to try because we didn't see it being done anywhere.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_06: And to this day, I don't know if we've found any other circuit that's doing it that way.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_06: But then when we started to really develop it and figure out exactly how is this gonna work, how are the points gonna come together, how are the score sheets gonna be different?
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_06: What critiques will look different or about them, then we realized how much studios were gonna appreciate it.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_06: And a lot of our customers do say that our critiques, not only because the judges are so fantastic and committed to delivering quality, but they really enjoy the fact that those critiques are focused on very specific things.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_06: And studios will comment that, especially if they have competitions back to back, that if they don't have time in rehearsal to listen to them all, they will pull those specialty judge critiques.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_06: And those will be the ones that they'll let have their dancers listen to just because they can get a really laser-focused feedback in a short amount of time.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_06: So I think that it's just something that has really pushed us forward in a way that we probably didn't realize at the time, back in, you know, 2017 and 2018 when we were planning, but we've really been able to cultivate something that I think is super valuable and honestly special to elevation.
• 31:59
  unknown: Yeah.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, when you shared that with me, I thought that was so cool.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think that it's so smart.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: I I also am shocked that no one else is doing it.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now I'll hear that now.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone's giving a listen to the podcast and know what the inner workings of elevation.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: But uh, I just it's it's awesome.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: I want to judge this side too.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Again, I'm you know, I I work with you all, but I have worked with you as well.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: Having a special critique and a score that is designated to those aspects of a routine is just so it's so nice.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like you can actually articulate your thought or and it's really thoroughly explain what you mean by this with when it comes to the artistic approach or uh what you mean by this technical correction.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna dissect it a little bit more and I'm gonna give you an analogy or a visual or imagery that's gonna help take you to the next level.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: Before in our regular critique, sometimes it's just like you can't really go on those tangents because you have missed five other things, and then people get mad that you missed five other things and they're like, oh, that judge just talked about the bot ma the whole time.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, tech as an educator, I could talk about that bot ma for a whole two minutes, but I also know I got to move forward.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it is nice to know that the balance is gonna be there.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, oh, you got technique?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna spend too much time on that.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna mention a few things, but let's go listen to the technique judge because they're gonna kind of analyze that even in deeper detail.
• 33:20
  unknown: Yeah.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_06: We have some judges that are very passionate about, we call them the seat, like you're sitting in the artistry seat or you're sitting in the technique seat for this weekend.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_06: And we have some that are super passionate, like, please, please, please don't move me out of artistry.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_06: I love it so much.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_06: So, and like you said, it's great even for the traditional seat because they they know that they can really focus on all of those subcategories and that someone is gonna dive in to the specific thing that they saw on either of those two specialty sides.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it was interesting in the beginning because you know, our judges have a lot of experience and they were so used to judging the whole score sheet.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_05: You know, we would have the artistry judge start start to veer off and talk about technique and would be like, no, no, no, you come back over here.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay, yeah.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_05: But now that they've done it and now that they, you know, have have kind of honed it a little more, they love getting to go that deep.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_05: And and they're the ones, like Brie said, the ones that sit in those seats are so passionate about their role.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_06: Well, and shout out to the judges that were with us those first few seasons because they really helped us.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_06: Like it was a collaborative effort in trying it out, making changes, getting feedback.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_06: So there was definitely some pioneers alongside of us those first few seasons that helped us refine the system.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_06: And we we really appreciate the fact that we could make it more of a group project to figure out because we can think that these ideas are great all day long, but we are not the ones that are sitting in those seats for 12 hours a day.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_06: And even now we we pull our judges and ask for feedback all the time because if there's things that they're seeing that we can implement to make the experience better, we definitely want to do that.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's so refreshing to hear.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would say for any listeners that think that that's a that's a standard and a norm, it's not.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've rarely ever been asked for feedback.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_01: I I personally have given feedback because a lot of people will ask me for some consulting and things, just knowing my experience level in the industry.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: But I feel like in general, for judges across the industry, it's very rare to be asked, like, how was your experience?
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_01: And what what would you like different for our scoring brackets?
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_01: Or did you think this critique look or uh this critique system worked for us?
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: And how can we tweak it to make it better?
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: Or I think there's always ways that we can improve and learn from one another, from each other's experiences.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_01: And especially when uh you guys are doing trying to create something that's so unique and different in different ways.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you are open to hearing that type of feedback from all sides.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: You're the parents, the teachers, the the workers as well.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_01: So that's really refreshing to hear that you implement that.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we talked about the four judges.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_01: We also have hinted at that you not just do you don't only do a competition, you also have a convention aspect to your event.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I'd love to learn a little bit more about that.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_01: Are you considered a convention competition?
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like many of us know in the industry, where the only type of events that you have now always have convention attached to it, where it's your standard morning you take classes, evening you perform, Friday is like a full day of competition.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: Or do you also have events that are strictly convention and strictly competition?
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_01: How's it looking in your schedule?
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: A new dance season is here, and that means competition is coming up quick.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: And we have a great way to help you prep your performance before hitting the stage with IDA's online judges critiques.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_01: One of our professional pre-screen judges will provide you with a video critique similar to what you receive at competition.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: But we also take our critiques one step further with our best-selling feature: post-critique additional feedback.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Your IDA judge will go back through your dance and pause the video to elaborate even more on specific corrections and personalized requests.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_01: And exciting news for choreographers: our popular choreography console critiques are back in action this season.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_01: Your specialty judge will focus on choreography specific feedback, covering everything from concept and costumes to transitions, style, and musicality.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: Enhance your creative vision and elevate your voice as a choreographer with guidance from a pro on technique, song choice, difficulty level, and so much more.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: Starting at just$35, IDA's online judges critiques are a great tool to utilize at any point in the dance season.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: And we are one of the only online critique services in the industry that offers genre-specific judges and a rush 24-hour delivery turnaround time.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_01: Are you ready to take your dance to the next level?
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: Click the link in our show notes or visit our website at Impact Dance Adjudicators.com slash online critique to submit your dance today.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_06: So we are actually a two seasons in one.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_06: Okay, so our season is kind of split up into two halves.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_06: So our fall and winter is focused on what you would say the traditional convention competition experience, where there is now for us, I will say the convention side, we feel like is the most important in that event because we think that education is such a cornerstone and the competition is an extra.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_06: It's a bonus for us at those events.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_06: Although we know that there's a lot of studios that really put a lot of emphasis on competing those weekends, but we do think that from a planning perspective, we want to die, we want to put as many resources and assets onto the convention side.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_06: Because for us, that's a way that we can impact dancers in just a deeper level.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_06: So we will run those convention comps from the fall through the winter.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_06: And then late winter into early spring, we transition into stage comp, where that is the more traditional stage competition weekend.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_06: Um, occasionally we'll have some masterclasses that happen at those events just based on venue, schedule, maybe what judges we have.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we do love to bring masterclasses into our regional stage competitions in new areas because it's a great way to introduce studios to an elevation experience and what it might be like if they were to come and dance with us in the fall and winter at a convention.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_06: And to be totally honest, in the beginning, the stage competition side was just gonna be our launch pad, right?
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_06: It was gonna be how we were gonna get into the industry, how we were going to, you know, create brand awareness and customer base.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_06: And our thoughts were that after running a stage competition in a location for a while, we would transition it into a convention.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_06: But our customers have just said, please, please, please don't take these stage competitions away.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_06: So we have that's what that's how we've arrived at this kind of like dual-sided season, because so many of our customers were saying, that that's great.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_06: We'd love to come and dance with you at a convention, but don't take our stage competition away.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_06: So at the moment, you know, we kind of run two halves of the season.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's great because, you know, and a lot of competitions do that.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then there are competitions that are strictly I'm I'm always a convention and the competitions and attachment to that.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_01: Convention first, comp second, where you started as a comp first and the convention has become a little added bonus.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_01: And now you've kind of figured out where both need to live within a dance season.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really great because can a convention comp and a studio stage comp is going to serve possibly different clients.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: So having access to two different versions of of your similar event of what you're doing at EOT, I think is really great where people can come and learn from your faculty in the fall and come back in April or May and hit the stage like full force or stage ready, maybe get a little bit of feedback on the solo, maybe a few groups if they're ready in the fall.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think that's really great how you have it set up currently and love that you've branched out into the convention space.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think that convention is obviously gaining a lot of popularity in the dance industry right now.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's and I I'm all about it, obviously, as a convention teacher and have taught taught on your events.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I just think the education aspect of dance is crucial.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason that we have so many conventions is so that more dancers can access different styles of dance, different types of movement, different types of education.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_01: So being able to bring that to your customers at different locations through EOT is a really great benefit to what you're bringing.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_06: It's been a really fun process to see that side evolve.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we actually just finished our fifth year on the convention side of offerings, and it's been, it's grown really organically.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_06: And I think we're really proud of that because um we've been able to keep that level of customer service and very personal experience.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_06: All of the same core values and all of the same things that we want people to walk away from at a stage comp.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_06: We want them to experience almost even more at a convention experience because we are getting to interact with them for two and a half days pretty much nonstop.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_06: So it's been a really fun process, and we're excited to see how the convention side grows for us.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_06: Awesome.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I attended your event in the fall as a faculty member and judge.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the perks that you did was so cool.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it was exclusive to just that event.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_01: So you can clarify for me, but it was something called the Battle at the Peak, where the dancers got to compete for cash prizes.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_01: And these weren't little cash prizes or credits to come back to a future event.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: It was real cash money, y'all.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to learn more about what Battle at the Peak is.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_01: How did we get how did y'all create this and want to implement this?
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_01: And which event can people participate in the battle at?
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_06: So Battle at the Peak, uh, we just did it for the second time, which you were with us here in Dallas in the fall.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_06: It is a unique, very exclusive, one time a season genre-based dance battle.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_06: Cool.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_06: So the thought process is that your studio is rallying around a specific style that you think really represents your studio's foundation.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_06: And for the format, really is a teen andor senior, small or large group.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_06: So obviously, it doesn't have like a widespread studio representation because it really is focused on that teen and up age level.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_06: But the goal is that with it being a almost a preseason event because it happened in the fall.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_06: That you're getting one dance, one group dance that you're ready to take to the battle.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_06: And basically it's a bracketed style setup to where we have groups like jazz, hip hop, tap, contemporary.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_06: And like for the bracket this past year, we had four different studios in each of those genres.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_06: And you make it through semifinals or you make it through prelims, and then two, it's almost like if you're familiar with the voice, like if they have those knockout rounds.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_06: So first you needed to make it through prelims, then you went to semifinals, all to lead up to what we called our winner circle.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_06: And that is a single genre or a single studio representing that one genre out of all of the ones in the bracket, if that makes sense.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_06: Cool.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_06: Um, and then once you made it to the winner circle, you were guaranteed to go home with cash.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_06: Uh we did give five$15,000 in cash prizes.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_06: So for example, our fifth place.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_06: Um, so our fifth place winner circle went home with a thousand and then it went up from there.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_06: So that way our top award was the$5,000 cash prize.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_06: Wow.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_06: And it was so much fun.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_06: Now I will say to all of our studio owners and competition directors out there, don't be afraid because I think that that was one of the hardest challenges that we had when we launched the idea.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_06: Is, you know, company directors and owners were like, wow, that sounds so fun, but you've got to be joking me that you're wanting me to go to a genre-based dance battle and pretty much put it all on the line in October.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_06: And we're like, guys, you can do it.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_06: You can do it.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_06: Because think about it, if you're taking one teen or senior, even a small group, and really trying to showcase your studio's foundation in that one genre, and you get into that rehearsal space and have a couple, you know, really quality rehearsals, you can do it.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_06: You can do it.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_06: And I will say there, it it took a little bit of pumping up and convincing to some studios to jump on board with it that first year.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_06: Um, but after they experienced it, I think it really not only was it such a fun experience and the way that everything is like like the live interaction that's happening on stage.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_06: And obviously for the people that were able to go home with cash, that was a great, memorable experience.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_06: Plus, they were able to take that cash back to the studio and maybe, you know, get a new set of mirrors or replace some Marley or even, you know, give the dancers that, you know, back in their studio accounts.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_06: But something that we thought was so great is that you have such a leg up when it goes when you're when you're headed into your competition season because that routine is stage ready in October.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_06: And imagine how it can grow and evolve between October, you know, to March.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_06: So I will say that while it sounds like an undertaking, I think that the work is truly worth it.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_06: And we really enjoyed providing that that really unique experience.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's I think one of the other cool things about it is is the fact that the studio is bringing this one dance.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_05: It's all older girls, which you know, the the younger kids in the studio always just worship those older girls.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_05: And it's just fun to see them rally around that group of kids.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_05: And I don't know, it's just it's a really unique energy and just a just an overall cool experience.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_05: We did this year decide to add a wild card winner because it's really just the four genres, but we always found that, like, oh, there were just two in that one genre that we really wish we could have put in the winner circle.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_05: So we added, we added a wild card this year, which was also very exciting because it was announced right before the final round.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_05: And of course, the team that had gotten in it just was so excited.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_05: And it was it's just a it's a really exciting meat energy to bring to October.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_05: You know, October is so like the season's just getting started.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_05: It's just getting started.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_05: And I and honestly, I think that that participating in that event and doing it the right way, getting the whole studio rallied around it could really set the could really set the tone for a really awesome, successful season for a studio if they if they play their cards right and and really go for it.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_05: Totally.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_05: We've seen some incredible talent on the battle stage.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it's I mean, you were there, you you saw there were some amazing pieces.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_05: So it's been really fun.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_05: It's it's it's elevated every year, and I'm just so excited to see what it's gonna be like this year.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_05: Awesome.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_06: Well, and you know, again, the first year when we were piloting it, it was basically like, you know, looking at studios that had competed with us and trying to kind of nominate, right?
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_06: Like, congratulations, you've been nominated for to come to Battle at the Peak.
• 48:49
  unknown: Ah.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_06: That's how we started it the very first year.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_06: Then in heading into year two, it was something that could be earned by being our summit studio winner at our regionals.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_06: So if you ended up as our summit studio winner, which is kind of like our overarching, you know, encompassing the whole weekend award at Stage Comp, then you claimed a seat.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_06: But then we had genre selection day.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_06: So we would, you would claim your spot, you know, regionals starting in February.
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_06: So we were, you know, all of those seats were being kind of offered or earned throughout the season.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_06: And then we set a date in May and it was genre selection day.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_06: It went live, first come, first serve.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_06: Like you got to get in there and grab your, grab your genre of your choice.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_06: Because the very first year we were kind of nominating them for a genre based on watching them.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_06: And then we decided, okay, that worked, but it would probably be better if we just said your studio has claimed a spot in the battle, but then you get to pick the genre that works for you.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_06: Because obviously, you know, the talent and the goals of the studio will change.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_06: And we feel like that that was a good addition and a good improvement.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we're planning on doing the same kind of qualifier at our regionals again this year, where if you are a summit studio winner, you'll claim a seat.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_06: But we will be able to offer some spots or have some studios that come to us and say that they would love to be a part of it.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, it was great because while this event did happen in Dallas and we did have, you know, a lot of Texas representation, we did have a studio from Oklahoma and a studio of New Mexico from New Mexico that were there.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_06: And we would love to, you know, come on down, friends from other states.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_06: We'd love for you to come battle at the peak with us.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think ultimately we would love it if we had representation from kind of all over the country and you come and represent your your city.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_01: So unique.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_01: You guys are really good, again, creating some some new innovative ideas to make your events special.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I love that about it.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's not it, it is, it is exactly what you think it is.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_01: It is a dance convention, it is a dance competition, but there's these extra little perks that make it special that uh I find really, really fun and innovative.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_01: So thanks for sharing about that.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_01: I loved being a part of it.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_01: It was again, it was my first time ever kind of seeing something like that happen at an event.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_01: So it was really fun to be a part of.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, all right.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_05: We always try to have a special guest judge, and it was so fun to have you in that scene.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yay! It was great.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_01: And being with the whole faculty too.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_01: We all got to watch it together.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that experience.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_01: Nationals.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_01: Do we have them?
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_01: How many do we have?
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_01: How long have you been doing it?
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_01: Where is it taking place?
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_01: And how is nationals different than your regional experience?
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_05: So um currently we have one nationals.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_05: We started it how many years ago?
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_05: Is this year four?
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_05: It's year four.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_05: Year four.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_05: We do it at Kalahari out right outside of Austin.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it's a really amazing property.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_05: It's a great place to have a nationals.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_05: A few things that make it unique.
• 51:51
  SPEAKER_05: We are really committed to it not being longer than five days.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_05: Great.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_05: Which is which is good and bad, but but having experienced nationals as as parents, I I find that to be refreshing.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_05: I think, you know, we would we would rather leave them wanting more than than leave them feeling like, oh my gosh, I've been here for a month.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right, right.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_05: So um, you know, so consequently, we we normally will sell out as as most nationals tend to do these days.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_05: But we're just really committed to the experience being exceptional for everyone, and not the least of which would be the parents.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_05: So that is in June.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_05: We are actually adding another Nationals, but not until 2028.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_05: And it is going to be at the brand new Kalahari in Virginia.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_05: Ooh.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_05: Very exciting.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_05: In Fredericksburg, especially right outside of the Fredericksburg area.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_01: Near Bosch.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_06: In DC.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_06: We're we're just excited to have an East Coast Nationals now that you know our tour has been traveling up the East Coast.
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_06: We have such a fun anchor in Texas, which is great.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_06: Um, and so knowing that, you know, we're gonna get that same great experience at another amazing property that is just such a perfect fit for a dance event, um, just because of how the dancers are having a great time.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_06: But then little brother and older sister and other people that aren't dancers can have such a great time there at the Kalahari.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we do, we do try to make sure that Nationals is a culminating event.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_06: And that's something that we've noticed that when you look around at all the different nationals options studios have to choose from, sometimes it just feels like a mega-sized regionals.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're right.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_06: And we've heard that directly from studios.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_06: And to be honest, when we were piloting our very first, we call it finals.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_06: It's our national finals.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_06: We were piloting it, we spent a lot of time asking studio owners and directors, what do you like about it?
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_06: What do you not like about it?
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_06: What would you change?
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_06: And so many of them were like, man, it just feels like a super sized regionals and it's not very fun.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_06: It just feels like what we do all season long, but just twice as long and with three times as many studios.
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_06: So we spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of experiences we can add to that event that make it feel elevated and like, you know, you've reached the end of your season and it's super celebratory.
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we do a summit celebration, which is this big party, which is kind of wild with, you know, 1,200 kids running around, but it's super fun.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_06: We do offer a day of convention class.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_06: The reason why it is only a day for us is because we do feel like it's an extension of the stage comp experience, not an extension of our convention circuit, because the convention circuit happened, you know, so much earlier in the season.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_06: But the convention classes are such a fun added bonus.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_06: So we do have an entire day devoted to convention class.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_06: And then at the very end, we have what we call grand finale.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_06: And that is something that you qualify to be a part of based on your performances and scores and things in, you know, the regular preliminary portion of the competition.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_06: Um, we're very excited to try to actually have two different almost levels of our grand finale.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_06: Um, now that we've grown, one thing that is important to us is that if you're there on that final day for that grand finale, that you're not sitting through a show that is eight hours long.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_06: Because we actually want it to feel like a show, like something that people would want to sit through.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_06: So we're really mindful of like the flow of that, how many people can qualify, what are things that we're doing throughout that grand finale that still make it make it exciting and fun.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_06: And so because of how our events have grown, we really feel like we need to have a grand finale that's focused more on showcasing our novice to intermediate studios and groups.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_06: And then we have a grand finale that's focused on our select, which for us is our most advanced level.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_06: And so we feel by having those separated out as almost two different, you know, events within the event that we can make both of the sides of the attendees feel really recognized and special.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_06: That's true versus if it's all together as one, we just run the risk number one of it becoming too long and not fun, or just feeling like, you know, different levels of studio aren't getting the same amount of recognition and celebration.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's totally fair.
• 56:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think that makes all the sense.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the questions I was gonna eventually ask was if your competition had levels.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad that you answered that for me of right here, right now.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_01: So uh that's really great.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a really smart idea to have it separated and uh everyone can be recognized where they belong and keeping it moving fast-paced and uh organized like you always are.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_01: So that sounds like a really great national experience.
• 56:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm really excited that you could already share that with us that you're gonna be branching up to the Northeast and having an East Coast nationals, especially for listeners who are really interested in maybe attending an event and because you guys are trickling up there a little bit this season, or if you weren't able to get on for an event in the East Coast for 2026, or now you know okay, we're coming back in 2027 and in 2028, or there's gonna be a nationals for you.
• 57:17
  SPEAKER_01: So that's really exciting.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that there are so many competitions out there, and so it's hard to select which ones that you want to spend your weekends at and uh devote your time and energy.
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_01: But there's so many times I hear from different studio owners that learn about new competitions like yours or that say, Oh, well, you don't come to me.
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_01: I wish that you guys came closer, or you know, I I don't live in Texas, like I would, but I would love to experience U of T.
• 57:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it's uh really exciting to know that you are trickling up north a little bit.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_01: So which cities are you heading to up in the northeast region this this upcoming season?
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_06: So some of our newest cities are in New Jersey, which we're super excited to be there.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_06: We'll be in East Brunswick and in Siclerville.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_06: And where is that?
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_06: Sicklerville is I want to say it's a little bit south, like the South Philly.
• 58:09
  SPEAKER_06: I'm sorry, South Jersey, North Ellie.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_06: I think yes, it is headed that direction.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_06: Cool.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_06: And then we we did add a new Augusta, Georgia, um, which Georgia was new for us this year.
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_06: Listing all the cities because I'm just making sure we got them all.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_06: But in 2027, we have aspirations to go to Boise, Idaho.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_06: As well as we're tossing around two different cities in Ohio, but we're excited to go to Ohio.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_06: We're really interested in Chicago.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_06: So we have some big plans.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_06: We we really want to continue growing in the east, up the east and northeast, but then also slowly trickling over to the west side.
• 58:52
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, the US.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_05: We have a lot of people on the west side that are begging us to come.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_05: But we also are very mindful about our growth being um manageable and reasonable.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_05: And so balancing that is a little is a little tough, but but we're gonna get there.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_06: It's been super fun to meet so many new studios at all of the continuing education events like Dance Teacher Web and Dance One Summit.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_06: We're excited to go to Energize this year.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_06: I think we're gonna go to the DEC, which is great.
• 59:26
  SPEAKER_06: We just got back from Studio Owners University.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_06: Studio Owner University.
• 59:29
  SPEAKER_06: And, you know, shout out to all of those event producers that do that because I think it's such a great experience for studio faculty and owners and directors.
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_06: But as, you know, event producers, it's an amazing way to meet customers.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_06: It's also an amazing way to connect with other people that do what we do.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_06: We've made some great relationships with other competitions and other conventions.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_06: And it's so nice to put, you know, a name, a face to a name.
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_06: And know that actually we can all kind of exist in the same space together.
• 1:00:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:00:02
  SPEAKER_06: And that there's some really great people that are just as passionate about what we're about.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's important, I think.
• 1:00:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like it we there are so many comps and conventions like we mentioned in this in this space.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_01: But I think everyone has something special to give to their customers and a different type of vibe or experience that makes their events unique.
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_01: And to be able, like you said, to put a face to a name, to be able to meet someone, shake their hand in person, get a feel for their vibe, their energy, or um it's not even always about the sales pitch.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's sometimes it's just about the connection within the community of getting to meet somebody else of oh wow, oh, I had no idea that you're the owner, or I didn't know that you worked for this competition.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_01: Because sometimes it's a mystery.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you never even know who the owners are, and you're like, who's running this event?
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_01: Wait, is it the director that owns it?
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's like it's like the wizard of Oz, you know?
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_06: It's like who's the Oz head?
• 1:00:58
  SPEAKER_06: Nobody knows.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_01: Wait, that's a great example because it absolutely is.
• 1:01:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I really love when uh competition owners are like on site or at events, and and let's be real, like you guys just admitted you're like, we want to expand, but we also know that we need to grow slowly.
• 1:01:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that is okay.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_01: I think that all being with you already for the past few years, you've expanded a lot in just three years that we've been working together.
• 1:01:25
  SPEAKER_01: So uh a lot of our customers will always say, please come to the city and you know, if you come here, we will be there.
• 1:01:31
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like but there's only so many weekends in a competition season.
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_01: And if that's the case, then now we're gonna be at what triple cities a weekend?
• 1:01:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like now we have to expand our staff.
• 1:01:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you can't be in every place at once, but you still want that personal touch.
• 1:01:46
  SPEAKER_01: Or also it's it's a lot to ask for us to be on the road every single weekend.
• 1:01:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's exhausting.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_01: You you both have said your dance moms or your kids also are competing at at events as well.
• 1:01:57
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to be there to support them, but you're running your business.
• 1:02:01
  SPEAKER_01: So many aspects come into being an event planner and running a dance competition.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I applaud you guys for making it happen and for also being like superstar dance parents, but also like epic business owners that are so organized and innovative at the same time.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's just it's a hard business, and you guys are killing it, truly.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 1:02:20
  SPEAKER_01: We appreciate that.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_05: We're killing it too, Courtney.
• 1:02:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always so grateful for y'all support and truly from like the start, it's just been so easy breezy to work with you.
• 1:02:32
  SPEAKER_01: And we've worked with so many different competitions through our time, and I love all the IDA affiliated competitions uh that we get to work with.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_01: But it's so refreshing to know that like right when we spoke, we were aligned on the same page or we had very similar views and values and of the industry.
• 1:02:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I really uh could sense that from you, which made me excited to work with you.
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_01: Those are the type of competitions that I want to connect with and or pass on to my judges or and I know that they'll be taken care of for and I know that you're gonna provide a really quality event because sometimes as the owner of IDA, I play a lot of damage control.
• 1:03:09
  SPEAKER_01: I have to have to as do you, you know.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_01: So you guys are also the damage controllers between studio and parents sometimes or for your events.
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I feel like that with elevation, I don't ever have to play any damage control.
• 1:03:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know that it's gonna be seamless, easy breezy.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_01: People are gonna come back raving with raving reviews about how much they can't wait to be back at your events.
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_01: And that's I I that's gotta feel so good to know that you're doing the right things for for your staff on all sides because I again I can vouch, I've experienced it myself.
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_01: So again, applauding you for everything you're doing on all sides of the industry.
• 1:03:45
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks.
• 1:03:45
  SPEAKER_06: Well, IDA definitely was something that helped us as as we were growing because we had, you know, cultivated a great judge roster, but we needed more.
• 1:03:53
  SPEAKER_06: And it was such it was we had such peace when we found IDA because we were like, now we know that we can staff more seats with really quality judges.
• 1:04:02
  SPEAKER_06: And we know that Courtney and all of her roster really believed the same things that we believe on how they can positively impact dancers through amazing critiques and, you know, just that attention to details.
• 1:04:15
  SPEAKER_06: So it was such a great, such a great backbone for us because we knew that like even though we were also recruiting amazing judges, we know that IDA can provide us more judges or oh my gosh, there's been times even last season where we needed you to help us fill some, fill some things in when we had people pull out of things last minute.
• 1:04:33
  SPEAKER_06: And that is something that we we couldn't do as well if we weren't partnered with IDA.
• 1:04:39
  SPEAKER_01: But you have so many other moving parts that you're navigating to run an event.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_01: The last thing you need to be worried about is, oh my gosh, somebody just backed out.
• 1:04:47
  SPEAKER_01: If you can pass that task off to somebody else to do it for you, then it just kind of takes a layer of stress off of the table when you're already trying to get the schedule out and make sure the venues aligned and what are the meals going to be and someone wants to change where their placement is in the schedule.
• 1:05:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I gotta change this.
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's so many moving parts.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know how y'all do it, truly.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm happy to offer this service to so many competitions like yourself or to relieve you a bit or to make you know that like you already know going in, okay, these are going to be qualified people.
• 1:05:16
  SPEAKER_01: They've been background checked, they've been screened, or they love to sit in this seat.
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_01: They want to be there.
• 1:05:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then once I get to know the competitions like you, I get to know your vibe and energy and what you're seeking in a judge.
• 1:05:27
  SPEAKER_01: So then I can cater and personalize who I'm sending to your events to that I know are going to align with your uh energy at the event as well.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_05: So I love working with y'all.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_05: That's one of the things that that I I feel like I've noticed is when your judges come in, I think because our core values are so similar to each other, they feel like family.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_05: They feel like they're they're part of the crew, you know?
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_05: And that it I think, you know, that it could be so different.
• 1:05:53
  SPEAKER_05: They they could come in and feel like an outsider.
• 1:05:55
  SPEAKER_05: And it's just I just feel like they walk in and everybody's very aligned.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_05: United and it just it's just a fit.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_01: Aw.
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_01: I love to hear that.
• 1:06:04
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I know that we talked about some of your competition locations that are expanding regionally all across the Midwest and even up into the East Coast.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_01: What about the convention aspect of your business as well?
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_01: I know that those dates typically happen in the fall, but in the upcoming seasons, are you expanding to any new locations for convention?
• 1:06:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so um we, you know, like we said, we started with everything in Texas and conventions, you know, we're just the same.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_05: The demand for us here is really strong.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_05: But we feel so passionate about taking what we do outside of Texas that we did launch a convention as the only one that is outside of Texas.
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_05: In Orlando, we've been doing this for three seasons now.
• 1:06:46
  SPEAKER_05: We'll do our third this next season, our third year in Orlando.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_05: Um, so I do want to let everyone know that if you're not in Texas and you're on the East and you're looking to be a part of what we're doing, a great place to do that is at our Orlando convention, which is in November.
• 1:07:03
  SPEAKER_06: Yes.
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_06: Our dates are November, November in November 2026.
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_06: And super exciting.
• 1:07:09
  SPEAKER_06: As we turn the corner into 2027, we are planning our a convention in Virginia at the brand new Kalahari.
• 1:07:18
  SPEAKER_06: That will actually happen at the beginning of February.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_06: So that will be the end, the true end of our you know, convention you know, portion of our season in February of 2027, that very first weekend.
• 1:07:31
  SPEAKER_06: So we're really excited to have you know some a convention experience on the East.
• 1:07:36
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 1:07:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's gonna be really exciting.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm never mad when conventions and competitions start trickling their way up to the East Coast because that's where I live.
• 1:07:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I can always tell so many of my studio connections about what a great event to go attend, to try it out, to get a feel for it, especially now knowing that if they love that convention, that they can also experience in nationals on the East Coast too, coming soon.
• 1:07:59
  SPEAKER_01: So love to hear that.
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yay! Well, y'all, I think this was such a great chat, and I've loved learning so much more about you both individually, as well as the evolution of elevation on tour.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's really come a long way since its start and you've grown so much.
• 1:08:17
  SPEAKER_01: You have such a great following of uh tried and true customers that are attending your events.
• 1:08:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I love, absolutely love what you're doing for your conventions.
• 1:08:25
  SPEAKER_01: I love some of the unique uh things that you're adding to your judging panels and your critiques and your scoring brackets, and it's just an awesome event.
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so honored to be a part of it as well as having IDA be affiliated with you.
• 1:08:37
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for sharing and sitting down and and chatting with us today.
• 1:08:41
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, it's been a great time.
• 1:08:43
  SPEAKER_06: It was super fun.
• 1:08:44
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks, Courtney.
• 1:08:45
  SPEAKER_01: You're so welcome.
• 1:08:46
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's not over just yet because I know you listen to the pod.
• 1:08:49
  SPEAKER_01: And we always have our guests lead us out with one final thought.
• 1:08:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, whatever else you want to share with the world that you didn't get to share, if you want to just give some uh if you want to give any advice or recommendations for maybe parents or teachers or studios who are first timers attending your events, what to look out for.
• 1:09:06
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to talk to the dancers out there and wish them some luck as they are heading on stage the season at your event, anything final you want to leave us with from the owners of Elevation Entour IDA affiliated competition.
• 1:09:18
  SPEAKER_05: I just want to say, as after my 20-year dance mom journey to all the dance moms out there and the people that really are making all the sacrifices that support this entire industry, let's let's be real, that it is okay to expect more and better from every single event that you attend.
• 1:09:41
  SPEAKER_05: And it is okay to share your thoughts about that or to you maybe reach out to the comp company and let them know how they can serve you better.
• 1:09:50
  SPEAKER_05: Because at the core of everything that we do are the people that are making it happen for these kids, and that is y'all.
• 1:09:56
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I will uh piggyback on that and just you know, shout out to all of the studio owners and directors and teachers and choreographers.
• 1:10:05
  SPEAKER_06: It is not lost on us, on how tirelessly you work and how sometimes it's a really, really hard job.
• 1:10:13
  SPEAKER_06: But the kids are worth it, and the impact that you're making is truly something that is gonna launch, you know, these dancers into their next phase of life, even if it's not with dance.
• 1:10:24
  SPEAKER_06: And so just, you know, remember that what you do every day inside those studio walls is really, really important and impactful, and it's not about the trophies.
• 1:10:34
  SPEAKER_01: We hope you enjoyed our latest competition spotlight episode featuring IDA affiliated competition, Elevation on Tour.
• 1:10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Stay connected with them on Instagram at Elevation On Tour.
• 1:10:46
  SPEAKER_01: And learn more and register for an upcoming event in their 2026 or 2027 season at Elevationon Tour.com.
• 1:10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to follow Making the Impact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and pretty much everywhere you listen to podcasts.
• 1:11:02
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want more exclusive episodes, support our podcast by joining our Platinum Premium membership for only$5 a month.
• 1:11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribers receive free Making the Impact stickers, shout-outs live on the air, ad-free listening, and exclusive access to our QA episodes for members only.
• 1:11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Join now at Impact Dance Adjudicators.com slash Platinum Premium or click the link in our show notes.
• 1:11:24
  SPEAKER_02: Be sure to check out IDA affiliated competition Elevation on Tour.
• 1:11:30
  SPEAKER_02: Elevation on Tour is redefining the dance competition and convention experience.
• 1:11:35
  SPEAKER_02: Driven by a commitment to service, integrity, and innovation, Elevation on Tour is constantly evolving to ensure the best for your studio.
• 1:11:44
  SPEAKER_02: Their passion for serving the dance community has challenged them to think outside the box to create a space where dancers of all levels will grow in their artistry and character.
• 1:11:54
  SPEAKER_02: Engage, embrace, and elevate your dance experience at Elevation Dance Convention.
• 1:12:00
  SPEAKER_01: The convention atmosphere is carefully crafted to promote inclusivity, personal growth, and character development.
• 1:12:06
  SPEAKER_02: With their inspiring faculty, Elevation on Tour empowers dancers to return to the studio with a newfound energy and love of dance.
• 1:12:14
  SPEAKER_02: Elevation on Tour Competitions offers three performance levels, stunning awards, and a distinguished four-judge adjudication panel, including two specialty critiques for choreography and technique.
• 1:12:25
  SPEAKER_02: Don't miss out on the teacher hospitality suite and dedicated warm-up area at every location.
• 1:12:31
  SPEAKER_02: For more information about Elevation on Tour, visit their website at ElevationonTour.com and find them on Instagram at ElevationOnTour.
• 1:12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Next up on Making the Impact, tune in for an episode about the transition from studio dance to dance team, a throwback episode with more info on college dance teams, and a day in the life of competition and convention staff.
• 1:12:52
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see you next week for another great episode on Making the Impact.