Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / What It Takes To Become a Dance Convention Assistant

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What It Takes To Become a Dance Convention Assistant · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_01: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_01: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_01: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:26
SPEAKER_01: One of the most coveted opportunities in the dance competition and convention world is being a convention assistant.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: Assistants work directly with faculty on convention weekends, making industry connections and helping train young dancers.
0:38
SPEAKER_01: Today on Making the Impact, we're hearing from studio owners as well as a professional convention assistant about what it takes to land this opportunity.
0:47
SPEAKER_03: Hey everyone, welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
0:51
SPEAKER_03: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I'm here with my co-host, Leslie Mueller.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: Hello, friends.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: Hi, Courtney.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to be here for this episode today.
0:59
SPEAKER_01: This is something that people have been asking for.
1:02
SPEAKER_01: They have.
1:03
SPEAKER_03: It's a big episode and it's a big deal in our dance world.
1:06
SPEAKER_03: And we're talking about dance convention assistants.
1:10
SPEAKER_03: And we have some wonderful brand new guests who are joining us over here on Making the Impact Podcast to chat all about this topic.
1:17
SPEAKER_03: And Leslie, things are moving quick in our uh fall.
1:21
SPEAKER_03: Competition season and convention season are starting, and countdown to the wedding is here.
1:27
SPEAKER_01: How are we here already?
1:28
SPEAKER_01: As of this air date, we are 23 days away from the wedding.
1:34
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait.
1:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, crazy.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, it feels like the fall has just flown by, everything has flown by, and now it's, I mean, people are about to go to conventions and be assistants in any minute now.
1:45
SPEAKER_01: So I think this is a perfect time for this chat, this chat.
1:48
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to hear from our guests.
1:50
SPEAKER_03: Yes, me too.
1:52
SPEAKER_03: So before we jump into this episode, let's hear from our sponsors.
1:57
SPEAKER_03: Calling all dancers ages 15 to 18 or in grades 10 through 12.
2:02
SPEAKER_03: You have just one month left to apply to Young Arts.
2:05
SPEAKER_03: Young Arts is the only US organization that supports young artists across multiple disciplines, including dance.
2:12
SPEAKER_03: Winners can earn cash prizes, mentorship from industry leaders, and even an all-expense paid trip to Miami for Young Arts Week.
2:20
SPEAKER_03: As a young arts winner, I can tell you that this program truly changed my life and helped launch my dance career.
2:26
SPEAKER_03: Don't miss your chance.
2:27
SPEAKER_03: The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October 8th, 2025.
2:31
SPEAKER_03: Enter now at youngarts.org slash apply or click the link in our show notes to learn more.
2:39
SPEAKER_03: Dance World, we're back over here at Making the Impact.
2:42
SPEAKER_03: And boy, do we have a great episode in store for you today because we're talking all about convention assistance and we're talking about dance conventions in particular.
2:52
SPEAKER_03: Now, so many of you in the dance world probably attend a dance convention.
2:57
SPEAKER_03: They are the thing to do right now in the industry.
3:00
SPEAKER_03: And there are a lot of different companies that have popped up throughout the years.
3:04
SPEAKER_03: I remember growing up, we were just a competition studio, the studio that I grew up at.
3:08
SPEAKER_03: We would maybe go to one or two dance conventions just to get the class experience.
3:14
SPEAKER_03: But now there's actual studios that only strictly attend dance conventions with the competition attached, and they are seeking those style events out.
3:23
SPEAKER_03: But with that comes a lot of opportunities.
3:26
SPEAKER_03: And one of those opportunities may be becoming an assistant for the actual dance convention, which is really cool and exciting.
3:33
SPEAKER_03: But I'm sure a lot of people are wondering what does that even mean?
3:37
SPEAKER_03: How do I become an assistant?
3:38
SPEAKER_03: What is in store for me if I do?
3:40
SPEAKER_03: What does the commitment schedule look like?
3:42
SPEAKER_03: And how do I juggle being an assistant on the weekends with going to school during the week because you're a kid and going to your home studio in the nighttime?
3:52
SPEAKER_03: That sounds like a full-time job for a kid, but we're gonna talk all about that today and learn the ins and outs of being a dance convention assistant.
4:00
SPEAKER_03: We have three new guests joining us on the podcast today.
4:04
SPEAKER_03: And the first two guests that I'm excited to welcome are coming to us from Texas.
4:09
SPEAKER_03: They are both studio owners, and I've had the pleasure of judging and teaching their dancers at dance conventions.
4:16
SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited to welcome Megan Friedman and Brandy George to the podcast.
4:21
SPEAKER_03: Welcome, y'all.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: Hi, thanks for having us.
4:25
SPEAKER_03: Yay! I'm so glad that you both could be here to represent your studio and feel free to tell the world your studio, give a little shout out.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh, we're the pack in Spring, Texas.
4:36
SPEAKER_03: Wonderful.
4:37
SPEAKER_03: Love it.
4:38
SPEAKER_03: Well, if you wouldn't mind telling us, oh, and uh, and based on my notes, y'all have been teaching for over 15 years, but then this is your 10th season in studio ownership.
4:51
SPEAKER_03: That's correct.
4:51
SPEAKER_02: We are going on our 10th season.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: It's exciting, it's hard to believe.
4:54
SPEAKER_02: But yes, wonderful.
4:57
SPEAKER_03: Well, um, if you wouldn't mind both, give me a quick little rundown on who you are, where you grew up, your dance training, why you got into studio ownership.
5:06
SPEAKER_03: And yeah.
5:07
unknown: Okay.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'll go first.
5:08
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: So I started dancing when I was three in Louisiana.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: And when I moved to Texas, I joined a competitive studio.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: That was my first like experience with competing.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: I thought it was really fun.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: I loved it.
5:20
SPEAKER_00: We did some conventions here and there too.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: I started teaching when I was 17, and I quickly fell in love with teaching like the younger dancers and the creative movement and early childhood dance aspect of the studio.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: I just I think it's so special.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: And seeing the kids that start with me when they're like two or three progress through our program and like go on to become incredible dancers and humans and go on to do great things.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: Is that's so cool and so special.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: About 10 years ago, Brandy and I started talking and our visions aligned, and our goals for the dancers that we knew and wanted to provide for were the same.
6:01
SPEAKER_00: And we wanted to have a studio that was like training-based and provided like an advanced opportunity for kids that wanted more, uh, while also meeting the needs of like the recreational dancers in the community.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: So our business is kind of finding the balance there with our studio and having being able to serve both needs.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm also married to my husband Kyle, and we have two little boys that keep us busy.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:27
unknown: Yeah.
6:28
SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
6:29
SPEAKER_03: And next up, Brandy.
6:31
SPEAKER_02: I am Brandy George.
6:33
SPEAKER_02: Um, I started dancing at the age of five in Beaumont, Texas, under Pam Schalander.
6:38
SPEAKER_02: I moved to Houston area around the age of 10, and I started dancing under Stephen Boyd and Kim Kelly at Houston Dance Center.
6:47
SPEAKER_02: And then towards the end of my high school days, I was dancing at American Academy of Dance under Cece White.
6:53
SPEAKER_02: I trained in all genres, but my favorite was tap.
6:57
SPEAKER_02: So I was a young arts winner my senior year.
7:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
7:01
SPEAKER_02: Me too.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: That was a really really awesome.
7:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: So that was a really cool experience going to Miami and doing all that.
7:07
SPEAKER_02: So and then I went to Texas Christian University.
7:10
SPEAKER_02: I was a TCU show girl there, which is their dance team.
7:13
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then my at the end of my sophomore year, I auditioned and became a Dallas Couple cheerleader.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: And I did that first season.
7:20
SPEAKER_02: Hey.
7:21
SPEAKER_02: Um and I traveled uh on the USO tours and did all that.
7:24
SPEAKER_02: And then I graduated from TCU with a degree in psychology, speech communications.
7:29
SPEAKER_02: But I decided that I wanted to get married to my husband, who was a professional athlete at the time, a baseball player.
7:35
SPEAKER_02: So I kind of got away from dance for a long time.
7:37
SPEAKER_02: I had three kids, and after Sadie, my daughter, was born, I felt like something was missing, and that something was dance.
7:45
SPEAKER_02: So I started teaching again and I realized, okay, this is my jam.
7:49
SPEAKER_02: This is this is what was missing in my life.
7:51
SPEAKER_02: And so I was teaching and teaching, and then, like I said, we met.
7:55
SPEAKER_02: We had very similar philosophies about writing a studio, what was important to us, like the values of integrity, versatility, all of those things.
8:02
SPEAKER_02: And so it was a great fit.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: So we opened the pack and the rest is history.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: We're we have an amazing studio, uh, close to 700 students, and we love it.
8:11
SPEAKER_02: So it's great.
8:13
SPEAKER_02: 700 students.
8:14
SPEAKER_02: Yes, that was what we talked out at last season.
8:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, wow.
8:17
SPEAKER_03: That is crazy.
8:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's great.
8:19
SPEAKER_02: We love it.
8:20
SPEAKER_03: And correct me if I'm wrong, that I'm pretty certain that y'all have won the Making the Impact Award previously.
8:26
SPEAKER_02: We have, yes.
8:27
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: We um my daughter and her duet partner, Avery, um, had a tap duet and they they were they won that award.
8:35
SPEAKER_02: So that was really cool.
8:36
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, very good.
8:37
SPEAKER_03: Remember giving it out.
8:39
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
8:41
SPEAKER_03: That's so awesome.
8:42
SPEAKER_03: Well, congrats on the success of the studio, and we're really thrilled to have you both here.
8:48
SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
8:48
SPEAKER_03: Thanks.
8:49
SPEAKER_03: All right.
8:49
SPEAKER_03: Next up is a new special guest, and Marilyn is in the house.
8:54
SPEAKER_03: Represent Marilyn's dance scene.
8:57
SPEAKER_03: Um, she is a professional dancer of coming to us from New York City now.
9:03
SPEAKER_03: And she is going to be bringing the convention assistant perspective to this chat.
9:09
SPEAKER_03: I'm very excited to welcome Kaya Rush to the pod.
9:12
SPEAKER_03: Welcome, Kaya.
9:13
SPEAKER_03: Thank you for having me, Courtney.
9:14
SPEAKER_03: I'm really excited.
9:16
SPEAKER_06: Love this topic of conversation.
9:18
SPEAKER_03: Yay, I know.
9:20
SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm excited to hear all about it because I've never been a convention assistant.
9:24
SPEAKER_03: So I have no idea.
9:25
SPEAKER_03: I work with them, but I don't know what it's like to be one.
9:28
SPEAKER_03: So you're gonna share that with the world today here on the pod.
9:32
SPEAKER_03: Well, Kaya, please feel free to share a little bit more about you.
9:35
SPEAKER_06: Yes, so same similar story.
9:37
SPEAKER_06: I started dancing when I was five in Maryland.
9:40
SPEAKER_06: I was at a rec studio until about 10 years old, moved to Spotlight Studio of Dance in Millersville, Maryland, um, from 10 to I want to say 16, stop dance, stop competition dance.
9:53
SPEAKER_06: I didn't stop conventions, I stopped competing with the studio for about a year, went to the ballet conservatory.
9:59
SPEAKER_06: I knew that I wanted to go to college for dance and pursue a degree in dance.
10:04
SPEAKER_06: And I knew through that audition process, I would need to be stronger in my ballet technique.
10:09
SPEAKER_06: So I focused on that for about a year.
10:11
SPEAKER_06: Um, missed, I missed the fun aspects of like being a high school kid in competition.
10:16
SPEAKER_06: So I went back to a studio owned by Mindy Snyder called the Dance Collective, which is also Millersville, Maryland.
10:24
SPEAKER_06: Um, graduated from there, went to Pace University.
10:28
SPEAKER_06: I graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Commercial Dance with a concentration in choreography.
10:38
SPEAKER_06: And um, yeah, started assisting a convention my sophomore year of college and have been doing that since.
10:46
SPEAKER_06: Um, worked professionally a few times throughout the years, um, and still doing the same thing in New York.
10:53
SPEAKER_03: You're hitting the New York City dance grind, is I'm sure it's audition season right now.
10:57
SPEAKER_03: So you're hitting the ground running.
10:59
SPEAKER_03: Awesome, Kaya.
11:00
SPEAKER_03: Well, we're we're very happy to have you here on the podcast.
11:03
SPEAKER_03: Thanks for joining us.
11:04
SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
11:05
SPEAKER_03: All right, let's jump into this chat about dance conventions.
11:08
SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks again, guys, for being here.
11:10
SPEAKER_01: We're excited to hear about everybody's experience from the various perspectives.
11:14
SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to start with Brandy and Megan and understand a little bit about do you encourage your students to pursue these opportunities and um or how do they how do they come about for your students and what is your philosophy on allowing them to pursue these opportunities?
11:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'll take that.
11:32
SPEAKER_02: Um, so we we the way our company is set up, we do have an older group of kiddos who are our pre-professional company.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: And so they attend a lot of conventions, they attend optional conventions, uh, aside from the ones that are required.
11:46
SPEAKER_02: All of our rehearsals and training hours are Monday through Thursday.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: So, um, and that is very purposeful because we want to give our kiddos an opportunity to go and train uh at conventions and have the opportunity to assist if that's something that is a goal of theirs.
12:03
SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, I mean, I think that that's kind of how we set up our program so that it's, you know, achievable for our kiddos.
12:10
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
12:11
SPEAKER_03: Cool.
12:12
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I mean, I know a lot of studios, mine growing up included, we had rehearsals on Saturdays, and that was a mandatory rehearsal day.
12:20
SPEAKER_03: Like if you were on the competition team, you had to be available for a ballet class in the morning that led into however long rehearsals were based on the amount of dances that you were in.
12:29
SPEAKER_03: So I do feel that a lot of studios, and especially newer studios, you know, you guys have been in business for 10 years.
12:35
SPEAKER_03: Like I'm talking back in 1997 when I was at my dance studio, like it's a different world now, and dance conventions are prioritized by a lot of studios, and these opportunities are also prioritized by the studio.
12:48
SPEAKER_03: So I think studios are modifying schedules to accommodate these uh potential chances for dancers to go off and tour with conventions and things like that.
12:58
SPEAKER_03: So I think it's kind of different than uh when I was growing up.
13:02
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: I mean, we would spend all day Saturdays at the studio rehearsing.
13:06
SPEAKER_02: But and it's difficult to squeeze everything that we want to do in those four days for those upper level dancers because they train in all genres and they have a lot of dance solos and all of that.
13:15
SPEAKER_02: But we do we do make it a priority so that they have those opportunities uh to grow and you know experience things like that.
13:22
SPEAKER_03: So was that similar for you, Kaya?
13:25
SPEAKER_03: When you were growing up, did you all have rehearsals on the weekends?
13:28
SPEAKER_03: Would you have been able to be an assistant uh in your competition days?
13:33
SPEAKER_06: When I was younger, so maybe like the mini-age category, we did have rehearsals on Saturday.
13:39
SPEAKER_06: I don't think that conventions were so prioritized when I was younger, not until maybe I hit like the middle, like upper middle school, early high school ages is when I think the convention world started to burst a little bit.
13:52
SPEAKER_06: And where um I don't know, something tangible seems like it was there that my studio directors could recognize as well and wanted us to also be amongst like so many other people from different areas in front of like new faces in the dance industry.
14:07
SPEAKER_06: Um, so yeah, I don't, I don't know, like I feel like I grew up through the bursting of the convention circuit.
14:15
SPEAKER_06: So yeah.
14:16
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
14:17
SPEAKER_03: I'm curious to know like what does it take to become a convention assistant?
14:22
SPEAKER_03: I think that a lot of different organizations have different expectations to that.
14:27
SPEAKER_03: And I know that Kaya, you said that you are an assistant since you've been in college, which to me almost feels like more of a professional assistant, possibly.
14:37
SPEAKER_03: But there's obviously can uh convention assistant opportunities for dancers as young as 12 and 13 years old.
14:46
SPEAKER_03: And do you do we all feel that, or from your experiences um attending different conventions, what is that process like?
14:53
SPEAKER_03: How do people can anybody apply or audition?
14:58
SPEAKER_03: Uh is it hand selected?
15:00
SPEAKER_03: How does it work?
15:01
SPEAKER_06: With the convention I specifically work for, I we don't have any younger assistants unless there are like national winners.
15:10
SPEAKER_06: So every professional assistant is like post-high school.
15:14
SPEAKER_06: I do think there can be learning opportunities for, you know, within the other conventions for them to have the younger assistants just because like it's such a great learning opportunity from a young age to have that professionalism in front of a large room of people.
15:27
SPEAKER_06: I do think that can be really helpful.
15:29
SPEAKER_06: I just haven't I haven't experienced that firsthand with what I do, but I do think there could be great lessons in that.
15:35
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
15:35
SPEAKER_03: Megan Brandy.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: A lot of the ones that our kids have had opportunities through have been kind of through the audition process in the convention and then hand selected, that sort of thing.
15:49
SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah, to piggyback on that, you know, there's some where um if they're like an honored dancer or their dancer of the year, then they with that title, they become an assistant throughout that season that they're, you know, the honor dancer or whatever.
16:04
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then there's other opportunities where you can audition to be a company member.
16:09
SPEAKER_02: And with that, they have assistant opportunities.
16:12
SPEAKER_02: Uh, several have several conventions have those programs where the the target is like a younger, the younger kiddos, like teenagers to give them that experience before the professional, before they become professional assistants, just to see if it's a good fit, give them experience uh with different choreographers and assistant teaching before they decide that, hey, this is a this person is something we want to hire and pay to do this job.
16:37
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, most of the ones we go to have younger assistant programs.
16:42
SPEAKER_01: And what do you think from a studio owner and teacher perspective?
16:45
SPEAKER_01: You know, what are the qualities of the kids at your studio that are being selected to do these things?
16:51
SPEAKER_01: What are making those kids the ones that they're choosing over somebody else?
16:55
SPEAKER_00: It seems to be like our kiddos are really well-rounded.
16:58
SPEAKER_00: They train in a ton of different genres.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: So they can they can do so many things.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: I think that helps them stand out in that process.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: And they're just they're just so talented at so many different genres.
17:12
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I think versatility is one of the pillars of our company because we feel like versatile dancers are hireable dancers after high school.
17:22
SPEAKER_02: And so our kids are very versatile.
17:24
SPEAKER_02: They can do just about any genre.
17:27
SPEAKER_02: But I think also is just like a there's like a hunger, you know, just like being on fire for dance, you know, the responsible, responsible, respectful.
17:39
SPEAKER_02: Those are things that I know that uh they look for in people who uh they're they're eyeing as assistant candidates.
17:47
SPEAKER_02: Um so like yeah, those are some of the things.
17:49
SPEAKER_02: Um I'm trying to think about some of the applications we've seen and the things that they ask.
17:54
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like an interview, like do they get to know the person besides just as a dancer?
17:59
SPEAKER_02: Right.
18:00
SPEAKER_02: So my my daughter just went through the process um to be like the in the mentor assistantship position.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, it was a pretty lengthy process.
18:09
SPEAKER_02: They had three hours of auditions at nationals, and then they had semifinalists, and then you had to do you had to write answers to a bunch of different questions all about you and you know, your strengths and weaknesses as a dancer, why you wanted to do it, and then you had to get on camera and talk about all of those things.
18:28
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
18:29
SPEAKER_02: So it was, you know, it was a it was a lengthy process.
18:32
SPEAKER_02: It wasn't just who's the best dancer in the room, you know, who set out.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: Right.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: It was more than that.
18:36
SPEAKER_02: They wanted someone who had all of the qualities that they were looking for.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: So it was cool.
18:41
unknown: Yeah.
18:41
SPEAKER_03: I feel like that what you both said, all of you have said, um, as far as versatility when it comes to a convention assistant is a really important uh aspect of this because on my end, like I've said, I've never been one, but I teach on dance conventions.
18:57
SPEAKER_03: So I have assistants all the time.
19:00
SPEAKER_03: Sometimes certain dancers get stuck into specific genre bubbles because that's all they can do.
19:06
SPEAKER_03: And then they only assist these two teachers every single weekend, even and then I mean, that's also not exposing them any longer to other genres because these teachers are like, well, I want this uh assistant because they're really good at contemporary or they're really good at that.
19:24
SPEAKER_03: That's flattering that, you know, a convention teacher is requesting you personally for their class.
19:30
SPEAKER_03: But at the same time, sometimes that's something that I notice, uh, just about convention assistant programs in general, is I want to make sure that those dancers are also still receiving the versatility on a convention weekend, just like any of the students that are on the floor would as well.
19:46
SPEAKER_03: So to just run around and assist the same style the whole weekend, that is taking away from being spread out and working with and connecting and networking with other teachers that are on faculty.
19:59
SPEAKER_03: And, you know, like sometimes I'm sad to it's sad to say, but like the tap dancers are the good tap dancers, probably only doing tap all weekend long.
20:08
SPEAKER_03: Because let's be real, there's not as many strong tap dancers in our industry for dancers these days.
20:15
SPEAKER_03: Everyone's everyone can fill the void for contemporary and sometimes jazz, but um, the tap one and hip-hop too, I feel hip-hop's getting a little bit easier because like the phenomenon of our of TikTok and things, and everyone loves jazz funk now.
20:29
SPEAKER_03: But like tap is the hardest and ballet too, strong, strong ballet dancers is hard to come by to become an assistant.
20:38
SPEAKER_03: Right.
20:38
SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, and I think that finding an organization for your kiddos that doesn't just look at your kiddo as an assistant, but looks at them as like, hey, we want to educate the education process of that whole experience.
20:51
SPEAKER_02: You know, I know one convention, they expose them to the A V side, like the backstage side, the photography side.
21:01
SPEAKER_02: Like, and I think that's such a cool experience because you know, kiddos don't necessarily know what they want to do.
21:07
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but if you give them all of those experiences, they then they see the whole picture of what it means to be in the convention world.
21:14
SPEAKER_02: Um, and so that's kind of our our focus is making sure that wherever our kiddos go, it's more of like an educational and like a mentorship.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: A mentorship versus just not just like another checking a box, you know.
21:27
SPEAKER_01: Kaya, has that been your experience um with sort of do when you are assisting, are you only in the dance classes or are you doing other responsibilities throughout your your weekends?
21:38
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so um like I previously stated, I'm not familiar with like um younger kiddos like still in studios being assistants unless there are national representatives.
21:50
SPEAKER_06: So I do think that is really cool that your kids get the opportunity to do that because that exposes them, I feel like, to so many things that they're possibly interested in post high school.
22:00
SPEAKER_06: Which is something that people don't find until you know maybe midway through college or like once they graduated college.
22:05
SPEAKER_06: So I think that's really cool.
22:07
SPEAKER_06: So pr as a professional assistant, we are working backstage.
22:11
SPEAKER_06: We run the competition.
22:12
SPEAKER_06: Some of our assistants are judges, depending on you know, age resume, whatnot.
22:17
SPEAKER_06: They're also judges.
22:18
SPEAKER_06: And then yeah, I feel like we are really face on face with the children all weekend.
22:24
SPEAKER_06: I also teach like the baby ready-side dance class.
22:28
SPEAKER_06: So I think a lot of our um responsibility as well is the connection with the kiddos who are there, the um studio owners.
22:37
SPEAKER_06: I feel like we really cultivate like a family aspect.
22:41
SPEAKER_06: I mean, I know a lot of places say that, but I'm like really passionate in what we bring to like that scenario.
22:49
SPEAKER_06: I feel very, very close with a lot of studio owners, a lot of their kids, and I like really deeply care about them.
22:55
SPEAKER_06: And I know everyone on our faculty does as well, as well as our assistants.
22:59
SPEAKER_06: And I think that's also what can help the kids do better on the weekends is when they feel like they're very, very cared about.
23:06
SPEAKER_06: And um, they feel like that they do have a place in our ballroom and like we are there to help them and help them grow.
23:14
SPEAKER_06: So that's like I feel like a really important part of the weekend for me at least.
23:18
SPEAKER_06: Like I love connecting with the kids and seeing them grow throughout the years.
23:21
SPEAKER_06: I mean, I know how big of an impact the assistants had on me when I was growing up.
23:27
SPEAKER_06: So I want to return that to the kids these days.
23:31
SPEAKER_06: I I love connecting with them.
23:33
SPEAKER_06: And then as far as like getting stuck in a genre, um, this is one of my favorite things about assisting at 23 years old, is that I'm not in college anymore.
23:45
SPEAKER_06: I don't have, you know, that hardcore schedule where I'm going to ballet class and I'm going to jazz class.
23:50
SPEAKER_06: Um, all of our assistants are New York based.
23:53
SPEAKER_06: So, you know, I mean, it gets expensive to take classes.
23:56
SPEAKER_06: You're, you know, paying$25 a class sometimes.
23:59
SPEAKER_06: We're also young.
24:01
SPEAKER_06: We're in apartments.
24:02
SPEAKER_06: Like it's it's an expensive like industry to be in, you know, trying to fight for where you want to be in the industry.
24:08
SPEAKER_06: So my favorite thing is that we get to continuously train on the weekends.
24:15
SPEAKER_06: That is one of my favorite things.
24:17
SPEAKER_06: We do a very good job at rotating throughout every single style.
24:23
SPEAKER_06: I mean, also like we are out every weekend.
24:25
SPEAKER_06: I think I want to say I did maybe 17 cities last season.
24:29
SPEAKER_06: And they're like back-to-back weekends.
24:31
SPEAKER_06: We leave sometimes Wednesdays, come back Sunday, sometimes Monday.
24:35
SPEAKER_06: So, I mean, it's a it's a very hard weekend on all fronts for everyone, but I feel like also it doesn't help when there's one person beating the same style every weekend.
24:49
SPEAKER_06: Like that's really hard on the body.
24:51
SPEAKER_06: That's really, really hard mentally.
24:53
SPEAKER_06: So I do think we do really well with, you know, trying to help each other out, rotate through the styles.
25:00
SPEAKER_06: Um, I know for certain, you know, one of um the assistants had an audition that included tap that was coming up one week.
25:08
SPEAKER_06: She asked on the weekend, can I be in every single tap class?
25:11
SPEAKER_06: So I can work on my tap skills.
25:13
SPEAKER_06: We were like, Yeah, of course.
25:15
SPEAKER_06: Or if I feel like I just need like a ballet class for my technique just in general.
25:19
SPEAKER_06: I'm gonna be like, Can I be in ballet?
25:20
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, no problem.
25:21
SPEAKER_06: So yeah, I feel like we do a good job with that.
25:24
SPEAKER_06: Um, yeah.
25:25
SPEAKER_01: That's great.
25:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's really, really nice that you can rotate and everybody has like good relationships with each other.
25:30
SPEAKER_01: That way it's, you know, nobody's sort of taking advantage of, oh, I want to be in tap all the time.
25:35
SPEAKER_01: But like, if you need it, we can make that happen.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: That's really cool.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: Totally.
25:38
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I love the idea of professional assistance.
25:41
SPEAKER_03: I I like that like you're one of them, Kaya, because I feel like that more conventions need to get on board with that.
25:47
SPEAKER_03: I think that there is a lot of great potential for younger dancers being exposed.
25:52
SPEAKER_03: But I also feel that sometimes it can fill their head a bit and they then think, oh, well, I don't need to train anymore because I've been selected as a dance convention assistant and now I'm standing on stage with this choreographer, even though there's a lot, there's a lot of things that stylistically aren't there yet or technically aren't there yet, but it almost feels like we've jumped, jumped, you know, some progress in training.
26:20
SPEAKER_03: And the dance, it might do not damage, but it might change the perspective of the dancer and the mentality of the dancer because this is this accolade that they've been selected for.
26:30
SPEAKER_03: So, like if it's a professional assistant, like you said, Kaya, like you're you're a pro, you're an adult, you you are more mature, you have been studying for longer years, you are representing the company and most likely also getting paid to do it.
26:45
SPEAKER_03: And that I don't think that money has anything to do with being a professional, but it's also just being ready and prepared to step into this role.
26:55
SPEAKER_03: And it's hard to be an assistant in any capacity on all sides.
27:00
SPEAKER_03: And I think it's important to expose our dancers to that.
27:02
SPEAKER_03: But at the same time, there's a lot of times where I've felt as a convention teacher like, I wish I had a professional dancer next to me as my assistant to demonstrate.
27:12
SPEAKER_03: And not that I don't love all of the students that I get to work with every weekend, but sometimes when the kids on the floor are watching them and they're not doing it right, then it kind of is a little bit tough to navigate as the teacher.
27:26
SPEAKER_05: Right.
27:33
SPEAKER_03: Dancers ages 15 to 18 or in grades 10 through 12.
27:37
SPEAKER_03: This is your reminder that you just have one month left to apply to young arts and enter the national arts competition.
27:46
SPEAKER_03: If you're not familiar, Young Arts is one of the only organizations in the United States that supports young artists across multiple disciplines, including dance.
27:55
SPEAKER_03: Each year, winners of the National Arts Competition can earn cash awards, travel on an all-expenses paid trip to Miami for Young Arts Week, work with industry legends, receive mentorship and professional guidance, and carry the prestigious title of being a young arts winner.
28:12
SPEAKER_03: As a past Young Arts winner myself, I can tell you firsthand how transformative this program is.
28:19
SPEAKER_03: I highly encourage every eligible dancer to take advantage of this opportunity before it's too late.
28:24
SPEAKER_03: The deadline to enter into Young Arts 2026 National Arts Competition is coming up quick on Wednesday, October 8th, 2025.
28:33
SPEAKER_03: Learn more and start your application today at youngarts.org slash apply or click the link in our show notes.
28:40
SPEAKER_03: A big thank you to Young Arts for supporting me as an alum and for sponsoring Making the Impact.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: Because I think that that just puts the emphasis on the right thing, which is training.
29:12
SPEAKER_02: What's best for the dancer and not necessarily what's best for the convention company.
29:16
SPEAKER_02: So I think most, I think everyone that we go to or our kids have been a part of requires that they be that they are still on, you know, training at their home studio.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: And it's it's in a lot of the contracts that I've seen is for these assistants to acknowledge that like their home studio commitments always come first.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: And we really appreciate that.
29:37
SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
29:37
SPEAKER_00: It helps when we're all on the same page, you know.
29:41
SPEAKER_01: How like for in y'all's experience with students that are doing this, how many weekends are these kids expected to go out?
29:49
SPEAKER_01: Is it, you know, are they asking them to go out every weekend they can, or is it a minimum of something, or what do you what do you know about that?
29:55
SPEAKER_00: I think most of the ones I've seen have been a minimum of like three to five.
30:01
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: Nothing too crazy.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: A lot of them want to do more than that, right?
30:05
SPEAKER_00: But there's a minimum requirement of usually like I would say between three and five.
30:10
SPEAKER_03: That feels fair, I feel, because they're also kids.
30:13
SPEAKER_03: And one aspect of being a dance convention assistant, and it's sad to say it, but it's an expense.
30:19
SPEAKER_03: And, you know, as as much as we want to be able to provide this to everybody, it's it does add up financially with also convention fees and travel and airfare and hotels and meals and all of these things, plus regular studio training, plus the mandatory competitions that you go to with your home studio.
30:39
SPEAKER_03: It's like these are bonus additional things we're adding to our schedule that now parents might be like, how do I make this happen?
30:48
SPEAKER_03: My kid wants to do this, but like, whoa, I didn't, I didn't sign up for that financially at the start of the season.
30:54
SPEAKER_03: And I can imagine it is probably really hard for parents to to juggle um financially.
31:00
SPEAKER_03: So it, I, you know, it is, I feel like there's no, no way around it.
31:04
SPEAKER_03: It's just like that's part of the the the opportunity, unfortunately.
31:09
SPEAKER_03: And if it feels like a good fit and if it feels like it'll be a really great um chance for your dancer to grow and be exposed to different styles and teachers and networking and new friends, then like, yes, let's do the minimum amount that we're required to do to make this uh possible.
31:23
SPEAKER_03: But do I think that a kid needs to be at every single weekend's dance convention assistant?
31:30
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely not.
31:31
SPEAKER_03: Like, please go be a kid and don't be spending trillions and millions of dollars to fly all over the country to do this when it's like, yeah, you're getting free training essentially at the end of the day.
31:42
SPEAKER_03: But I think a lot of people think that, well, if I show face more, then I have higher chances of winning at nationals or whatever it goes on in everyone's head.
31:51
SPEAKER_03: But, you know, do what you don't put your family in debt over being a dance convention assistant.
31:57
SPEAKER_03: I think that's really important.
31:58
SPEAKER_02: And your kids' health.
32:00
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, there's gotta be a balance there.
32:01
SPEAKER_02: It's a marathon, not a sprint.
32:03
SPEAKER_02: So uh these kiddos that are there every weekend, I mean, more often than not, they're injured by the time they're juniors and seniors, just because they're just not taking yeah, they're burnt out either mentally or physically.
32:14
SPEAKER_02: So um that balance I think is important for all the parents to remember that it's it's a long game.
32:20
SPEAKER_02: You gotta see it as a long game.
32:22
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
32:22
SPEAKER_01: Right.
32:23
SPEAKER_01: Well, and Kaya, we kind of we kind of glossed over this part, but for the professional audition to be an assistant, what was that like?
32:31
SPEAKER_01: And what's that process like?
32:32
SPEAKER_01: Because this is a job interview.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: I mean, this is a some that's you are doing a job here as opposed to having an opportunity.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: Right.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: So I want to know what that was like for you.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: And do you have to do it every year?
32:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, what's what's that process like?
32:44
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so it's not really a process.
32:47
SPEAKER_06: I feel we don't do an audition.
32:50
SPEAKER_01: Oh man.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
32:51
SPEAKER_06: Um so we are a very like family-based company.
32:55
SPEAKER_06: A lot of the people you will see on stage as assistants have grown up through the company.
33:00
SPEAKER_06: So I feel like they pull from like within, of course.
33:06
SPEAKER_06: Um, all of us have been convention kids for that one specific convention for a very long time.
33:12
SPEAKER_06: I personally thought my like convention, like conventions were over for me, like post-high school.
33:17
SPEAKER_06: And I was like so okay accepting that fact that it was time to move on.
33:21
SPEAKER_06: I'm going to college, I'm going to New York, it's time to do something new.
33:24
SPEAKER_06: And I was so ready for that.
33:26
SPEAKER_06: And then I got reached out to by the director of the company, and I was actually asked first to work for the sister company, which is just a competition.
33:34
SPEAKER_06: So it was just strictly backstage work.
33:37
SPEAKER_06: And then a couple, I want to say like three cities later, I was asked to come on as an assistant.
33:42
SPEAKER_06: I love making this point very clearly because I think this is really important for young dancers.
33:49
SPEAKER_06: I was never a first place winner.
33:52
SPEAKER_06: I was never recognized nationally as a national winner, national title holder.
33:57
SPEAKER_06: I never traveled with the company through high school.
34:00
SPEAKER_06: And I think that's really important because I think a lot of people really strive for that first place and they, which is obviously like an amazing achievement.
34:08
SPEAKER_06: And that you can always have goals to try to reach, you know, you can have goals.
34:12
SPEAKER_06: Um, but I think the emphasis on like being the winner, being the best dancer of the weekend is like not helpful at all, especially like mentally on like on younger dancers.
34:23
SPEAKER_06: It's not helpful.
34:24
SPEAKER_06: I never went back to this convention multiple times a year, every year, because I was winning first place.
34:31
SPEAKER_06: I loved taking class, I loved making new friends, I loved the faculty that was in front of me.
34:36
SPEAKER_06: And I was just doing it out of pure enjoyment.
34:38
SPEAKER_06: And I was learning something every weekend that I was walking away.
34:42
SPEAKER_06: So yeah, I didn't expect to be asked to become an assistant because I was never the winner.
34:47
SPEAKER_06: And I was okay with that.
34:48
SPEAKER_06: I think what was seen in me from the director of the company was I had work ethic, and I it wasn't something that I was trying to achieve, was being an assistant.
35:00
SPEAKER_06: Um, so I think that if people, if younger dancers, if this is like an opportunity that you would love to have as a job, a job, you know, like take the pressure off of it.
35:10
SPEAKER_06: I think the way you show up in a room is way more important sometimes than how do you show up in your solo or how you show up in your group dances.
35:19
SPEAKER_06: Not saying don't do your best, not saying don't do your best, but um, I think that a mindset shift sometimes is really important.
35:27
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
35:29
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I really, I mean, I definitely, you know, at first when you were saying like we all grew up with the company, I was like, oh, that feels a little unfair to everyone who doesn't grow up with the company, but you know, there there's something to be said for loyalty and for, you know, that family atmosphere and like trusting and believing that these kids that have been with us for so long are gonna grow up to be adults who want to continue to be with us, you know.
35:51
SPEAKER_01: So if you are at a studio that does have a loyalty to a certain convention, you know, that could work in your favor in a lot of ways.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: That's really interesting.
35:58
SPEAKER_03: I'm curious to know, like, we talked about other things that dance convention assistants have to do on the weekends.
36:05
SPEAKER_03: A lot of time, like we hinted at, there's backstage work during competition and they're learning how that all works out and um seeing the ins and outs and the inner workings of the dance competition aspect.
36:15
SPEAKER_03: But when it comes to being an assistant on stage with a choreographer, what are they doing?
36:21
SPEAKER_03: Are they, is there more to just standing on stage and doing the combination?
36:26
SPEAKER_03: Or are there other things that they might have to do?
36:29
SPEAKER_03: Or are they running around like getting water for the choreographer?
36:34
SPEAKER_03: Are they uh handling the music for the choreographer?
36:37
SPEAKER_03: Are they jumping off stage and helping a student if they're in need?
36:42
SPEAKER_03: You know, other other skills besides just being good at picking up choreography.
36:46
SPEAKER_06: Right.
36:47
SPEAKER_06: Um, so for me personally, I don't want to speak for anyone else, but the first like couple of cities, I feel like for us, from like we start around like Halloween weekend through the holidays.
36:59
SPEAKER_06: I feel like we don't have as many national winners out.
37:02
SPEAKER_06: I mean, they're children, they're in school, you know, they have like other activities and studio commitments, which is totally fine, and that's what we're there for.
37:10
SPEAKER_06: But I really do feel like we are the choreographer's body, and that is really what we are there to do.
37:16
SPEAKER_06: So a part of our job is being versatile, being able to pick up choreo quick.
37:20
SPEAKER_06: I know sometimes I ask the choreographer what we'll be learning or what we'll be going over so I can put myself in the right headspace for what I'm um about to be doing.
37:32
SPEAKER_06: And obviously, I want to show up well to represent the company, but I also want to make sure that the kids can understand what they're seeing on stage so they can have the best shot at looking their best as well.
37:43
SPEAKER_06: So um sometimes I'll ask as well.
37:46
SPEAKER_06: And then any other like little things that they might need obviously like will help out with.
37:52
SPEAKER_06: Like sometimes, like if a kid gets injured, that is on an assistant to run out and make sure the kid's okay and you know, stuff like that.
37:59
SPEAKER_06: But yeah, I feel like once you know, people get caught up on stage from the floor is when I'll step aside and let the kids dance.
38:08
SPEAKER_06: You know, I personally believe like this job isn't about myself, and it is to elevate the kids who are in the room.
38:15
SPEAKER_06: So they like they want to dance.
38:17
SPEAKER_06: I let them dance, and then staff is when I will also like help the choreographer like run music or anything like that.
38:23
SPEAKER_06: A lot of the times, well, sometimes in some classes, we also do like little audition situations depending on like what class it is or like when the audition is held.
38:33
SPEAKER_06: So sometimes we are standing next to the choreographer picking helping them with numbers or anything like that.
38:41
SPEAKER_03: Great.
38:41
SPEAKER_03: Anything we missed that you know your dancers handle on convention weekends, Megan and Brandy?
38:46
SPEAKER_00: I know that they they help check in uh the competition portion.
38:50
SPEAKER_00: Oh making sure everybody's back there, ready for their solos, that sort of thing.
38:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, if there's any kind of issues, they're communicating that to the music people, making sure that it's running smoothly.
39:03
SPEAKER_00: I think that that is really valuable.
39:05
SPEAKER_00: It's giving them a lot of responsibility with like face-to-face and customer service experience, um, that kind of thing.
39:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think they in the classroom, I think the kiddos do uh they'll help with the audition process.
39:16
SPEAKER_02: So they'll help line kids up whenever it's time for them to go across the floor or groups or make sure, you know, Susie is not standing right behind Jenny, you know what I mean?
39:25
SPEAKER_02: And so just they help kind of manage that.
39:28
SPEAKER_02: I haven't seen a lot of like the younger assistants do music.
39:32
SPEAKER_02: I think that could be kind of scary, but um, but I obviously the older, like the professional assistants probably would be okay doing that.
39:39
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I think that's about that's about it, that and getting on stage and making sure you're supporting supporting the choreographer, the teacher in the classroom.
39:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's about it, just being ready for anything.
39:49
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, for sure.
39:50
SPEAKER_03: Being ready for anything that and every I think that like something that I wish that I saw more of as a convention teacher from the actual convention assistants is not being afraid to introduce themselves to me.
40:04
SPEAKER_03: Like sometimes they just show up on stage and I'm like, who are you?
40:07
SPEAKER_03: Like, what is your name?
40:09
SPEAKER_03: Where are you from?
40:10
SPEAKER_03: Like, I want to know more about you.
40:12
SPEAKER_03: And they just like assume I'm supposed to know them.
40:15
SPEAKER_03: And it's like, there's a lot of people in this in this room right now.
40:18
SPEAKER_03: So um, you know, maybe by the end of the season I know who you are.
40:21
SPEAKER_03: But like, especially if it's your first time ever assisting this person, like, don't be intimidated.
40:26
SPEAKER_03: You're here for a reason.
40:28
SPEAKER_03: Yes, is it scary?
40:29
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
40:30
SPEAKER_03: Is this somebody that is like your idol or you look up to possibly like, yes, but also you signed up for this?
40:37
SPEAKER_03: So you have to be personable and not be afraid to use your voice and introduce yourself and ask, is there anything that you need?
40:44
SPEAKER_03: How would you like me to assist you today?
40:46
SPEAKER_03: What style are we doing?
40:47
SPEAKER_03: Is this a combo that I already know?
40:49
SPEAKER_03: Like have the conversation.
40:51
SPEAKER_03: Yes, classes move fast, and sometimes teachers are running from one ballroom to the next and they're barely have time to breathe before they're jumping in.
40:58
SPEAKER_03: And those combos might not always happen.
41:00
SPEAKER_03: But even at the start of the weekend, if you can pull them aside, I'm excited to assist you this weekend.
41:05
SPEAKER_03: Like I'll be in your junior room.
41:06
SPEAKER_03: Are you doing the combo from last weekend or not?
41:09
SPEAKER_03: Do I have to get ready for a new one?
41:10
SPEAKER_03: Because for me, I'm the type of convention teacher, and this varies with every company.
41:16
SPEAKER_03: Some companies ask convention teachers to create new material frequently for the um experience.
41:23
SPEAKER_03: Maybe a lot of people are returning customers and dancers come to many cities, so they want fresh new combos.
41:29
SPEAKER_03: I'm the kind of teacher that is all for doing the combo more than once.
41:34
SPEAKER_03: And why?
41:34
SPEAKER_03: Because there is value in learning that same choreography more times.
41:39
SPEAKER_03: And I always tell my assistants if this is your first time or your fifth time learning it, you should be learning new details and improving in this choreography every single time you do it.
41:50
SPEAKER_03: It shouldn't matter how many times you do it.
41:52
SPEAKER_03: And it doesn't mean that you just get to kick your feet up and relax because you already know the choreography.
41:58
SPEAKER_03: I think a lot of a lot of my assistants sometimes get real chill, like, oh, I already know this one.
42:02
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's this, this, and this.
42:04
SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, but you're still doing details wrong.
42:06
SPEAKER_03: So how are you truly improving in your training while you're assisting when the kids are watching you?
42:12
SPEAKER_03: You know, you want to set the example and be the role model of the assistant, not goofing off on the side of the stage, not chit-chatting with your friends, not worried about getting your Instagram video.
42:22
SPEAKER_03: That you need to be in the moment and making sure that you are actually doing your role on stage.
42:29
SPEAKER_03: Like, if I mean, I have honestly, sadly to say, but I've heard convention teachers be like, sorry, you're not paying attention and you're also not doing this right.
42:37
SPEAKER_03: Just because you won this award, I'm sorry, but you need to go under the floor because you you you haven't earned your role right in this moment to be standing on this stage.
42:46
SPEAKER_03: And I think a lot of dancers just get comfortable and think, oh, well, I'm here and I paid my mom paid me to get here.
42:53
SPEAKER_03: So I'm standing on this stage like I rightfully deserve.
42:55
SPEAKER_03: But there's still an I have an expectation as a teacher still.
42:59
SPEAKER_03: And sometimes I sometimes I don't even know what's going on behind me.
43:02
SPEAKER_03: I like look back, I'm like, what's going on back there?
43:05
SPEAKER_03: You know, because I'm focused on the students on the floor.
43:07
SPEAKER_03: I'm trusting the dance, the teeth, the dancers on stage are doing what is expected of them.
43:13
unknown: Yeah.
43:13
SPEAKER_02: Well, I think as a uh studio director and a company director, it's really important to have those conversations with your kiddos.
43:18
SPEAKER_02: You know, exactly what you said.
43:20
SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, use your voice.
43:21
SPEAKER_02: That's so hard for dancers because we are typically using our bodies, right?
43:24
SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, we a lot of times our older dancers, we force them to go introduce themselves to teachers when they're, you know, juniors and seniors.
43:33
SPEAKER_02: They don't love that, but it's an experience that they need, they need practice in.
43:38
SPEAKER_02: Um, and so we just at nationals, we made them like, okay, you know this person, go have a conversation, go introduce yourself, tell them, you know, whatever.
43:46
SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, having the conversations about the expectations, what to expect, good class etiquette, etiquette as an assistant, and having those conversations with your kiddos just so that you're setting them up for success and not just like throwing them to.
44:00
SPEAKER_02: wolves.
44:00
SPEAKER_02: Right.
44:00
SPEAKER_02: So that's really important for us that we're preparing them for that.
44:05
unknown: Yeah.
44:06
SPEAKER_01: Kaya, I want to know from your experience in the past couple of years doing um professional assisting, what what opportunities have afforded themselves to you from this connection?
44:16
SPEAKER_01: And like, you know, we always we talk about it all the time.
44:19
SPEAKER_01: The dance world is so small.
44:20
SPEAKER_01: And then once you get down to the microcosm of your company that you work for, it's even smaller.
44:25
SPEAKER_01: But then everybody has these branches that reach out to other parts of the dance worlds.
44:30
SPEAKER_01: So like what has come up for you that's been, you know, kind of a perk of being an assistant?
44:35
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, totally.
44:35
SPEAKER_06: So I think one of the most exciting things for me was being reached out to by the studios to teach their kids.
44:46
SPEAKER_06: Which I never really saw a lane for like teaching for myself.
44:51
SPEAKER_06: I never I always thought I would be like the dancer and I that was the one thing I was going to do.
44:56
SPEAKER_06: And I never saw myself teaching.
44:58
SPEAKER_06: So I felt like really honored honestly that they would trust me with their students from what they have seen on a weekend.
45:07
SPEAKER_06: That was like one of the most exciting things for me.
45:09
SPEAKER_06: So I have loved visiting those studios and teaching their kids and forming an even closer connection with them.
45:16
SPEAKER_06: And then you know it makes it even more special seeing them on a weekend and seeing how much they've grown from when I visited their studio to now we're and on a weekend how are they dancing?
45:24
SPEAKER_06: How are they acting in class?
45:26
SPEAKER_06: Like all of those things are very important to me and that's what I talk to the kids about.
45:30
SPEAKER_06: So that one is really exciting.
45:32
SPEAKER_06: I we have a lot of faculty that are currently connected to the industry and I feel like one of the most exciting things about the company that I work for is that we're able to pull a lot of New York and LA choreographers.
45:50
SPEAKER_06: We do a nationals on the East Coast and the West Coast.
45:52
SPEAKER_06: So the New York nationals get a lot of um New York professionals which is which I have been experiencing since I have been going to the convention but as a professional assistant I get to go up to these professionals that I take class from in the city without the convention aspect introduce myself let them know that I will be assisting them and also like respecting that they are professionals.
46:19
SPEAKER_06: I will stand on the floor if you want to have the stage I'm here to support you.
46:22
SPEAKER_06: What do you need?
46:24
SPEAKER_06: That was it's it's an honor because I also know like I'm not their selected assistant but I can say that I did assist this person and this person and this person, which I do think is one of the coolest things I can say about this job.
46:41
SPEAKER_06: So that has been really fun.
46:43
SPEAKER_06: Also seeing those people on a weekend and being the forefront of the company and then going to their class outside of a convention weekend I feel like has really helped me develop connections within the industry.
46:57
SPEAKER_06: So yeah.
46:58
SPEAKER_06: Cool.
46:59
SPEAKER_03: That's very cool.
47:00
SPEAKER_03: Yeah you could be auditioning for that same choreographer that next week for a Broadway show or a television job.
47:06
SPEAKER_03: You know like that is what is so special about dance conventions compared to a regular dance competition is that you are working with those industry professionals that most of them are oftentimes look casting dancers for an upcoming who knows what.
47:21
SPEAKER_03: And in your position, Kaya, like you said, you're an adult you're a professional you're an active auditioning professional.
47:28
SPEAKER_03: This is the perfect way for you to network versus a lot of the dancers that are still in high school it's like yes absolutely you can still network while you're in high school because if you're planning to move to LA or New York you already I'll remember like oh yeah I remember you when you were a freshman in high school you know oh you're an adult now like I remember those things as a convention teacher and I'm rooting for you and then I'm excited once you make it into the break into the professional industry.
47:55
SPEAKER_03: I mean there's dancers that I've been watching for years grow up in my convention room and they finally turn 18 and I send them to a cruise ship audition and I push for them and I get them their first job.
48:06
SPEAKER_03: Like that is an exciting opportunity for me as the convention teacher to like be a part of that full circle cycle of their dance training into professional life.
48:17
SPEAKER_03: So I think that's another perk of the networking aspect of conventions.
48:22
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
48:23
SPEAKER_06: And I will also say every single faculty member that I assist on a weekend, they are at the top of my resume because they have all worked in like so many different facets of the industry and they have made their own lane so well that I know that if someone reaches out to sees my resume reaches out to the people that are on my resume and gives them a call, I know for sure 100% they'd be like yes this person's great you should do it.
48:51
SPEAKER_03: Can I also just mention to everybody out there that if you have only assisted me once or any choreographer once and they don't know your name that you cannot put them at the top of your resume because because if like you said if they if that other choreographer who's looking at your resume calls that choreographer who they're friends with and says hey who's Leslie have you ever worked with Leslie Mueller and the person's like who?
49:17
SPEAKER_03: Do not want to don't don't don't do that.
49:20
SPEAKER_03: They must have a relationship with you.
49:23
SPEAKER_03: They must know your name like that is really important.
49:25
SPEAKER_03: You can absolutely say you've trained under these people totally yeah even with that you know that can sometimes I've heard a lot of different wishy washy answers to only put people on your resume that know you personally I would agree with that.
49:40
SPEAKER_06: For sure because it is very common that choreographers are calling up familiar names on a resume.
49:46
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
49:46
SPEAKER_06: So yeah I do have a very personal relationship with all the faculty members and that's why they are on my resume.
49:51
SPEAKER_06: But I know you do not not a one time on the resume no.
49:56
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
49:57
SPEAKER_01: I want this the same question for Megan and Brandy do you have students who who have had some kind of unique opportunity because of being an assistant that you know of I know you guys have only been in the business for 10 years or in the business business for your studio for 10 years but so this might not have happened yet but like it will probably happen but has it happened that something really cool has happened due to being an assistant?
50:17
SPEAKER_00: So we've had we've had students at the PAC that have been assistants for conventions in their high school years go on to become hired professional assistants for conventions.
50:27
SPEAKER_00: And that's I think that's really cool.
50:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
50:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah I think something kind of piggybacking on what Kaya said you know a lot of times as studio owners sometimes we can't hire the choreographer but we hire the assistants we've seen and we've done that in the past and have had some of the best choreography ever.
50:46
SPEAKER_02: So that's definitely something a door it opens for those kiddos.
50:49
SPEAKER_02: And I know some of our kiddos who are assistants are now doing choreo all over the country and having that kind of steady work which is really so important for a dancer.
51:00
SPEAKER_02: So I I think that's a huge opportunity as well.
51:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah definitely yeah it opens up a lot of doors just to like and like you said like Kaya said I introduced myself and you said we make the kids introduce themselves.
51:11
SPEAKER_01: So like it has to start somewhere so that once you get to Kaya's age and level like that it's it's no no thing to just walk up and shake hands with somebody and say hi this is who I am.
51:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah you have to be professional.
51:23
SPEAKER_02: I mean that's that's part of it.
51:24
SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
51:25
SPEAKER_03: Another thing that I want to say with the whole communication aspect that hopefully people are listening and we'll start getting better at as we head into this competition and convention season is if you're a dancer who is scheduled to assist on a weekend who also is dealing with an injury, please make sure that you share that with your convention teacher because they won't know if you don't tell them and please do not push through an injury on concrete floors with rugs over top and then you have you know a big important uh college audition next week but you wanted to impress this choreographer at convention it's truly not worth it.
52:01
SPEAKER_03: It's just a class and you're not gonna I don't want you to like ruin your career and uh your your dancer body because you powered through just to impress somebody.
52:12
SPEAKER_03: And I think that can be said for any dancer on the floor at any convention, not just the assistants, but especially the assistants have a very high expectation from a lot of the choreographers where they're expecting them to like demo again, demo again and they're rolling around and they're flipping on their head and they're exhausted because they've been taking five other classes beforehand.
52:31
SPEAKER_03: And it's like you want to deliver to each choreographer that you're you're getting the opportunity to work with but you also have to know when your body is telling you no and to take care of yourself because they're very long weekends.
52:45
SPEAKER_03: Oftentimes you don't even have time to drink water or grab a snack in between which is important.
52:50
SPEAKER_03: I sometimes think the schedules are a little too jam-packed for these kids when I look at them like have you even do you get to take a nap today?
52:56
SPEAKER_03: Do you get to eat lunch like a full proper lunch today?
52:59
SPEAKER_03: Because they're go go go these kids so I do think it's important to take care of yourself on those long weekends.
53:06
SPEAKER_03: And if that means that you have to you know take a class off take a class off like listen to your body yes you're here to do a sort of a job you know that you signed up for but I don't want anyone to get more injured just because I need a power through because I'm here and mom spent all this money and I don't want to let Courtney down or whoever it is.
53:26
SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
53:27
SPEAKER_03: Because that's a hard thing to navigate as a kid as well.
53:30
SPEAKER_03: And that's why again I think professional assistants are such a great asset to the industry because they're more mature.
53:35
SPEAKER_03: They're they have more years of experience they're adults they've possibly lived that already so they already know how to manage those tough conversations and things like that.
53:44
SPEAKER_03: There is a maturity aspect that comes into play with being a convention assistant 100%.
53:50
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
53:51
SPEAKER_06: I feel like we've covered most of the things but going into convention season I just want to say a general to like all dancers um I know that there's like an intense pressure that dancers put on themselves and it shows when you step into a room nervous you don't dance your best sometimes so the one if I had to give a piece of advice is to have fun.
54:14
SPEAKER_06: Everyone at the front of the room is truly rooting for you and I think that's really important to remember we want the best for you and yeah I mean do your best but like the world is not going to end in the convention ballroom and you're gonna be great.
54:29
SPEAKER_06: Just be yourself.
54:30
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
54:31
SPEAKER_02: I think just my advice to studio owners is you know train versatile dancers all styles um and then also just give them the support that they need to be successful as an assistant.
54:43
SPEAKER_02: And that starts when they're younger of just training them in a way that they when they reach that age they are ready to go they know what to expect and and then they're successful.
54:52
SPEAKER_02: So that's that's what I would say.
54:55
SPEAKER_00: I agree.
54:55
SPEAKER_00: And then you know they don't have to take every opportunity that is offered to them.
55:00
SPEAKER_00: They don't need to drain their bank account to do this if if it doesn't work for their family.
55:06
SPEAKER_00: But if anybody is considering being an assistant for any program, you know, do some research talk to some other people that have been involved in that program.
55:14
SPEAKER_00: Get familiar with their goals and their values and what your kiddo's going to get out of it and make sure it's in alignment with what you're looking for.
55:26
SPEAKER_03: Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode all about dance convention assistance.
55:30
SPEAKER_03: Huge shout out to our special guests Kaya, Megan and Brandy for joining us on this chat.
55:36
SPEAKER_03: You can find Kaya at KayaRush, Megan at MegFriedman, and Brandy at BGeorge811.
55:44
SPEAKER_03: And don't forget to follow their studio The Pac at the Pac Dance Co.
55:49
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56:03
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56:11
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56:29
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56:38
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56:48
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56:54
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57:02
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57:13
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57:19
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57:28
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57:43
SPEAKER_03: We hope you are enjoying season seven