Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Celebrating 200 Episodes Live in NYC with IDA Judges! 🎉

Transcript

Celebrating 200 Episodes Live in NYC with IDA Judges! 🎉 · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_07: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_07: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_07: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_07: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:25
SPEAKER_07: The 200th episode of Making the Impact is here.
0:28
SPEAKER_07: Thank you for joining us on this journey, whether you're a longtime listener or a new fan.
0:33
SPEAKER_07: On today's episode, we are going back to our roots with a live QA recording to get inside the mind of a judge with listener-submitted questions from around the world.
0:43
SPEAKER_03: Hello, everybody.
0:44
SPEAKER_03: Welcome to our 200th episode of Making the Impact.
0:48
SPEAKER_03: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I am live in New York City, alongside many people, but of course, like always, my fabulous co-host, Leslie Mueller.
0:57
SPEAKER_07: Hello, everyone.
0:58
SPEAKER_07: We are so excited to be here, like Courtney said, live in New York City at Carol Studios with some amazing IDA judges, some of whom we have had on the podcast and some of whom we haven't.
1:08
SPEAKER_07: So we're super excited to hear from them today and really just celebrate episode number 200.
1:13
SPEAKER_03: It's episode 200.
1:14
SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh.
1:15
SPEAKER_07: And it's also 10 years of impact dance adjudicators, is our 10-year anniversary this year.
1:21
SPEAKER_07: Isn't that wild?
1:22
SPEAKER_07: So huge.
1:22
SPEAKER_07: I mean, 2014.
1:24
SPEAKER_07: Like, think about 2014.
1:26
SPEAKER_07: That was an era ago.
1:29
SPEAKER_07: So many things have happened.
1:30
SPEAKER_07: There's been so many things that have happened.
1:31
SPEAKER_07: Dance has changed.
1:32
SPEAKER_07: The world has changed.
1:33
SPEAKER_07: We've had a pandemic.
1:34
SPEAKER_07: We've had many presidents.
1:36
SPEAKER_07: We've had a lot of, you know, pirouettes and pullbacks and cramp rolls and all the things.
1:41
SPEAKER_07: But, you know, what's constant is our love of dance, our, you know, desire to bring quality judges to dance competitions across the country and to give advice and points of view from these judges around the world.
1:55
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:55
SPEAKER_03: I love what we've created with IDA and the podcast.
1:58
SPEAKER_03: And I'm so grateful for everyone who continues to support us and all of all of the judges on the roster and all of the judges who are here today wanting to celebrate 200 with us and chat dance a little bit more.
2:08
SPEAKER_03: And I really feel like we are making the impact in the competitive dance world looking back 10 years ago with this crazy idea that I had of, you know, let's create something for the competition space to give competitions an easier way to find judges, for judges to have an easier way to find competition jobs and to make sure the people sitting behind the table really love what they're doing and love being a judge because let's be real, we've all sat next to judges that are phoning it in and don't love their job.
2:34
SPEAKER_03: But I feel like everyone on the IDA roster loves what they do and are all about the dance education portion of this beautiful dance world.
2:41
SPEAKER_03: And I'm really proud of what we've created.
2:43
SPEAKER_03: And it's crazy to see it 10 years in action.
2:46
SPEAKER_03: So yeah.
2:47
SPEAKER_07: And I think another cool thing about IDA specifically is that we now have a community of people.
2:51
SPEAKER_07: All of us here have some other connection now besides IDA.
2:55
SPEAKER_07: And that means we have connections around the world, around the country, across the country, through different professional organizations.
3:01
SPEAKER_07: And now we all have a group of friends.
3:03
SPEAKER_07: And I know that I can trust Ashley to say, hey, what's your opinion on this?
3:07
SPEAKER_07: I trust your opinion because I know your work and I know where you come from and I know we're a part of a shared community.
3:12
SPEAKER_07: And so that's part of what I like too for the professional people that are in this organization.
3:16
SPEAKER_07: You know, we all have a community now that we didn't have before.
3:20
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
3:20
SPEAKER_07: So that's all really exciting.
3:22
SPEAKER_07: And also remember when we did virtual competitions?
3:24
SPEAKER_07: Oh God, don't you forget about those?
3:26
SPEAKER_03: I mean, yes, we can't.
3:27
SPEAKER_03: Please forget about those.
3:28
SPEAKER_03: I know.
3:29
SPEAKER_03: Please forget about it.
3:30
SPEAKER_07: No, but I don't think we can forget about it because yes, it was a trying time.
3:34
SPEAKER_07: But that was, remember, Courtney, that was the first year of the podcast.
3:38
SPEAKER_07: Was when we also we had had this whole plan.
3:40
SPEAKER_07: We had like 40 episodes ready to go in, you know, September of 2019.
3:45
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
3:46
SPEAKER_07: And then all of a sudden in March, we had to scrap like 20% of our episodes.
3:50
SPEAKER_07: We couldn't talk about nationals because obviously nationals was not gonna happen.
3:54
SPEAKER_07: Right.
3:54
SPEAKER_07: So we had we had to pivot very quickly there.
3:57
SPEAKER_07: You came up with this brilliant idea to do virtual competitions that still gave IDA judges work that gave kids the availability and the the access to compete and to win prizes and to do what they love.
4:08
SPEAKER_07: And nobody else was doing that.
4:09
SPEAKER_07: I mean, people ended up doing that, but you did it first.
4:11
SPEAKER_07: And, you know, I just think, like you said, we're making the impact around the world, across the country, and I just can't wait to see what the next 10 years holds.
4:18
SPEAKER_03: Oh my god, thanks.
4:20
SPEAKER_03: I can't either.
4:22
SPEAKER_03: I have no idea what it's gonna hold, but I'm excited too.
4:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
4:25
SPEAKER_03: And here we are today, celebrating 200 episodes of Making the Impact, and we are in New York City.
4:31
SPEAKER_03: We wanted to go big and bring, go back to how this podcast started, which was getting inside the minds of dance competition judges.
4:39
SPEAKER_03: So we are here today with five judges who are all based locally in New York City to come together and chat dance for the next hour and record a podcast in person together, not on Zoom, y'all.
4:49
SPEAKER_03: We are not on Zoom.
4:50
SPEAKER_03: We are not virtual.
4:52
SPEAKER_03: We are in the same space, sitting together, having some champagne, eating some food, and recording on this beautiful Saturday.
5:00
SPEAKER_03: So before we jump in and introduce all of our fabulous guests, we have hosted a giveaway on online for all of our fans out there from some really generous sponsors who have donated gifts and prizes in the dance community.
5:12
SPEAKER_03: That I want to give a shout out to all of those fabulous giveaway sponsors.
5:15
SPEAKER_03: We have Decca Dance Competition, who is an IDA affiliated competition, Capizio, where Leslie works.
5:20
SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Capizio, Lily Lashes, which I love their eyelashes.
5:23
SPEAKER_03: Get some for competition, y'all.
5:25
SPEAKER_03: Elevation on Tour, which is another IDA affiliated competition, and Streets Dance Convention, who is also an IDA affiliated convention, and I also teach on faculty there.
5:34
SPEAKER_03: So we have some generous prizes that uh we're going to be announcing uh today online.
5:40
SPEAKER_03: And I hope y'all win it.
5:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
5:41
SPEAKER_03: And so, yes, thank you for the sponsors.
5:43
SPEAKER_07: Also, thank you for uh the Boulevard Carol for hosting us here at this beautiful space.
5:47
SPEAKER_07: We couldn't have done it without the help of Courtney's amazing boyfriend Jake.
5:51
SPEAKER_07: Thanks, Jake.
5:52
SPEAKER_07: Keeping us tight here with our beautiful setup and our sound recording studio.
5:56
SPEAKER_07: And Jack.
5:57
SPEAKER_07: Thanks, Jack.
5:57
SPEAKER_07: Oh, and Jack, and thanks, Jack.
5:58
SPEAKER_07: So many helpers to make all this happen.
6:00
SPEAKER_07: And of course, you are valuable listeners, the people who support us, the people who keep us going.
6:05
SPEAKER_07: So, yeah, this is all the thank yous, I think.
6:07
SPEAKER_07: And now let's introduce our friends that are here.
6:09
SPEAKER_03: Yes, let's introduce all of our amazing IDA judges.
6:13
SPEAKER_03: And we have judges who have been on our roster for many years.
6:16
SPEAKER_03: We have some newer judges who are new to IDA joining us.
6:19
SPEAKER_03: We have a lot of different perspectives that are going to jump into this QA.
6:23
SPEAKER_03: And we have a ton of pre-submitted questions from our fans from around the world for this episode.
6:28
SPEAKER_03: So I want to quickly go around and introduce all the people that are here.
6:32
SPEAKER_03: Let's give it up for Michelle, Tommy, Jackie, Ashley, and Brianna at the pod.
6:37
SPEAKER_03: Hey! Welcome everybody.
6:40
SPEAKER_03: Thanks for having us.
6:42
SPEAKER_03: Of course.
6:43
SPEAKER_03: I want to remind all of our listeners some of the episodes that you have previously been on.
6:47
SPEAKER_03: So I'm going to go down my list really fast.
6:49
SPEAKER_03: Michelle, you were on season one, episode 14, The Importance of Tap Class and Why You Should Be Taking It.
6:56
SPEAKER_03: That is a title right there.
6:57
SPEAKER_03: I sure was.
6:58
SPEAKER_03: Yes, you brings me teary.
6:59
SPEAKER_03: I'd love to do that.
7:00
SPEAKER_03: And season two, episode 41, The Role of Race in Dance.
7:04
SPEAKER_03: A very powerful and an important conversation.
7:06
SPEAKER_05: Thank you for having me on that as well.
7:08
SPEAKER_03: Tommy has like the whole page.
7:10
SPEAKER_05: We got deep.
7:12
SPEAKER_03: Season three, episode 87, Stage Presence.
7:15
SPEAKER_03: Why performance matters.
7:16
SPEAKER_03: Yes, it's very important.
7:17
SPEAKER_04: I love stage presence.
7:19
SPEAKER_04: We need it so much.
7:19
SPEAKER_03: We do.
7:20
SPEAKER_03: And you know what?
7:20
SPEAKER_03: That was one of our most listened to episodes, I think.
7:24
SPEAKER_07: It always ended up like second or third in the list of like the top episodes.
7:27
SPEAKER_07: I believe that.
7:28
SPEAKER_07: That's a good one.
7:28
SPEAKER_03: And you were also on our 100th episode, the Top 10 Studio Habits, Judges Sea Competition, which was one of our chime in episodes.
7:35
SPEAKER_03: Everyone contributed.
7:36
SPEAKER_04: So yes, yes, yes.
7:38
SPEAKER_03: That's a great one.
7:39
SPEAKER_03: All right, Brianna, this is your very first podcast.
7:44
SPEAKER_03: Yes, podcast newbie.
7:45
SPEAKER_03: Is this your first podcast ever?
7:47
SPEAKER_01: No.
7:48
SPEAKER_01: This is my first dance-related podcast.
7:50
SPEAKER_01: I'm very excited.
7:51
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
7:52
SPEAKER_01: Welcome.
7:52
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
7:53
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
7:53
SPEAKER_03: All right.
7:54
SPEAKER_03: Ashley over here has been on season four, episode 127, Competition Trends, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, which was a hot one.
8:02
SPEAKER_03: Loved it.
8:03
SPEAKER_03: Hot topic.
8:03
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
8:04
SPEAKER_03: Hot topic.
8:05
SPEAKER_03: Season five, episode 166, Ridiculous Expectations of Competitive Dance.
8:10
SPEAKER_03: Another hot one.
8:11
SPEAKER_03: These are the ones where our judges kind of give us little uh sound bites of their thoughts, which everyone loves those.
8:17
SPEAKER_03: And season five, episode 173, behind the curtain, What You Need to Know Backstage at Competition.
8:24
SPEAKER_03: Ooh, I love that one.
8:25
SPEAKER_03: Which I love.
8:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
8:26
SPEAKER_03: That one was so much fun.
8:27
SPEAKER_03: It was a great one.
8:28
SPEAKER_03: That was a really good one.
8:29
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, last year.
8:30
SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited to be in person.
8:31
SPEAKER_02: Like I said on Zoom because we can bounce off of each other on screen, but I'm really excited to be in person together.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: Yay! And here we go.
8:40
SPEAKER_03: Tommy Scrivens.
8:41
SPEAKER_03: Get ready, y'all.
8:44
SPEAKER_03: Season two, episode 52, The Importance of Musicality.
8:48
SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
8:49
SPEAKER_03: Love it.
8:50
SPEAKER_03: Season two, twice.
8:52
SPEAKER_03: Twice.
8:52
SPEAKER_03: Season two, twice.
8:53
SPEAKER_03: Episode 65, the most common corrections judges give at competition.
8:57
SPEAKER_03: That was a chime in one.
8:58
SPEAKER_03: That was a chime in.
8:59
SPEAKER_03: All right, now we're in season three, episode 100, the top 10 studio habits judge to see a competition.
9:04
SPEAKER_03: So another chime in.
9:05
SPEAKER_03: Season four, episode 140, appropriateness of choreography in competitive dance.
9:12
SPEAKER_03: I know, right?
9:13
SPEAKER_03: I know.
9:13
SPEAKER_03: Take a deep breath, right?
9:15
SPEAKER_03: We're still going, y'all.
9:16
SPEAKER_03: Season five, episode 167, QA live with Tommy and me.
9:21
SPEAKER_03: That was a fun one.
9:22
SPEAKER_00: Very fun.
9:23
SPEAKER_03: And season five, episode 183.
9:26
SPEAKER_03: How do competition judges keep their emotions out of scoring?
9:31
SPEAKER_00: Indeed.
9:32
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
9:32
SPEAKER_03: You've put on some deep, deep conversations.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: It's a very deep one.
9:37
SPEAKER_03: Tommy's a great guest, so we have him on a lot.
9:39
SPEAKER_03: And one of our most most used guests, you've been on the podcast.
9:46
SPEAKER_03: There's someone else who's been on every single season.
9:48
SPEAKER_03: Ashley or Christina, probably.
9:50
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, maybe Ashley Marinelli.
9:51
SPEAKER_07: I would think Ashley Marinelli, probably.
9:52
SPEAKER_07: Oh my gosh.
9:53
SPEAKER_07: Honestly.
9:54
SPEAKER_07: Just for longevity.
9:54
SPEAKER_07: But yeah, you're probably in second place.
9:56
SPEAKER_03: But now you're on season six.
9:57
SPEAKER_03: Hey! And all of these fabulous judges have beautiful bios, which please go go give a read.
10:05
SPEAKER_03: And Leslie, I know that you uh have some, you want to lead into some of your what were your Oh, I had some like icebreaker questions just because everybody can look at your long bio if they want to.
10:16
SPEAKER_07: We'll link all of your social media and everything.
10:18
SPEAKER_07: But I want you to just go around the room, say who you are, where you're based, what your favorite dance step is, and one thing you love about being a part of IDA.
10:25
SPEAKER_07: Who you are, where you're based.
10:27
SPEAKER_07: Favorite dance step, why you love IDA.
10:30
SPEAKER_07: And we're gonna start with Jackie.
10:31
SPEAKER_04: All right.
10:32
SPEAKER_04: Hi everyone.
10:33
SPEAKER_04: I am Jackie.
10:34
SPEAKER_04: I'm based here in New York, down in Chelsea.
10:37
SPEAKER_04: My favorite dance step is Potter Beret.
10:40
SPEAKER_04: Because it's so hard, I think, for everyone to get the rhythm of Potter Baret, but it's such an important step in jazz, such an important transition step.
10:48
SPEAKER_04: And um I really think that's my favorite.
10:51
SPEAKER_04: And then what was the other question?
10:52
SPEAKER_04: Why do you love being a part of IDA?
10:53
SPEAKER_04: Oh my gosh, I love being a part of IDA because it not only gives us protection as judges, but it also ensures that the competitions are really staffed by judges who have the knowledge to be able to help these competitions and their students grow.
11:08
SPEAKER_04: So yes, I love I love the community.
11:10
SPEAKER_04: It's been great.
11:11
SPEAKER_04: But having that protection has been fabulous and a game changer in our industry, I think.
11:15
SPEAKER_01: Yay.
11:15
SPEAKER_04: I agree.
11:16
SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
11:16
SPEAKER_04: Well, welcome, Jackie.
11:17
SPEAKER_04: Welcome, Jackie.
11:19
SPEAKER_01: Hi, I'm Brianna.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: I'm also based here in New York and Queens.
11:23
SPEAKER_01: Yes, Queens.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: We love Queens.
11:25
SPEAKER_01: My favorite dance step is pullbacks.
11:29
SPEAKER_01: Just like so many varieties in plays, circling, one-footed, doubles.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: Can't go wrong.
11:35
SPEAKER_01: And I love ID.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: I was gonna say something similar because consistency.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: Big fan of consistency, and you know you're being protected everywhere you go, you know what the rundown's gonna be, and it just makes for a really great community, and it never feels chaotic.
11:49
SPEAKER_01: You always know that you know what you're signing up for.
11:52
SPEAKER_07: Oh I love that.
11:54
SPEAKER_07: Welcome, Brianna.
11:54
SPEAKER_07: We're happy to have you on the show.
11:55
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
11:57
SPEAKER_07: Me.
11:57
SPEAKER_07: Hi.
11:58
SPEAKER_07: I'm Michelle.
11:59
SPEAKER_05: I'm located in Brooklyn.
12:01
SPEAKER_05: Hey, BK in the house.
12:02
SPEAKER_05: Let's go, Brooklyn.
12:03
SPEAKER_05: I have two favorite tap steps, uh, two favorite dance steps because I do tap and I do jazz.
12:06
SPEAKER_05: It's a triplet.
12:07
SPEAKER_05: I love a triplet to move across the room.
12:09
SPEAKER_05: I do love a triplet.
12:10
SPEAKER_05: And I love I call it uh paddle and roll, but it depends on where you are.
12:14
SPEAKER_05: It's a perioddle, it's the same step.
12:15
SPEAKER_05: Love them.
12:16
SPEAKER_05: And I love IDA because I have a community that I can turn to when I'm at a competition to bounce ideas off, which is great.
12:24
SPEAKER_05: I have people that I can trust that set me up to they send me out to the places they know I'll do well at.
12:30
SPEAKER_05: And I just like knowing that judges are respected now, and you've done that for us.
12:34
SPEAKER_07: Thanks.
12:36
SPEAKER_07: Welcome, Michelle.
12:37
SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Tommy.
12:38
SPEAKER_00: My favorite step tap is the Gregor Heinz step.
12:41
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know what that is, lug it up for Put Black Bile Change.
12:44
SPEAKER_00: And then also my favorite is a ton the flesh.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: I don't know why.
12:49
SPEAKER_00: But half the time it just shows up in my choreography.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: I don't know why.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: Parallel or turned out, or both.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: Both.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: Oh, bothly parallel.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: Oh, joyful.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: A little skippy bottom.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: But why do I like IDA?
13:04
SPEAKER_00: Uh one word, integrity.
13:05
SPEAKER_06: Oh, yeah.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: That's it.
13:07
SPEAKER_00: The older I get, the more that I know that like I love dance and I love judging and I love education more than anything.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: I love it at all.
13:13
SPEAKER_00: I love it just as much as I love performing.
13:15
SPEAKER_00: And the fact that is is that I know where I'm getting sent out somewhere.
13:20
SPEAKER_00: I don't have to compromise my knowledge.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: I don't have to dumb down things.
13:24
SPEAKER_00: I can speak with truth and speak with integrity.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: And that's what makes it easy to continue to judge is when you have that integrity behind it.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: You know you're able to provide really, really good information and help the students out.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: And you don't necessarily get that at every competition.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: They want you to fluff up and say whatever and not actually give the kids something that can actually help them.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: So I always know that I it leaves with integrity, so that's my favorite part.
13:51
SPEAKER_06: Oh, I love that.
13:52
SPEAKER_07: That's awesome.
13:52
SPEAKER_07: Well, welcome, Tommy.
13:54
SPEAKER_02: Hi, I'm Ashley.
13:55
SPEAKER_02: I'm also based in Brooklyn.
13:57
SPEAKER_02: Brooklyn on the side.
13:58
SPEAKER_02: And in the house.
14:00
SPEAKER_02: And my favorite dance move, I'm gonna say, is a triplet of any kind, whether it's tap, potter beret, I just love a triplet.
14:08
SPEAKER_02: But since we've already said triple, I'm also gonna throw in a calypso.
14:11
SPEAKER_02: It's like the freedom of a calypso.
14:13
SPEAKER_02: Love a calypso with a head thrown back and a roll to the floor.
14:17
SPEAKER_02: It's just one of my favorite.
14:18
SPEAKER_02: I throw it in choreography, but to execute as a dancer, it's probably one of my favorite steps to do.
14:22
SPEAKER_02: Nice.
14:23
SPEAKER_02: And uh my favorite thing about IDA, there's definitely a couple things.
14:26
SPEAKER_02: I love the community and the connection, but I also love just the variation of going to all of these different competitions and getting to meet new people and experience a bunch of different competitions where I can bring my consistency as a judge, but get to experience how different competitions run.
14:42
SPEAKER_02: It's really, really exciting.
14:43
SPEAKER_05: I'd like to I'd like to throw in a layout, a jazz square and a hop run.
14:50
SPEAKER_07: Hop run.
14:51
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you know the one with the shoulder.
14:53
SPEAKER_03: I have a little bit.
14:56
SPEAKER_03: Wait, wait, you're talking about a flea hop or are you talking about a jazz drap?
15:00
SPEAKER_03: I'm talking about hop run and jazz breath.
15:03
SPEAKER_05: And you're doing scoop scoop step step.
15:07
SPEAKER_07: I'm there.
15:08
SPEAKER_07: But like then a flea hop just because it's the 1945.
15:10
SPEAKER_04: I'm just saying, like we need to be able to do that.
15:12
SPEAKER_04: Solid gold was my favorite.
15:14
SPEAKER_04: All jazz steps and our favorite jazz steps.
15:17
SPEAKER_04: This is really funny.
15:18
SPEAKER_05: Solid Gold was my favorite show growing up.
15:20
SPEAKER_05: Solid gold.
15:21
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
15:21
SPEAKER_05: And those were the she had that ponytail.
15:23
SPEAKER_05: It's the first time I saw that black dancer with the ponytail for the floor.
15:27
SPEAKER_05: She could lay out.
15:28
SPEAKER_05: Lay out.
15:29
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, shake the floor.
15:30
SPEAKER_05: Anita Man Productions.
15:33
SPEAKER_07: Amazing.
15:33
SPEAKER_07: All right.
15:34
SPEAKER_07: Well, so we have these amazing judges here with us.
15:36
SPEAKER_07: We are ready to hop into some questions because we have questions from literally guys around the world, which is so cool to know that we reach around the globe.
15:44
SPEAKER_03: So without further ado, I'll kick off with the first question.
15:48
SPEAKER_03: And we can kind of just like see how it goes.
15:50
SPEAKER_03: If you have a thought you want to chime in, not everyone has to answer.
15:53
SPEAKER_03: If you don't really feel passionate about it, you do you.
15:56
SPEAKER_03: We can all feel the vibe.
15:57
SPEAKER_03: This first question that was submitted, I think came in on Instagram actually.
16:01
SPEAKER_03: So this is from a dancer named Paige.
16:04
SPEAKER_03: And we're in the judging world right now, is what the question is about.
16:08
SPEAKER_03: How do you become a judge without experience?
16:12
SPEAKER_03: How do you work your way up?
16:14
SPEAKER_03: So maybe they're maybe they're planning ahead and they're looking at their future and they know they might want to be a dance competition judge one day.
16:21
SPEAKER_03: How do you break into this world?
16:23
SPEAKER_04: Well, for me, I remember when I first broke in, it was a really, really tiny dance competition.
16:29
SPEAKER_04: So it was, you know, local and they were looking for local people.
16:33
SPEAKER_04: And I would say maybe start off small and just look for those local competitions that are local to you and want people that are nearby and uh make sure you do have some teaching experience on your resume because they do look for that.
16:43
SPEAKER_03: Totally.
16:44
SPEAKER_03: I I agree.
16:45
SPEAKER_07: I definitely agree.
16:45
SPEAKER_07: Start small, start uh, you know, local and uh just uh keep putting yourself out there because uh there's always gonna be a no, but one day there'll be a yes.
16:55
SPEAKER_07: So, you know, if the no is a no that day, tomorrow it could be a different story.
16:59
SPEAKER_07: Any other advice?
17:00
SPEAKER_00: Uh for me, I think uh you're skipping a step by wanting to be a judge right away.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: I think you need to teach, you need to be around things, you need to know things as well.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: Because in order to judge and to put your experience on top of someone else to tell them something that you believe in, you need a you need an education.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's important that you teach and you have knowledge about the field, and that means knowledge of ballet and tap and jazz, all the art forms, not just what you like.
17:29
SPEAKER_00: So the more education you have around things and the more experience you have, I think.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: Because otherwise you're not bringing anything to the judge and you're just coming in with an opinion.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: And everyone has an opinion.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: Your mom has an opinion, your dad has an opinion.
17:41
SPEAKER_00: You have to come with education and knowledge.
17:43
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's important that you think about that aspect of it first versus the glamour of what the glamour of what it is to be a judge.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: Because it's a lot it's a lot different than what you think it is, you know.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: Everyone thinks it's this like fun thing of like looking at these dances.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: No, it's being able to look at something objectively and not just forming an opinion on it, but actually putting knowledge on top of that to help someone to get better, not just looking at something and saying, Well, I like this and I like that.
18:13
SPEAKER_05: That's that's a great answer, of course it is, Tommy, but it's also a great question.
18:17
SPEAKER_05: And it's a hot topic right now.
18:18
SPEAKER_05: So I'm glad that you brought it up.
18:20
SPEAKER_03: Yes, it we have seen it in the forums.
18:23
SPEAKER_04: It is hot.
18:24
SPEAKER_04: Also, I think to Tommy's point, if you do have teaching experience and you're just starting out, though, you may want to be a tabulator first.
18:31
SPEAKER_04: You may want to just get in with the competition and work other positions first and get to know.
18:36
SPEAKER_04: Just know that stack.
18:38
SPEAKER_05: Stage manager, learn what the competition's about.
18:39
SPEAKER_05: Learn what a dance competition looks like.
18:42
SPEAKER_02: 100%.
18:42
SPEAKER_05: Because everybody thinks they want to judge.
18:44
SPEAKER_05: And dance educators out there, we we would love for you to judge as well.
18:46
SPEAKER_05: Don't think that you can't, as I feel like a lot of teachers don't apply to do this job.
18:52
SPEAKER_05: But yeah, you gotta you've gotta know the ins and outs.
18:54
SPEAKER_05: And every competition is different, and what every competition wants as a judge is different.
18:59
SPEAKER_05: That's true.
19:00
SPEAKER_05: So, you know, like you said, I think start small.
19:02
SPEAKER_05: I started judging from an ad in Backstage.
19:05
SPEAKER_05: Really?
19:06
SPEAKER_05: Paper backstage?
19:07
SPEAKER_05: Paper backstage 200 years ago for Starbound.
19:13
SPEAKER_05: Right.
19:14
SPEAKER_05: They had put an ad in and I had a affiliate competition.
19:17
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, no, that's a whole circle.
19:18
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
19:19
SPEAKER_05: So they were looking for it, and I had just finished, I don't know, I needed to I needed work at the time, and and it was great.
19:25
SPEAKER_05: I enjoyed doing it.
19:26
SPEAKER_05: And so times have a change, though.
19:28
SPEAKER_05: Oh, yeah, have a change.
19:29
SPEAKER_05: And there are about seven million competitions now.
19:31
SPEAKER_05: So there's a place for everyone out there.
19:33
SPEAKER_05: Wait, is it who just opened up?
19:37
SPEAKER_02: No, I agree with Tommy.
19:38
SPEAKER_02: I think uh in my advice to Paige is everything that everyone said, but also just keep focusing on yourself as an artist, like performing and your training and your artistry and apply to the competitions and start small.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: But if that's your main focus, we want somebody behind the table who's also an artist and an educator of some sort.
19:56
SPEAKER_02: So you want to have that maybe as a goal, but still keep kind of filling your cup, you know, and your artistry, because that's I think in order to have output, you have to keep the input of artistry coming and stuff.
20:10
SPEAKER_07: Ooh, Leslie said, I said, ooh, yes, that is like we're gonna pull that out.
20:14
SPEAKER_02: Well, I find that with myself as a judge, if I am not in class or taking in performances and I'm constantly judging, I need to also fill my cup and make sure along with teaching and performing or whatever else I'm doing, the more shows I see and the more classes I take, the more I feel ready to go out on the road and give, you know, better, stronger critiques.
20:35
SPEAKER_07: Well, and be able to sit there and watch a show to watch a show and enjoy it.
20:40
SPEAKER_07: Right.
20:40
SPEAKER_07: As opposed to nitpick it.
20:41
SPEAKER_07: A hundred percent.
20:42
SPEAKER_07: You know, the when I when I find myself deep in the judging season and that's all I'm doing, I'll go to a show and just be like, well, that formation was off.
20:49
SPEAKER_07: No, no, calm down.
20:51
SPEAKER_07: We are not working right now.
20:52
SPEAKER_07: You paid money to be here.
20:53
SPEAKER_07: Just enjoy.
20:54
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
20:54
SPEAKER_07: You know, and that can be hard too.
20:56
SPEAKER_07: So for for anybody out there who's a young judge, new judge, wanting to break into it, I think Ashley makes a very good point that you have to fill your cup.
21:03
SPEAKER_07: You have to remember why you do this.
21:05
SPEAKER_07: It's not just a paycheck.
21:06
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, that's a nice part of it, but it's also because you want to help, you want to help the next generation.
21:12
SPEAKER_07: Yes.
21:13
SPEAKER_07: It has nothing to do with you.
21:14
SPEAKER_07: It has nothing to do with you.
21:16
SPEAKER_07: You're Amen.
21:17
SPEAKER_07: So you know, I think I can't get over that little tune.
21:23
SPEAKER_07: But yeah, it really it's not it's not for you.
21:25
SPEAKER_07: This is for them.
21:26
SPEAKER_07: You're just the the vehicle that that information comes through, you know, and obviously we all need we want a job and we don't want to market ourselves and we want to make sure that people want us to be with their company, but the job is to help people, not help yourself.
21:39
SPEAKER_01: I started judging my last year of college actually, and I think that was the best thing to happen to me to be in class with Tommy.
21:48
SPEAKER_01: And while I was also going and judging, because I was like, Okay, this is a good option for me after I graduate.
21:54
SPEAKER_01: Let me see if I like it.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: But learning every single day and then getting to go to weekends.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: And apply those critiques of what I was learning, but also still being a s active student and being around so many artists really shaped my first year of judging and really shaped how I approach judging after that because it was just so nice to be active and then going.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: And I felt like I was on a very consistent, like a consistent train of going back and forth.
22:22
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
22:22
SPEAKER_03: And I know that you're like our younger judge here today, like newer to IDA, but also recently graduated from school, not not too long ago.
22:31
SPEAKER_03: So I'm I love that you were able to break in and it's because you're great at your job.
22:36
SPEAKER_03: Like we obviously screen all of our judges at IDA, so we wouldn't have you on the roster if we didn't think you think you had the potential and the ability to be here alongside so many great judges.
22:45
SPEAKER_03: But like sometimes competitions won't take risks on young judges because they're like, Oh, I'm not sure if they have the experience yet, and have they taught in the classroom and you know, all of all of the different things that run through their head, or oh, they just graduated, I'm not sure if it's worth it.
22:57
SPEAKER_03: But I do think that's why our s pre-screening process is so important because while we do look at everyone's resumes and credentials, it really comes down to like, do you know how to talk correctly on a microphone to people and get your thought thought out and get your critique out in a positive tone and uh describe what you're saying in an accurate way and you obviously, you know, were able to prove yourself to not just IDA but other competitions that took a chance on you, you know, senior year of college.
23:23
SPEAKER_03: So that's really amazing.
23:24
SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
23:25
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
23:25
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
23:26
SPEAKER_07: All right.
23:27
SPEAKER_07: Any more thoughts on that one?
23:28
SPEAKER_07: I think that's good.
23:29
SPEAKER_07: All right.
23:30
SPEAKER_07: Well, Paige, I hope that was helpful for you and anybody else out there who's looking for this as a job.
23:34
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
23:35
SPEAKER_07: All right.
23:35
SPEAKER_07: So here's our one of our, I mean, I don't know where Paige was from.
23:38
SPEAKER_07: She did not say.
23:39
SPEAKER_07: They did not say, but this is an international question.
23:41
SPEAKER_07: So I'm so excited to hear from Lindy, a studio owner and teacher from South Africa.
23:46
SPEAKER_07: Whoa.
23:47
SPEAKER_07: They are asking, how do you deal with jealousy amongst dancers in the studio?
23:50
SPEAKER_07: Which sometimes leads to dancers not being so nice to other dancers.
23:54
SPEAKER_07: Ooh.
23:55
SPEAKER_03: We have done this episode, but we have new perspectives to share right now.
24:00
SPEAKER_03: Um, so go give a listen to that episode for an hour long, but I'd love to hear what everyone's thoughts are on this.
24:05
SPEAKER_05: I'm not going to answer the question.
24:07
SPEAKER_05: I'm just going to ask to reframe it.
24:08
SPEAKER_05: Is it jealousy or is it insecurity?
24:11
SPEAKER_03: We don't know.
24:12
SPEAKER_05: No, I know.
24:13
SPEAKER_05: That's what I'm saying.
24:14
SPEAKER_05: I know.
24:14
SPEAKER_05: Because I find, and and I teach at a conservatory now, but I grew up teaching in dance studios, that it's really insecurity about your uh your ability and forgetting that what what each person brings to the table is very different.
24:27
SPEAKER_05: Leslie and I do not dance at all alike.
24:29
SPEAKER_05: Courtney and I do not dance at all alike.
24:31
SPEAKER_05: I you bring something different to the table.
24:33
SPEAKER_05: You bring something different to the table.
24:35
SPEAKER_05: So having understanding that and that comes with the team building and the atmosphere in the studio and what you're creating in the studio.
24:43
SPEAKER_05: So that's my first bite of that.
24:45
SPEAKER_05: I see y'all nodding.
24:46
SPEAKER_05: What else you got?
24:47
SPEAKER_02: No, I agree a hundred percent that a lot of times jealousy does stem from insecurity, but also too, I think that it can come from the top down, you know, from the teachers and the choreographers.
24:58
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, as a judge, if I see the same dancer featured and I see that 20 times, it's taking away the opportunity from somebody else.
25:07
SPEAKER_02: So I think that within a studio, advice to the teachers and choreographers is give someone a chance to be front and center.
25:14
SPEAKER_02: Give them a chance to have a moment because, like you you said, Michelle, they may bring something different to the table.
25:20
SPEAKER_02: And I would say for the dancer, it's really hard, especially when you're young and growing up and you're going through puberty and adolescence and things like that, but really just focusing, even as a performer, once you get into the professional world, what you bring to the table, because there's certain things about your performance and the way you dance that you can't change, right?
25:38
SPEAKER_02: So if you focus on you what you bring to the table and being strong in your sense of self, it's so much easier said than done.
25:45
SPEAKER_02: But that's my best advice.
25:46
SPEAKER_02: Write down, write little notes to yourself what you like about yourself, you know, what you're strong at and things that you can work on, put them in your like, you know, my my bud category, things I want to work on and things you admire about the other dancers without taking it in a negative way.
26:02
SPEAKER_02: Oh, this dancer has fierce, you know, tilts, and maybe you don't have flexible hip hips, you're never gonna get that 180 tilt, but that's okay.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you can turn a lot.
26:10
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you're a fabulous jumper, maybe you have that stage presence that isn't always taught that way.
26:15
SPEAKER_02: So or isn't always taught, you know, some people just have that natural, sparkly stage presence.
26:20
SPEAKER_02: So I'd say focus on on what you bring to the table and loving what you bring to the table.
26:25
SPEAKER_05: On the flip side, the person that is having trouble, the the the jealous dancer will say, have you talked to that person?
26:32
SPEAKER_05: Are they in the studio as much as the person that they're looking up to?
26:35
SPEAKER_05: Are you doing the work?
26:36
SPEAKER_05: Are you are you doing everything that needs to be done?
26:38
SPEAKER_05: Because sometimes that's the root of the issue.
26:40
SPEAKER_05: If you're not in the classes, if you don't have your technique at work, yeah.
26:44
SPEAKER_05: That that might be it.
26:45
SPEAKER_05: So maybe it's a one-on-one with that student that is having some jealousy issues with with who's our person's name from South Africa?
26:53
SPEAKER_05: Lindy.
26:54
SPEAKER_05: Maybe you just need to have a one-on-one and find the root of the problem.
26:57
SPEAKER_05: There's usually a root.
26:58
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
26:59
SPEAKER_05: I spray mine.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: I mean for me, it's it's pretty simple.
27:04
SPEAKER_00: Like I all of these things are so great and they're so valid, but the fact of the matter is, is if you're jealous, that means your focus is on the wrong thing.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: It's about dancing.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: You don't join dance to be the lead, you don't join dance to do any of those things.
27:18
SPEAKER_00: It's about you enjoying yourself and doing the work and doing that.
27:22
SPEAKER_00: If you're focused on your passion, if you're focused on your training, then it's impossible to fall into those things.
27:29
SPEAKER_00: Like you don't covet what someone else has when you are focused in on finding your own joy.
27:34
SPEAKER_00: And that's the problem, is that we spend so much time looking at others and wanting what others have that we're not focusing in on ourselves.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: So of course you aren't happy.
27:43
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's impossible to find happiness over there.
27:46
SPEAKER_00: And it's that's the problem with social media.
27:48
SPEAKER_00: Yes, exactly.
27:49
SPEAKER_05: We didn't have that growing up.
27:50
SPEAKER_05: I was I'm pointing to me, me, the the dinosaur in the room.
27:54
SPEAKER_05: We didn't have that growing up.
27:55
SPEAKER_05: So, and I and I feel for young dancers now.
27:58
SPEAKER_03: No, me too.
27:58
SPEAKER_03: I was gonna say social media is okay.
28:00
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, the Tiki Talk and the Facebook and the Instagram.
28:03
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I said the Facebook.
28:04
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
28:05
SPEAKER_05: I mean, that I didn't compete with that.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: And see, the thing is is I didn't compete with any of those things that I saw online either.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: I was inspired by them, and it made me work on trying to emulate or do those things.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't jealous of those things.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: I thought they were cool, and I wanted to get a step closer to that.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: Any opportunity that I got to perform, I didn't care.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: I was performing at nursing homes, I would perform at the county fairs on linoleum floors, busting up things.
28:31
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't about anything except for the dance aspect of it.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: So when we travel into this jealousy thing, I think we were just walking up the wrong thing.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: You gotta focus in on what it is that you're doing, you know?
28:43
SPEAKER_04: And I think this question exemplifies how hard it is to be a studio owner slash dance teacher, because there is so much that goes into it besides just teaching dance and teaching choreography.
28:54
SPEAKER_04: Right therapy.
28:55
SPEAKER_04: One, yes, you're a therapy.
28:57
SPEAKER_04: But two, I think someone mentioned team building, and I think it really is worth it, even if it means you have to take a day out of rehearsal to do team building exercises.
29:06
SPEAKER_04: It definitely is worth it.
29:07
SPEAKER_04: And maybe even think of maybe planning an outing outside of the studio for the dancers to maybe get to know each other better on a personal level and not just within the dance world.
29:17
SPEAKER_04: I think that's important too.
29:18
SPEAKER_04: And like you said, Tommy, you know, it's so important.
29:21
SPEAKER_04: And as judges, I'm always saying this, we can see you, even if you're in the back row, right?
29:26
SPEAKER_04: You're as important as the people in the front row.
29:29
SPEAKER_04: So that's something that always has to be, I think, talked about in class is that everyone has an equal importance in in the uh choreography.
29:36
SPEAKER_04: So that's something that also comes from the top down.
29:38
SPEAKER_04: And sure.
29:39
SPEAKER_04: And even if you're an understudy, your job is so important.
29:42
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
29:43
SPEAKER_04: And I was always an understudy.
29:45
SPEAKER_05: I have a friend that creates a mission statement with his older students for the year.
29:50
SPEAKER_05: And it changes every year because it's different answers every year.
29:52
SPEAKER_05: He has them create it and they put it up on the wall and they have to adhere to that.
29:57
SPEAKER_05: And they have a studio culture.
29:58
SPEAKER_05: So I think that's something that has to be thought about for some studio owners.
30:03
SPEAKER_05: It might not apply to everyone, uh, but I do think it's very helpful.
30:06
SPEAKER_05: If you know this is what we're looking for here, and this is what our culture here, jealousy won't jump in as much.
30:13
SPEAKER_07: Well, and if the if the students are the ones sort of responsible for their own mission statement, then they have to be held accountable because they created it.
30:19
SPEAKER_07: That's why they do it.
30:20
SPEAKER_07: Really brilliant to bring them into the fold.
30:22
SPEAKER_05: And you know that person.
30:23
SPEAKER_07: Oh, well, that's great.
30:24
SPEAKER_07: I don't know who that is, but we're we'll talk later.
30:32
SPEAKER_03: Looking for the perfect party game?
30:35
SPEAKER_03: Get ready to guess and dance.
30:37
SPEAKER_03: The brand new Dance It app is the ultimate charade style dance game, where players watch and copy gift moves while others try to guess.
30:45
SPEAKER_03: Just like heads up, but with dancing.
30:48
SPEAKER_03: Hold up your phone, copy the gift dance moves, and let your friends try to guess which viral dance you're doing.
30:54
SPEAKER_03: It's that simple.
30:55
SPEAKER_03: With over 400 dances across 20 plus categories, from classic moves like the Macarena to modern hits like the gritty, there's a dance for everyone.
31:04
SPEAKER_03: Want a moon walk?
31:05
SPEAKER_03: They've got it.
31:06
SPEAKER_03: Ready to floss?
31:07
SPEAKER_03: Let's go.
31:08
SPEAKER_03: Preview and try 10 free dances in every pack.
31:11
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
31:12
SPEAKER_03: Try before you buy and find your favorite moves.
31:14
SPEAKER_03: If you get it right, celebrate with hilarious gift reactions.
31:18
SPEAKER_03: If you miss it, no worries.
31:20
SPEAKER_03: Laugh it off with funny fail gifts.
31:22
SPEAKER_03: Every guest becomes a moment to remember.
31:24
SPEAKER_03: The Dance It app is perfect for holiday gatherings, family game nights, birthday parties, or virtual hangouts with friends.
31:31
SPEAKER_03: Bring the joy of dance to any celebration.
31:34
SPEAKER_03: No dance experience, no problem.
31:36
SPEAKER_03: Whether you're a seasoned dancer or have two left feet, Dance It brings everyone together for nonstop fun.
31:43
SPEAKER_03: Download Dance It Now on the App Store and Google Play and discover your dance.
31:47
SPEAKER_03: Join thousands of players already creating memorable moments with Dance It.
31:52
SPEAKER_03: Dance It, a dance for everyone.
31:54
SPEAKER_03: Let's play.
32:03
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, I definitely think that every everything said here has been m has been a very good point with the jealousy.
32:09
SPEAKER_07: And I think you're right, Jackie.
32:10
SPEAKER_07: Like, we have a team building episode this season.
32:12
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
32:13
SPEAKER_07: And it's it's insanely important to know and to know your f your peers that like Sarah isn't just Sarah who can do a million turns, and I'm jealous of her.
32:21
SPEAKER_07: Sarah also really likes cats.
32:23
SPEAKER_07: Right.
32:23
SPEAKER_07: And we I really like cats.
32:25
SPEAKER_07: And maybe we're friends because of that, and I'm not just thinking of you as the girl who I am competing with.
32:30
SPEAKER_07: Right.
32:30
SPEAKER_07: You know, she's a person on top of all these other things.
32:33
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
32:34
SPEAKER_04: And I guarantee that as many turns as Sarah can do, she's probably really insecure about the height of her leaps or her job.
32:40
SPEAKER_04: So there's always something to work on.
32:42
SPEAKER_04: We have to really understand that too.
32:44
SPEAKER_04: So totally.
32:44
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
32:45
SPEAKER_03: Great perspectives, everybody.
32:46
SPEAKER_03: I love it.
32:47
SPEAKER_03: And yes, we are doing an upcoming teamwork, team building episode very shortly.
32:52
SPEAKER_03: So hopefully all of our listeners will enjoy that one.
32:56
SPEAKER_03: And thank you, Lindy, from South Africa, for that question.
32:59
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
32:59
SPEAKER_03: All right, we're moving on to the next one, everyone.
33:02
SPEAKER_03: And this is coming from Bridget, a dance parent.
33:05
SPEAKER_03: It's a little long, so be ready.
33:07
SPEAKER_03: Forgive me if this has already been covered, but I have an eight-year-old who will be doing her first solo that happens to be musical theater.
33:15
SPEAKER_03: Ooh.
33:16
SPEAKER_03: I know that it needs to be more showy and animated than a typical, say, jazz solo.
33:22
SPEAKER_03: How much is expected as far as facials and acting?
33:26
SPEAKER_03: And how much is too much?
33:28
SPEAKER_03: We have a lot of musical theater people up in here because, you know, it's New York City.
33:33
SPEAKER_00: So we certainly do.
33:35
SPEAKER_03: I think we can answer this question.
33:37
SPEAKER_01: I feel like it's so interesting.
33:39
SPEAKER_01: People always associate musical theater with big facials.
33:43
SPEAKER_01: When I'm judging, yeah, that's the last thing I think of.
33:46
SPEAKER_01: For me, the most important thing about musical theater, whether you're dancing it, whether you're singing, whether you're acting, beginning, middle, and end.
33:54
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
33:55
SPEAKER_01: Right.
33:55
SPEAKER_01: And any age can understand that.
33:57
SPEAKER_01: At six, you're at six, you've read a book before, or like some you've been read a book before.
34:02
SPEAKER_01: So I always call them programmed facials when I'm judging.
34:06
SPEAKER_01: That's the least interesting thing to me.
34:08
SPEAKER_01: Cause then it's like, do you understand the story?
34:10
SPEAKER_01: Right.
34:11
SPEAKER_01: I think I said this as one of my judges' tips, but you should always be re-listening to your music because it's so easy just to remember words and what you're dancing to, but are you understanding what those words mean?
34:23
SPEAKER_01: So whenever I teach musical theater, I never try to put the facials on them and think, say, think bigger, think more this, more that.
34:32
SPEAKER_01: It's okay, what are you starting with?
34:33
SPEAKER_01: What are you trying to tell the people that you're starting with?
34:36
SPEAKER_01: What's the middle and what's the end?
34:37
SPEAKER_01: Because realistically, when you're dancing musical theater, it's just because you can't say what you're thinking.
34:42
SPEAKER_01: So your body has to do it for you, uh, is what I always try to say.
34:47
SPEAKER_01: So less about facials, in my opinion, more consistency.
34:51
SPEAKER_01: What's the actual story?
34:52
SPEAKER_05: I love that.
34:53
SPEAKER_05: Storytelling.
34:54
SPEAKER_05: Storytelling.
34:55
SPEAKER_05: It's storytelling.
34:56
SPEAKER_05: Storytelling, period.
34:57
SPEAKER_03: I want to just ask a quick question because I was, as you're answering that, Brianna, I was thinking about how you were a child performer in a Broadway musical.
35:05
SPEAKER_03: You were in Billy Elliott as a kid.
35:07
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
35:08
SPEAKER_03: So how that did you learn, did you have that concept of storytelling as a child?
35:14
SPEAKER_03: Obviously, like who taught that to you?
35:15
SPEAKER_03: How how young were you when you learned that?
35:17
SPEAKER_03: Because this question is eight years old.
35:19
SPEAKER_03: So is it possible for eight-year-old, eight-year-olds to understand the concept of storytelling as a character?
35:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was so funny when I was auditioning for Billy Elliott, because I also had learned the big facials from dance competitions because I did that.
35:33
SPEAKER_01: Everything was very task-oriented when I was auditioning.
35:36
SPEAKER_01: So it was do it this time, but pretend like you're doing it while you're reciting what you ate for breakfast, or do it this time and count how many ceilings or count how many tiles are on the ceiling.
35:47
SPEAKER_01: So it was like we almost always had a task while we were doing it, and that really taught me how to be active with my storytelling while I was dancing.
35:56
SPEAKER_01: It was like I was understanding what the intention was and what the goal was.
36:01
SPEAKER_01: It took me longer after that to understand kind of what I was saying with the beginning, middle, and end thing.
36:07
SPEAKER_01: But I guess I was never really taught the you're gonna do this face here and that face there because she's saying this.
36:14
SPEAKER_01: So you have to act like this.
36:16
SPEAKER_01: When I teach musical theater to the young ones now, I ask them questions always.
36:20
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna say, okay, if I if I just did something really mean to you, what would you say to me?
36:26
SPEAKER_01: Or what would your face maybe look like if you did that to me?
36:29
SPEAKER_01: And I'd say, okay, now do that, but do that, try to do that while you're dancing instead of saying it to me.
36:34
SPEAKER_01: Try to think about what your body would do while you're doing that.
36:37
SPEAKER_01: And I try to teach it from the inside so that way it naturally comes out instead of saying your face has to do this at this point.
36:45
SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's such good advice.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: Proud teacher.
36:48
SPEAKER_00: Proud teacher.
36:50
SPEAKER_03: Aww.
36:52
SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna just say something, and you can agree or disagree.
36:55
SPEAKER_05: But I think part of the problem with musical theater when we're at competition is that the storyline isn't consistent through the dance.
37:02
unknown: Right.
37:02
SPEAKER_03: And the choreographer.
37:03
SPEAKER_00: There isn't one period.
37:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, right.
37:05
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
37:06
SPEAKER_03: Choreographer, oftentimes.
37:08
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
37:09
SPEAKER_05: So this this question is like, what does my daughter need to work on?
37:12
SPEAKER_05: I think your daughter's gonna be great.
37:14
SPEAKER_05: I would like your daughter and the choreographer to work together to figure out the story.
37:19
SPEAKER_00: And the problem is, is and I can tell you what the big problem is, is because I've been teaching at a lot of conventions, musical theater, and I've been getting a lot of the younger kids.
37:27
SPEAKER_00: And the first thing I do before I teach any class and I make the parents listen in, the teachers in the room, I ask the children what musical theater dance is.
37:35
SPEAKER_00: And I can tell you nine times out of ten, the answer is incorrect.
37:40
SPEAKER_06: Big faces.
37:41
SPEAKER_00: Big faces.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, no, it's not big faces.
37:44
SPEAKER_00: I was like, well, do you do big faces in jazz?
37:46
SPEAKER_00: Can you do big faces in tap?
37:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay, well then give me something else.
37:50
SPEAKER_00: Right.
37:50
SPEAKER_00: What's your next answer?
37:52
SPEAKER_00: Like you said, like I know you're concerned about the solo and what that's happening, but what needs to be discussed with the teacher and the student is what the story is behind the song or what it is that you're trying to tell, because that's the most important thing, because it is just a jazz dance.
38:06
SPEAKER_00: Right.
38:06
SPEAKER_00: Correct.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just to a chorus dance.
38:09
SPEAKER_00: Just because it's a musical theater song does not make it a musical theater dance.
38:15
SPEAKER_01: I always say, I'm like, when you get mad at someone, do you go like this?
38:19
SPEAKER_06: I'm like, no, it never happens when you're mad at someone or when you're happy.
38:27
unknown: Yeah.
38:28
SPEAKER_04: But I also think, again, it does need to make sense.
38:30
SPEAKER_04: So some performers may have bigger faces and it, but it makes sense for them and their performance.
38:35
SPEAKER_04: And some may have more subtle mannerisms, more subtle faces, and that does make sense to what they're trying to accomplish.
38:41
SPEAKER_04: So it really does need to make sense to what you're trying to accomplish as a choreographer or dance teacher and performer.
38:47
SPEAKER_05: And that does translate to lyrical as well.
38:51
SPEAKER_05: It is also storytelling.
38:52
SPEAKER_05: That's what lyrical is, it's also storytelling.
38:54
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
38:54
SPEAKER_05: But jazz we're dancing to the lyrics except our friend.
38:59
SPEAKER_05: But there should always be some story, no matter what style of dance you're doing.
39:04
SPEAKER_03: Intention.
39:05
SPEAKER_03: Always.
39:06
SPEAKER_03: There's there's needs to be something behind the eyes.
39:08
SPEAKER_03: I know it's a hard concept to grasp for like an eight-year-old, you know, it's like they're just learning how to dance.
39:13
SPEAKER_03: It is, but it isn't.
39:14
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
39:14
SPEAKER_00: Because they watch movies.
39:15
SPEAKER_00: Right.
39:15
SPEAKER_00: They do.
39:16
SPEAKER_00: They watch movies, they read books, they know there's a beginning, middle, and end.
39:19
SPEAKER_00: What's tricky is that people don't want to take the time to do that.
39:22
SPEAKER_00: Right.
39:23
SPEAKER_00: Because whenever I have my my little kids, I mean, I've like, show tell me emotions, and then I make them improv how to one of the emotions.
39:30
SPEAKER_00: And then I move on.
39:31
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, all right, let's get something like, okay, pretend you're a spy.
39:35
SPEAKER_00: Show me what how a spy moves around the room.
39:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, all right, now you're in a marching band.
39:40
SPEAKER_00: How does a marching band move?
39:41
SPEAKER_00: They know how to do it.
39:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
39:43
SPEAKER_00: They have the best imagination.
39:44
SPEAKER_00: You know, the thing is you just have to teach them to do it.
39:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
39:47
SPEAKER_00: It's just that unfortunately, because if we want to get to the nitty-gritty, is that people assume that because it's competition, that it's about the tricks and things when and they just do that as another form of jazz dance instead of actually wanting to give them the tools behind the character development.
40:03
SPEAKER_00: And that's the problem, is that you want to skip that part and get to the the easy stuff, which well, not as easy, but you know, the the tricks and the turns and things, and they skip over that part.
40:13
SPEAKER_03: Right.
40:14
SPEAKER_03: And I think that comes back to the teacher.
40:15
SPEAKER_04: And yeah, to your point, Corney, I think that's where music choice comes in too.
40:19
SPEAKER_04: Because as a teacher, you know what your eight-year-old can handle.
40:21
SPEAKER_04: Yep.
40:22
SPEAKER_04: You know what might bring out the best in them as far as the performance.
40:25
SPEAKER_04: And so song choice is hugely important.
40:28
SPEAKER_03: And I don't think that we like the dance can't have some of their best skills to feature.
40:34
SPEAKER_03: Every dance, every solo wants that.
40:36
SPEAKER_03: But I think that the entire intention from the beginning of if you want a musical theater solo, you have to understand that this is primarily about your character and your storytelling.
40:46
SPEAKER_03: It's not about the tricks.
40:48
SPEAKER_03: We'll we'll we'll add the little sprinkles.
40:50
SPEAKER_07: If your character does the thing.
40:51
SPEAKER_03: Right.
40:52
SPEAKER_03: But like I think the approach from the choreographers and and we have to kind of like drive this home as a community and industry is the the what we want, what we desire in the musical theater category is very different most of the time with a lot of judges than what every studio thinks we want to see.
41:06
SPEAKER_03: Right.
41:07
SPEAKER_03: And that's the problem, is that just the the stigma of, well, it's musical theater because it's a musical theater song and they have a really beautiful bedazzled costume and they're gonna do acro the whole time and maybe lip sync and don't have any idea what this song is about and who their character is and what world they're living in.
41:22
SPEAKER_03: Like it's just there's it's a very bizarre category.
41:25
SPEAKER_03: It's shifted into a very bizarre category.
41:27
SPEAKER_00: I have and just to add to that as well, it's that people have to realize that each subject has a different type of virtuosity to it.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: It's like you don't need to see aerials and tap shoes necessarily.
41:40
SPEAKER_00: That's the taps thing.
41:41
SPEAKER_00: Please don't.
41:42
SPEAKER_00: It's how you hear the musicality.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: I did do that back in the day, though.
41:46
SPEAKER_07: And it was probably safe and beautiful.
41:48
SPEAKER_00: I also knew what I also was very safe in knowing what I was doing.
41:51
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
41:52
SPEAKER_00: But if I say musical theater solo, I'm I'm not expecting to see necessarily all of the tricks and all those things.
41:58
SPEAKER_00: I'm expecting to see you come out.
42:00
SPEAKER_00: And if you're able to tell that story and keep me entertained, that's what keeps your score going up because that's what it's about.
42:06
SPEAKER_00: The ability to do whatever it is at the top of your game is what it is.
42:11
SPEAKER_00: It's ever each thing has something different.
42:13
SPEAKER_00: Just like with tap.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: Like you could have the craziest feet in the world, but if you don't have musicality with it, it doesn't really matter.
42:21
SPEAKER_00: It's what each subject is, and we have to remember that there is a virtuosity to all those things.
42:26
SPEAKER_00: Not nothing prescribed, but actually doing the very best that you can in what you're given.
42:32
SPEAKER_05: Every now and then I see the unicorn in the musical theater group, and they actually sing while they're dancing.
42:39
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I've seen it.
42:39
SPEAKER_05: That is true musical theater.
42:41
SPEAKER_03: Right.
42:42
SPEAKER_05: And that's what we should be aspiring to, I think, in your musical theater classes.
42:46
SPEAKER_05: Even if it's just a chorus when you're teaching at your studio.
42:49
SPEAKER_05: Like that's what musical theater is.
42:50
SPEAKER_05: You're going to sing and you're going to dance and you're going to act.
42:53
SPEAKER_05: So every now and then I'm like, oh, and they have heels on and they're singing and they're acting it out, and it makes me so happy.
42:58
SPEAKER_00: Except for those rare moving outs and all those businesses.
43:02
SPEAKER_03: That's true.
43:03
SPEAKER_03: There are musical theaters that there are a few like aren't gonna make you sing.
43:06
SPEAKER_03: Dance, yeah, dance musicals, but yeah.
43:09
SPEAKER_05: Moving on.
43:11
SPEAKER_03: Moving on, moving out.
43:13
SPEAKER_03: Moving on, moving out.
43:15
SPEAKER_03: All right.
43:15
SPEAKER_03: I love it.
43:17
SPEAKER_07: Alrighty, we have a question from Roshana, a dance parent from Georgia.
43:22
SPEAKER_07: And they say, I would like to hear about the next steps in helping young dancers wanting to pursue a career in dance after high school.
43:27
SPEAKER_07: I have a 13-year-old and we're looking at preparation for high school.
43:30
SPEAKER_07: Do we pursue a performance art performing arts high school or stay the course at a dance studio?
43:34
SPEAKER_07: Do we find more opportunities in the greater community combined with dance education?
43:38
SPEAKER_07: That's her question.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: All of the above.
43:41
SPEAKER_00: Different strokes for different folks.
43:43
SPEAKER_00: You gotta grab whatever opportunities you have that are around you.
43:46
SPEAKER_00: You have to figure out what it is that you want because there's so many different types of dance.
43:50
SPEAKER_00: There's concert dance, there's musical theater, there is video dance, there's dancing behind artists.
43:57
SPEAKER_00: You have to figure out what it is that you want to.
43:59
SPEAKER_00: So go.
44:00
SPEAKER_00: Grab whatever you can.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: And there is not one path to get it.
44:03
SPEAKER_00: You take whatever it is that you can get and you just educate yourself as much as you can.
44:08
SPEAKER_00: If whatever you have around you, just scoop it up.
44:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:11
SPEAKER_00: That's literally just scoop it up.
44:13
SPEAKER_05: My question is, and I appreciate, I know, I'm so glad to I like your question.
44:18
SPEAKER_03: The question for the question.
44:20
SPEAKER_05: I know that mom wrote this, but does the daughter want it?
44:22
SPEAKER_05: Or son?
44:23
SPEAKER_05: Is it daughter or son?
44:24
SPEAKER_05: Doesn't matter.
44:24
SPEAKER_05: And we're 13.
44:26
SPEAKER_05: We got a lot of time to go.
44:27
SPEAKER_05: And there can be burnout.
44:29
SPEAKER_05: So whatever way you go with this, don't forget to allow your son or daughter to be a teenager as well.
44:36
SPEAKER_05: Because I see that happen a lot.
44:38
SPEAKER_05: They're not going to their friends' houses or sleepovers or birthday parties because they're stuck track, not stuck.
44:44
SPEAKER_05: A lot of them love it, but I would just be careful about burnout if you're going to go down this road.
44:50
SPEAKER_05: But I agree with everything Tommy said.
44:52
SPEAKER_02: Kind of combining what both of you said, I was at a performing arts high school, ballet, modern, still dancing at my studio after school.
44:59
SPEAKER_02: And those first two years at my performing arts high school, I learned so much.
45:02
SPEAKER_02: I was doing ballet five days a week.
45:04
SPEAKER_02: But I started to get burnt out.
45:05
SPEAKER_02: And I thought if I stay at this arts high school, I'm not going to want to dance after high school.
45:10
SPEAKER_02: So then I transferred to the public high school.
45:12
SPEAKER_02: I did dance team.
45:13
SPEAKER_02: I did palm, like I did hip hop for, you know, dance team hip hop.
45:17
SPEAKER_02: But everyone at my performing arts high school was like, you're not going to dance professionally or go on to do this because you're leaving.
45:23
SPEAKER_02: But I stayed at my studio and did the dance team.
45:25
SPEAKER_02: And that got me my first job right out of high school.
45:28
SPEAKER_02: I was on staff for UDA, but that is what I needed.
45:31
SPEAKER_02: And luckily, my parents were down.
45:32
SPEAKER_02: They're like, whatever you want.
45:34
SPEAKER_02: And that's what filled my cup.
45:35
SPEAKER_02: And then I went and studied dance at a really intense dance program.
45:39
SPEAKER_02: I didn't go on to do college dance team like most of the people I was on UDA staff with, but it's what I needed.
45:45
SPEAKER_02: And that's kind of what broke me out of my ballerina shell.
45:48
SPEAKER_02: And then I realized, wow, there's so many other things that I want to do.
45:51
SPEAKER_02: So I was lucky to have the support of my parents, but it wasn't the path of like you need to stay at this arts high school because I knew if I stayed there, I wouldn't want to go on and dance.
46:01
SPEAKER_02: So I think listening and talking to the, you know, making sure they're taking everything in, but also not being like, this is what you have to do, because it's not a linear path.
46:09
SPEAKER_02: But you just said, and I'm sorry, Tommy, you were going to jump in.
46:11
SPEAKER_05: But it's nobody has the same path.
46:13
SPEAKER_05: And that's the thing.
46:13
SPEAKER_05: So I we can give you suggestions and we love to, and we all have places and know things and people, but it really comes down to what's best for your child.
46:22
SPEAKER_00: And I just want to say, because I love that you said that, because that's what I mean by like there's no one path.
46:26
SPEAKER_00: Beware of anybody that is the head of something that tells you, no, you can't do that.
46:32
SPEAKER_00: Right.
46:32
SPEAKER_00: Or if you don't do this, you're not going to do this.
46:35
SPEAKER_00: Because they do not know that is not how the world works.
46:39
SPEAKER_00: There's so many different pathways of getting to where you are.
46:42
SPEAKER_00: If I listen to what other people said, I was told, I was told that when I went to Ailey that I wasn't, because I didn't go to a performing arts high school, that I could not handle being in the senior program.
46:55
SPEAKER_00: And so they put me in the junior program as the oldest kid there.
46:58
SPEAKER_00: By the end of that, I was dancing better on than their students that were there that took their year round.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: And then I ended up taking a duet that someone didn't show up for, and they relied on me heavily as one of their students in their in the showcase.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: And meanwhile, they didn't think I could handle being up another level.
47:14
SPEAKER_00: Right.
47:14
SPEAKER_00: So like prove them wrong.
47:16
SPEAKER_00: You really gotta watch that.
47:18
SPEAKER_00: So just whatever you do, just make sure that you are listening to your heart and getting as much information as you possibly can.
47:25
SPEAKER_00: That's all.
47:26
SPEAKER_00: Just be aware of that, really.
47:28
SPEAKER_07: I think for this student in particular, you know, knowing about the performing arts high schools and how rigorous it is to get even get in the application, just like a college, you know, the application process is a lot.
47:37
SPEAKER_07: Just know that, like, yes, if this is sort of if you think this is what you want to do, apply.
47:41
SPEAKER_07: Audition.
47:42
SPEAKER_07: If you get in, just like Ashley did, know that you don't have to stay there.
47:46
SPEAKER_07: If if this is gonna be too much for you, go back to your home studio.
47:49
SPEAKER_07: If it's gonna be like you don't have to stay, nothing is set in stone.
47:52
SPEAKER_07: And in 10 years, nobody's gonna know, oh, she left the performing arts high school because you're gonna be doing something else.
47:57
SPEAKER_07: You're gonna be doing something greater, you know.
47:59
SPEAKER_07: But knowing like if you wanted to get in, now is the time to do that.
48:03
SPEAKER_07: Don't wait till your sophomore year when you're gonna have to then transfer in or do this later.
48:08
SPEAKER_07: Like you want to get in when you can get in and then make the decision, you know.
48:11
SPEAKER_07: That's my opinion.
48:12
SPEAKER_03: And I think it depends on like what type of training you're getting at your studio now, and if you need more, like most performing arts high schools are gonna be more ballet structured most of the time.
48:24
SPEAKER_03: So if you need more of that, if you're looking collectively at like, okay, at 13 years old, this is how I'm trained.
48:30
SPEAKER_03: I'm missing ballet.
48:31
SPEAKER_03: I need a little bit more ballet to get to that level that I need.
48:34
SPEAKER_03: The performing arts high school is gonna be able to give that to you.
48:36
SPEAKER_03: Maybe your studio doesn't offer enough ballet, maybe it's only two days a week and you wanna be four days a week, and you can do that at school.
48:42
SPEAKER_03: I think it just depends on like what your goals are and what access you have in your region and like taking a look at the school.
48:49
SPEAKER_03: Is it prestigious?
48:50
SPEAKER_03: Are you know, are students coming out of that performing arts high school, where are they going after that?
48:54
SPEAKER_03: What what are they going straight to college or you know, whatever it is?
48:57
SPEAKER_03: Or are you getting all of that at your studio and you don't need to go there?
49:00
SPEAKER_03: And then you can still dabble in more commercial work and doing more competition circuit.
49:04
SPEAKER_03: Like I've said it on my we did our performing arts episode, performing arts high school episode last year, and I said it on my episode at 13 when I was making that decision from middle school to high school, my studio made a rule that we couldn't attend the performing arts high school uh and still stay at the studio.
49:20
SPEAKER_03: And they wanted to keep us there.
49:21
SPEAKER_03: And they were like, Corney, you love jazz.
49:23
SPEAKER_03: You're not gonna get jazz at the performing arts high school, you're gonna just do ballet and point you hate point.
49:28
SPEAKER_03: Why would you go there?
49:28
SPEAKER_03: Like they completely convinced me to stay.
49:31
SPEAKER_03: I knew it was the right, right choice for me because I could be like as far as the burnout aspect, I could scale back a little bit when I got to my junior year.
49:38
SPEAKER_03: I could focus on me.
49:39
SPEAKER_03: I didn't have to be at the studio 24-7 and I got to hang out with my friends, go to football games, live the like regular college uh high school experience.
49:46
SPEAKER_03: You know, so it just depends on like what what do you look at your life in high school?
49:50
SPEAKER_03: What do you what do you see in the future?
49:52
SPEAKER_03: Because you could get burnt out if you're playing double duty at a performing arts high school and also getting that competition aspect.
49:58
SPEAKER_04: And I think it's also the personality of the student, too, because in a performing arts high school, you really have to be tough instinctively at a very young age.
50:08
SPEAKER_04: Whereas I was so sensitive at a young age, I could not have handled it.
50:11
SPEAKER_04: There's no way my dance teacher was strict enough, and even that was like enough to make me cry.
50:16
SPEAKER_04: So it does also depend on the personality of the child.
50:18
SPEAKER_04: You don't have to go to a per a performing arts high school to be able to make it in dance.
50:22
SPEAKER_04: And Courtney, as you said, sometimes those real experiences and living a life first will end up helping you in the long run as an artist.
50:29
SPEAKER_04: So yeah.
50:30
SPEAKER_00: I think uh one more thing to think about as well is where when looking at these things as knowing what the program is based off of, because a lot of times uh performing arts high schools, if you're going there for dance, they are for concert dance.
50:43
SPEAKER_00: They're looking, they're trying to train people to be in companies, which is very different than like necessarily the musical theater world and or the commercial world dance world.
50:54
SPEAKER_00: So there's very different, so it's just knowing what aspect of it that you want to be a part of.
50:58
SPEAKER_00: Because like Courtney was saying, it's uh it's ballet and modern.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: You're learning gram, you're learning Horton, you're learning ballet, and you're doing that every single day.
51:04
SPEAKER_00: And that's very different, which a lot of times you don't get at the studio, which makes you more well-rounded, which you know, I don't know why we're doing to Dipper and we don't do modern.
51:12
SPEAKER_01: Right.
51:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that is true.
51:15
SPEAKER_01: I also went to performing arts high school, but I majored in musical theater, not in dance.
51:19
SPEAKER_01: So I was still getting dance, but like that was when I was introduced to Fosse and started learning Fosse and like really started understanding musical theater dance.
51:27
SPEAKER_01: And I ended up I tried going to a studio, I did it for a year, and then I was also feeling the burnout.
51:32
SPEAKER_01: So I ended up leaving the studio and just doing the school and then took ballet when I needed to, because I wasn't getting ballet as much at the high school.
51:42
SPEAKER_01: So I went to a ballet teacher that I know in New York, and I was taking privates from her.
51:46
SPEAKER_01: So I was still getting the other areas of dance that I needed.
51:50
SPEAKER_01: But for me, that introduced me to a whole new style that I feel like I wasn't getting at a studio that, or authentically at least, I wasn't getting it from a studio.
51:59
SPEAKER_01: So it was very beneficial for me to be there and learn that that was kind of my niche, but still take those technical aspects outside of the high school.
52:08
SPEAKER_05: I want to just throw this out there to your listeners.
52:10
SPEAKER_05: I didn't do any of those things, and I have a degree in English and I was a rocket for six years.
52:15
SPEAKER_05: So everyone's path is different.
52:17
SPEAKER_05: That's all I just want to say.
52:19
SPEAKER_05: Oh, yeah.
52:20
SPEAKER_05: I just want to say everybody's path is different.
52:22
SPEAKER_05: I was at a dance studio and then I started teaching at 15.
52:25
SPEAKER_05: And so it's great if you have this the ability and it can, because we where I grew up, there were no performing arts schools.
52:31
SPEAKER_05: I don't think there is still in New Hampshire, but it can be done.
52:35
SPEAKER_05: It's also how much you want it as the dancer.
52:37
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
52:38
SPEAKER_03: Totally agree.
52:39
SPEAKER_03: And I hope that was helpful advice to our listener.
52:42
SPEAKER_03: Thanks for sending that in.
52:43
SPEAKER_03: All right.
52:44
SPEAKER_03: We're never going to get through all of these questions, but we have we have more, and we're just going to go down the list and see where it takes us.
52:50
SPEAKER_03: Next up, this is another international question.
52:53
SPEAKER_03: Sophie, their question is how to perform with a lot of emotions in competitions and performances and tips and tricks on getting straight legs when dancing.
53:03
SPEAKER_03: My legs always seem to be bending even though I'm trying to straighten them.
53:07
SPEAKER_03: Did you say Sophie?
53:09
SPEAKER_05: Sophie.
53:09
SPEAKER_05: Sophie, I love you.
53:10
SPEAKER_05: Sophie.
53:11
SPEAKER_05: Thank you for being so honest with that.
53:14
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
53:16
SPEAKER_03: So, question number one is how to perform with a lot of emotions.
53:19
SPEAKER_03: And then question number two is how to get those darn legs straight.
53:23
SPEAKER_03: How do we get our legs straight?
53:25
SPEAKER_00: Inner monologue.
53:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
53:27
SPEAKER_00: Inner monologue, which we learn from our shishi Barker.
53:32
SPEAKER_06: Word, yes.
53:34
SPEAKER_00: Mama Shishi, Sheila Barker is always talking about the inner monologue.
53:38
SPEAKER_00: If if you think about something happy, your face naturally starts to shift.
53:42
SPEAKER_00: So just as much as you can, just bringing that authentic thoughts to what you're doing, that's always going to be able to help those emotions come out.
53:50
SPEAKER_00: And the thing is, is that beyond just doing with your performing, you want to make sure that you're incorporating it throughout class because you expect to just be able to perform.
53:59
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't happen.
54:00
SPEAKER_00: You have to practice that as well.
54:02
SPEAKER_00: We go into warm-up with the serious voice and this and that, and then we expect to learn a combo and then magically appears.
54:08
SPEAKER_00: That's not how it works.
54:09
SPEAKER_00: You have to start it right from the beginning, getting that inner monologue.
54:13
SPEAKER_00: And I I know for a fact every single individual on this panel, when they warm up, when they dance, they are so present in those moments.
54:21
SPEAKER_00: You're it's not it's warming up for what you want later on.
54:25
SPEAKER_07: The presentness is so good to to bring up because I think for me, I just recently took a tap class for the first time in like seven years.
54:33
SPEAKER_07: And the way tap dance makes you be fully present, because the minute your mind stops wandering, there it goes.
54:39
SPEAKER_07: Step is gone.
54:40
SPEAKER_07: There it goes, it's gone.
54:41
SPEAKER_07: You have to stay present.
54:42
SPEAKER_07: And I think that's helpful for bringing your emotions to the forefront too.
54:46
SPEAKER_07: Because again, if you're if your mind is wandering, your face is going to do what the wander is.
54:50
SPEAKER_07: It's not going to do what you're doing right in the moment.
54:53
SPEAKER_07: So I think staying present and making sure you know what you're dancing about.
54:56
SPEAKER_07: You know, and if you're if you're, Sophie, if you're talking about a lyrical dance, contemporary dance, same thing we just talked about with the musical theater pieces.
55:03
SPEAKER_07: Know your story.
55:04
SPEAKER_07: Know what you're trying to convey, know where that character is going and what they're experiencing.
55:08
SPEAKER_07: And that's what you have to bring to your face, not just, oh, I should be sad looking here.
55:12
SPEAKER_07: Oh, I should be angsty here.
55:14
SPEAKER_07: You know, it's why, why?
55:16
SPEAKER_07: Why are you that way?
55:17
SPEAKER_07: And that will help bring it all forward.
55:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
55:19
SPEAKER_01: And I find that also sometimes like contemporary can get so angry.
55:24
SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't always have to be that, right?
55:26
SPEAKER_01: Like you can be in a contemporary dance and be more neutral or even have happy moments.
55:32
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have to be so intense all the time.
55:34
SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of students get caught up in feeling those really big feelings and making sure they're on display.
55:42
SPEAKER_01: But everybody shows their range of emotions differently.
55:45
SPEAKER_01: So to me, it's more impressive when it's actually authentic to you, and you're not just going so much because the song is angry.
55:55
SPEAKER_01: My anger looks different than your anger, and I would rather see that on stage than just really throwing everything out there.
56:02
SPEAKER_02: One thing I was gonna suggest for our dancer that I love to do, like I love teaching ballet, so like the joy I feel going across the floor doing waltz or something.
56:12
SPEAKER_02: I'm smiling.
56:13
SPEAKER_02: And so I tell my students, maybe you don't love ballet, but you love the the triplet rhythm or the waltz rhythm, or say you're doing really intense laterals in modern class.
56:22
SPEAKER_02: Yes, you're focusing and you have to be present, but maybe you have like a really intense flat back twist and you know you nailed it, you can smile.
56:30
SPEAKER_02: So find those emotion emotions and joy within your technique classes as well.
56:35
SPEAKER_02: Like Tommy said, so you're not just turning it on rehearsals, like having a range of emotions in class as well.
56:41
SPEAKER_02: Don't be afraid to smile going across the floor, even if it's a really intense combo, if you're really enjoying the intensity of it.
56:47
SPEAKER_02: So just putting emotions and feelings into your technique classes, I think will help you be more present and have more authentic emotions when you're performing and doing choreography.
56:57
SPEAKER_03: Great advice.
56:58
SPEAKER_03: Don't wait until you get on stage.
57:00
SPEAKER_03: That was something I always I was always such a serious class taker.
57:04
SPEAKER_03: And I didn't, I don't feel like that.
57:05
SPEAKER_03: I even in rehearsal for like my solo rehearsal or whatever, I wouldn't really turn the performance on until I was like, I need to be the stage lights and the costume, and I need to feel the full experience.
57:15
SPEAKER_03: And I think I did okay, but I think I would have done better if I actually committed to that performance.
57:21
SPEAKER_05: Right.
57:21
SPEAKER_05: You know, your videos look better than okay, by the way.
57:24
SPEAKER_05: You were super cute back in that day.
57:27
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
57:28
SPEAKER_05: But I understand.
57:29
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
57:30
SPEAKER_03: Be prepared.
57:31
SPEAKER_03: You want to be able to turn it on and not have to hope it's gonna go well once you get on stage.
57:36
SPEAKER_03: You want to be incorporating that into your weekly rehearsals.
57:39
SPEAKER_03: That's gonna help you get better.
57:40
SPEAKER_04: And also sometimes what you think you may be projecting isn't actually what's actually projecting on stage.
57:48
SPEAKER_04: And so it's important to practice that in rehearsal.
57:50
SPEAKER_04: Totally and maybe even watch tapes of yourself in full performance in the studio so you can see how you look and how it comes across.
57:56
SPEAKER_07: Right.
57:57
SPEAKER_07: We I mean, I hear that a lot.
57:58
SPEAKER_07: That's a really great point you bring up that you know, teachers a lot of times are like, I'm trying so hard to get these kids to smile and to enjoy themselves.
58:04
SPEAKER_07: And they're saying they are.
58:06
SPEAKER_07: They're they're adamant that I am having and you're like, no, you're not.
58:10
SPEAKER_07: And I think that's a really good point that like it has to be practiced.
58:12
SPEAKER_07: It ha you have to be honest with yourself about what's showing up on a video or showing up in the mirror.
58:18
SPEAKER_07: Because if you think you're smiling and you look like this, like that's not that ain't it, kid.
58:22
SPEAKER_07: Like, come on, like what else makes you happy?
58:24
SPEAKER_07: That's a really, really good point.
58:26
SPEAKER_07: Okay, so our second part of the question straight legs.
58:28
SPEAKER_07: Man, how do you keep those straight legs?
58:30
SPEAKER_07: I feel you.
58:31
SPEAKER_07: I feel you.
58:33
SPEAKER_02: It is.
58:33
SPEAKER_02: Well, one thing that has helped me is I do a lot of bikram yoga, and one of the postures they talk about thinking about lifting the quad off of the knee because a lot of times we're thinking like straight, straight, straight, and hopefully we're using our hamstrings and our glutes.
58:50
SPEAKER_02: But for me, when I was PTing an injury, that's something that helped me be able to straighten my leg again was think, and it can be tough if you're there's all sorts of nuances, you know, hyperextension, things like that.
59:00
SPEAKER_02: But what I found a lot of times is my students, their feet are in the air, we're doing some of our ankle exercises, and they're like, my leg is straight.
59:07
SPEAKER_02: And I touch their quad and I say, just think about pulling it away from your knee, and all of a sudden their leg straightens like three inches.
59:15
SPEAKER_02: And that's just one visual thing.
59:17
SPEAKER_02: But for me, when I was rehabbing an injury, hearing a yoga teacher who knows nothing about dance, I kind of had to check myself and get back into the yoga room.
59:25
SPEAKER_02: It helped me kind of get out of my dancer brain, but think about things in a different way.
59:29
SPEAKER_02: So that's just one thing that worked for me lifting the quad.
59:32
SPEAKER_07: I've I have a similar, it's a less, I don't know, I call I call it the automatic extender.
59:38
SPEAKER_07: I like make up a name for that that muscle right above your knee.
59:42
SPEAKER_07: If you squeeze your automatic extender, it put it pulls your quad up.
59:45
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
59:46
SPEAKER_07: And there go, there's that little teeny bit more of a straight leg.
59:50
SPEAKER_02: There's always more.
59:51
unknown: Yes.
59:51
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
59:52
SPEAKER_07: And they and like it's just a fun little, and I have no idea.
59:55
SPEAKER_07: I didn't take anatomy except for one semester.
59:57
SPEAKER_07: So your automatic extender, PT people, whatever that is, like the lowest part of your quad, squeeze it and it pulls up your what's been I agree.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_05: What's been helpful for my students is when they're stretching, because that's where it starts.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_05: I will go around, even if they're in a lunge, and I will say they think it's straight within that lunge, and I will actually touch that part of their leg with permission.
1:00:19
SPEAKER_05: And then they they stretch it just a little bit more.
1:00:22
SPEAKER_05: So I I think starting even just from the beginning of the class.
1:00:26
SPEAKER_02: Totally.
1:00:26
SPEAKER_05: Being aware of that.
1:00:28
SPEAKER_05: If we're not aware of that, it's hard to all of a sudden when you're doing your bot muzz across the floor to remember to elongate through there.
1:00:34
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and self-correcting as well, and and being responsible for w how you're training, because your teacher, you know, is managing 20, 30 other people in the same space.
1:00:44
SPEAKER_03: They can't come over to every single person's knee and say, stretch your leg, you know.
1:00:48
SPEAKER_03: You ha you have to feel that.
1:00:50
SPEAKER_03: And I do think that I've been in classes where someone, I if I was like upside down in a hamstring stretch, hands on the floor, feet open, some uh teacher would just come back and just tickle the boo right behind the back of my leg to just to be like, they're like lengthen, lengthen, lengthen.
1:01:03
SPEAKER_03: And it just kind of I'll always remember that, you know.
1:01:06
SPEAKER_03: And then you you have to, okay, next time I go to that stretch, I'm gonna think about that.
1:01:09
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that little tickle behind my knee.
1:01:11
SPEAKER_03: So you'll find those moments, but once you get once you hear that, you have to try to figure out a way to keep keep that move moment going forward as far as like a correction so you can continue to improve.
1:01:22
SPEAKER_03: Because if you just go back to what it was before, then your leg's never gonna get straight.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_03: You can't always have the teacher there, you know, telling you, hey, straighten your leg.
1:01:31
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:01:31
SPEAKER_02: Or the judges.
1:01:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:01:32
SPEAKER_02: No, that's so true.
1:01:34
SPEAKER_02: Like I always say to my kids, and you know, or when you're judging, like if you do seven pirouettes, but it's a bent leg, short of it being like a four starch or stylized thing, it it doesn't count.
1:01:43
SPEAKER_02: So your teacher may give you the tickle, think about those little tendons behind your knee, and then you go ten minutes later, we're going across the floor, knees are super, super bent.
1:01:51
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, wait a minute, I just saw your super straight leg.
1:01:54
SPEAKER_02: I know you can do it.
1:01:55
SPEAKER_02: It c all comes back to being intentional and present.
1:01:58
SPEAKER_02: They're just not thinking about it.
1:02:00
SPEAKER_02: And it dances layers, right?
1:02:02
SPEAKER_02: So you may be focusing on spotting and lifting in your arms, but you still have to be somewhere in your brain, the layers, thinking about whatever it is that helps you activate that straight leg, those tiny little things.
1:02:13
SPEAKER_02: But so much of it is the self-correcting and just constantly being self-aware and self-correcting.
1:02:18
SPEAKER_02: It's a tough job.
1:02:19
SPEAKER_02: It is.
1:02:20
SPEAKER_00: I have a little funny way that I do it.
1:02:24
SPEAKER_00: I was debating whether or not I was gonna say it or not because it's crazy.
1:02:27
SPEAKER_00: But it's not crazy.
1:02:29
SPEAKER_00: And Courtney kind of touched on it.
1:02:31
SPEAKER_00: So I was like, well, I might as well just say it.
1:02:33
SPEAKER_00: I do it a lot.
1:02:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, whenever you're over with your hamstring stretch, because for me, I have big old quads and I don't want them to like engage more because it's using extra muscles.
1:02:43
SPEAKER_00: So for someone like me, it doesn't help to do that to get my knees straight.
1:02:46
SPEAKER_00: So when I'm over stretching my hamstring, I feel as though someone is reaching up behind me while I'm over and giving me a wedgie.
1:02:54
SPEAKER_00: And as soon as the wedgie happens, I lift up and I lengthen the entire back of my leg because I don't want that feeling.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_00: And then it automatically engages the muscles in a way.
1:03:04
SPEAKER_00: The back of the leg, and so the back of the legs, the full hamstring, all of those things.
1:03:08
SPEAKER_00: Okay, not just that absolute thing, yeah.
1:03:12
SPEAKER_00: So I like to do the wedgie thing.
1:03:13
SPEAKER_07: Well, and then the energy of that is different than when I think when people think straight in your leg, they think down towards their toes.
1:03:20
SPEAKER_07: But it has to happen the other direction too.
1:03:23
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, that's brilliant.
1:03:24
SPEAKER_07: I love that.
1:03:25
SPEAKER_04: I also feel that, especially when I'm teaching and I can actually see the difference in the students when I when I do this to them, like say in a downward-facing dog, heels down, heels to the back of the room, and I can always see the shift when their knees are slightly buckling and then when they're straight and their face is just because they can feel the pain.
1:03:42
SPEAKER_04: And unfortunately, there are some stretches where we're going to feel it a little bit more.
1:03:47
SPEAKER_04: And our bodies sort of self-preserve.
1:03:49
SPEAKER_04: So we don't want to feel the stretch more.
1:03:51
SPEAKER_04: And so we keep those needs buckled without even realizing it, we're keeping them buckled because we don't want to feel that's protecting the pain of that stretch.
1:03:58
SPEAKER_04: So I do think we definitely have to realize what's happening in your body.
1:04:02
SPEAKER_04: And also it could be anatomical as well, and keep that into consideration.
1:04:06
SPEAKER_04: So maybe ask your teacher if it's just how your body is made or is it something you can do to improve the stretch too?
1:04:12
SPEAKER_03: So great advice.
1:04:13
SPEAKER_03: All right.
1:04:14
SPEAKER_03: Where we are with our good rolling.
1:04:17
SPEAKER_07: We're doing good.
1:04:17
SPEAKER_07: We're flying.
1:04:18
SPEAKER_07: Alrighty.
1:04:19
SPEAKER_07: So this is from an anonymous dance parent from Massachusetts.
1:04:22
SPEAKER_07: This is also kind of long, so listen up.
1:04:24
SPEAKER_07: My questions are about nationals.
1:04:25
SPEAKER_07: While it's nice to have a big season-ending competition to wrap things up, I'm not finding that the value of participating in nationals comes anywhere near making up for the additional costs, commitments, and drawn-out schedules.
1:04:36
SPEAKER_07: Why recompete?
1:04:37
SPEAKER_07: Millions of question marks.
1:04:38
SPEAKER_07: What do the judges think?
1:04:39
SPEAKER_07: Do they recommend that competitive studios require nationals?
1:04:42
SPEAKER_07: What changes, if any, would they like to see for nationals?
1:04:45
SPEAKER_07: How can dance parents make a difference here to make this a more worthwhile experience?
1:04:49
SPEAKER_07: I really like this question.
1:04:50
SPEAKER_07: I can't wait to hear everybody's opinions.
1:04:53
SPEAKER_03: Uh-oh.
1:04:54
SPEAKER_03: Competitions, get ready.
1:04:56
SPEAKER_00: For me, yeah, it's according to what nationals you're going to.
1:04:59
SPEAKER_00: If there aren't convention classes, if you're not learning things from other people, if it's the same people that you were at regionals with versus people from other competitions, it's important to have an experience where you are learning from other people outside of your community.
1:05:15
SPEAKER_00: It's important for you to learn more art forms that you don't necessarily get.
1:05:20
SPEAKER_00: The experience should be something that is changing.
1:05:22
SPEAKER_00: And then also like it's also team building as well, so that you come back stronger.
1:05:27
SPEAKER_00: If it's literally just, okay, we're going and we're doing the exact same thing.
1:05:30
SPEAKER_00: If you feel like it's the exact same thing, you're right.
1:05:32
SPEAKER_00: You're spending way too much money for no reason.
1:05:34
SPEAKER_00: It's got to be something that shifts and brings you closer together.
1:05:38
SPEAKER_00: And this and it should feel like the culmination of an entire year versus, oh, we're doing this again.
1:05:45
SPEAKER_06: Mm-hmm.
1:05:45
SPEAKER_05: I have some dance studios that I've worked at that they do nationals one summer and then the next summer they do a performance based something.
1:05:50
SPEAKER_05: So a little bit of Disney dance.
1:05:52
SPEAKER_05: So that they get both.
1:05:54
SPEAKER_05: Uh that's great.
1:05:55
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and and I agree complete with that.
1:05:57
SPEAKER_05: Your nationals shouldn't feel like your regional.
1:05:59
SPEAKER_06: Mm-mm.
1:05:59
SPEAKER_05: Uh So you really want to make sure you're at a place where you're seeing new talent because I think that's what keeps a lot of our dancers striving to move up or move forward is seeing the other talent out there.
1:06:09
SPEAKER_05: If you just dance with your bestie that's just at the other dance studio next door, it doesn't really change anything.
1:06:14
SPEAKER_05: But I do think it's important that we think about m other dance opportunities that you your dancers have worked so hard all season.
1:06:21
SPEAKER_05: Let's do those great dances at Disney because you can dance at Disney.
1:06:25
SPEAKER_05: You can do the things down the street.
1:06:26
SPEAKER_05: Like there are so many other things now.
1:06:28
SPEAKER_05: But that's uh one of my studios does, like I said, one one year it is a national the next year, it's a performance opportunity.
1:06:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's what I did growing up.
1:06:36
SPEAKER_01: But to me, the benefit of nationals was always to see people that I hadn't seen at regionals.
1:06:41
SPEAKER_01: So besides the fact of just going there and watching the couple people ahead of you off stage, I always think it's important for studios to have their kids sit in the audience and watch a couple numbers as well.
1:06:52
SPEAKER_01: It's team bonding, but it's also actually seeing those studios compete and not watching them as your competition backstage, but watching them as a performance.
1:07:02
SPEAKER_01: Like if you're traveling far, especially, that's your opportunity to see how other regions are really learning and what their style is like.
1:07:10
SPEAKER_01: You know, competing in Miami is different than competing in Arkansas.
1:07:13
SPEAKER_01: So if you get to see, I've seen some amazing tappers in Arkansas and I see amazing contemporary dancers in Miami.
1:07:19
SPEAKER_01: If you get to see both of that, like that's really gonna benefit you.
1:07:22
SPEAKER_01: But also if you can get those classes at Nationals, I always think that's best case scenario.
1:07:27
SPEAKER_03: Love that.
1:07:32
SPEAKER_03: If your dancer is looking for a unique seven-day summer intensive that focuses on ballet, modern, and jazz, then consider joining us at Francisco Gala Danceworks Ballet Plus Intensive.
1:07:42
SPEAKER_03: Set to take place from June 8th through the 14th, 2025, in Miami, Florida.
1:07:47
SPEAKER_03: Ballet Plus transcends the typical summer intensive experience.
1:07:51
SPEAKER_03: Tailored to accelerate the development of youth and collegiate dancers, their curriculum prepares them for a successful summer.
1:07:57
SPEAKER_03: Whether they're attending an intensive, competing nationally, or refining their skills at home in anticipation of college programs or professional auditions.
1:08:06
SPEAKER_03: Regardless of whether they come from a competitive or conservatory background, the dedicated faculty will accompany each student on their journey, appreciating their individuality, promoting growth, and encouraging them to achieve their highest potential.
1:08:19
SPEAKER_03: And guess what?
1:08:20
SPEAKER_03: I'll even be teaching on faculty at Ballet Plus this summer for my third year.
1:08:24
SPEAKER_03: The Ballet Plus Intensive is open to intermediate and advanced dancers ages 10 through 22.
1:08:29
SPEAKER_03: Begin your summer dance training with us at Ballet Plus with Francisco Cella Dance Works.
1:08:34
SPEAKER_03: Visit their website now at franciscocellaDance.com to register before it's too late and use the code MAKINGTHEIMPACT in all caps to receive a$75 discount on tuition.
1:08:45
SPEAKER_03: Can't wait to jazz with you in Miami this summer at Ballet Plus.
1:08:55
SPEAKER_04: And I think it's important for competitions to remember that this is probably the family's vacation for the year.
1:09:01
SPEAKER_04: Correct.
1:09:02
SPEAKER_04: And so give them time to enjoy some time, you know, to enjoy the space and enjoy all the activities and have lots of activities that include the families and include everyone, not just the dancers, and to give the kids a little bit of time off too.
1:09:16
SPEAKER_03: Oh, there was one Nationals that I staffed for, and I can't remember who it was.
1:09:21
SPEAKER_03: Might have been HD a while ago when they were doing nationals, and it was kind of an awesome uh schedule.
1:09:28
SPEAKER_03: They did no comp during the day, comp at night.
1:09:32
SPEAKER_03: And everyone's at the beach.
1:09:34
SPEAKER_03: You were at the beach during the day, and and everyone enjoyed their vacation and got sunburnt, and then at three o'clock it was the fall time.
1:09:40
SPEAKER_03: Right.
1:09:41
SPEAKER_03: And let's go to competition all night.
1:09:42
SPEAKER_03: And I was like, that's kind of genius.
1:09:44
SPEAKER_03: I loved it.
1:09:45
SPEAKER_04: That's totally ideal.
1:09:46
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
1:09:46
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, because I mean you're right, Jackie.
1:09:48
SPEAKER_07: It's it's every it's most people's vacation.
1:09:50
SPEAKER_07: Their family comes, you take off work, the siblings come, and you have to have that downtime because otherwise you're just doing your dances again.
1:09:59
SPEAKER_07: And, you know, as this person is asking about like changes that they might but we might want to see as judges, you know, if if you've obviously done these dances at a regional, but multiple regionals, if you haven't put into play any of those corrections, why are you doing this again?
1:10:15
SPEAKER_07: If there was any reblocking that you need to do, because not everybody's coming, because sometimes not everybody can come to nationals.
1:10:21
SPEAKER_07: You know, there's no reason that your dance shouldn't look pristine at nationals because you've had all the corrections, you've had all the time, and you knew hopefully about a reblock.
1:10:30
SPEAKER_07: So, like, why are we in a weird formation?
1:10:32
SPEAKER_07: Is it just because three people didn't come?
1:10:33
SPEAKER_07: Why didn't you reblock that?
1:10:35
SPEAKER_07: Those are the things that I want to see at a nationals.
1:10:37
SPEAKER_07: And obviously, you know, most nationals do try to get new judges so that you're not seeing these events, these dances again, but occasionally you don't get that.
1:10:45
SPEAKER_07: And I've seen your dance four times.
1:10:47
SPEAKER_07: And I know what I I told you because maybe I remember your dance.
1:10:50
SPEAKER_07: You know, maybe you are at a a nationals that really is a big regionals.
1:10:53
SPEAKER_07: So in that case, you know, you do have to be prepared for a similar judge or a similar correction if you haven't gone and implemented those changes.
1:11:01
SPEAKER_03: Right.
1:11:02
SPEAKER_03: I have a higher expectation if I saw you at regionals and I'm watching your dance again at nationals and it looks exactly the same.
1:11:08
SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna I'm gonna score it lower.
1:11:10
SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna remember I might even have a different, I might even have a different perspective.
1:11:14
SPEAKER_03: I might have been thinking back and been like, it was better at regionals, you know?
1:11:18
SPEAKER_03: And you don't want a judge to think that.
1:11:19
SPEAKER_03: And you don't know who's gonna be singing on your panel.
1:11:21
SPEAKER_03: A lot of competitions that I staff for actually want a they'll pull in a judge who was at a regionals, you know, they're not getting a whole new cast of judges.
1:11:30
SPEAKER_03: So you never know who's gonna be there.
1:11:31
SPEAKER_03: And it's important to make sure that if you are putting in the time and the money to attend, it needs to be like the best, yeah, the highest caliber dance that you can present, present to the panel.
1:11:42
SPEAKER_03: But with that, another point that I want to touch on is the requirement of nationals and is it actually worth it?
1:11:48
SPEAKER_03: And I think that we're getting to a point now.
1:11:50
SPEAKER_03: Um, and I've kind of witnessed this and experienced this a little bit with, you know, we kind of are constantly talking about that it's just a summer regional for Orlando.
1:11:59
SPEAKER_03: A lot of places.
1:12:00
SPEAKER_03: A lot of places.
1:12:01
SPEAKER_03: Like, even I've heard like from customers, they're like, there was nothing special about nationals.
1:12:05
SPEAKER_03: Like, there wasn't any activities, there wasn't any of this, there wasn't any battles, there weren't any classes.
1:12:09
SPEAKER_03: It was like, why did I spend all this money at a resort that cost 300 plus a night and I had to take off work for a week, you know, and they're just dragging it out because they didn't get the numbers and they're just trying to make it something that it's not, and it's just like I think that there's just too many nationals.
1:12:24
SPEAKER_03: I think that every competition should have one nationals, maybe one one on each coast maximum, like because it's too saturated now.
1:12:32
SPEAKER_03: And then with that, I'm not really sure if people even want to participate in nationals when there's so many other things going on in the dance world that they could be at a summer intensive that's four weeks long, but they can't because nationals falls right in the middle of that and it's a requirement for the studio.
1:12:45
SPEAKER_03: So then we're taking that opportunity away from a kid.
1:12:48
SPEAKER_03: So it's just like, how do you balance it?
1:12:49
SPEAKER_03: And it's hard.
1:12:50
SPEAKER_03: And I think I'm, you know, if studios are gonna do nationals, I think it's important to pick one that really makes sense for your studio, that um, you know, feels prestigious, and maybe every other year, you know.
1:13:01
SPEAKER_03: I don't think we have to do it every year or I don't know.
1:13:04
SPEAKER_03: I don't know how people feel about that.
1:13:05
SPEAKER_03: Some people are like, eat, sleep, breathe at national is like that is the end all be all, but it kind of is turning into the when Showstoppers was the place to be.
1:13:12
SPEAKER_03: And that was the nationals.
1:13:14
SPEAKER_05: That was the nationals.
1:13:15
SPEAKER_03: And it's like prestigious when there's a television show and there's cameras everywhere and there's fireworks, and it's like that was that's why you wanted to be at nationals.
1:13:22
SPEAKER_03: That was the Canada, it was the West Coast, you know, it was like a big thing.
1:13:27
SPEAKER_03: So dance person, dance mom that wrote this in.
1:13:30
SPEAKER_05: I would also um encourage you to your dance company to talk to your studio owner about finding competitions that offer scholarships as well.
1:13:39
SPEAKER_05: Because that's a reason to go to a national to me.
1:13:42
SPEAKER_05: If they're offering college scholarships, because that's a great point.
1:13:45
SPEAKER_05: You who have worked for one.
1:13:47
SPEAKER_07: You worked, you want to discuss that a little bit, like the what scholarships are out there now.
1:13:51
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, well, I mean, at at many of the dance competitions, big and small, really, there's opportunities.
1:13:56
SPEAKER_07: NYCDA offers this huge during nationals at both other nationals, a scholarship audition where there's actual college scouts coming out to look for people to offer to come to their school.
1:14:07
SPEAKER_07: People get full rides.
1:14:08
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, you know, and so there it's a really there you just have to find the right place that offers things like that.
1:14:13
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
1:14:14
SPEAKER_07: And so a a nationals like that, I think, is worth it if you are gonna go to that portion of the event.
1:14:19
SPEAKER_07: You certainly don't have to, but if that is in your in your cards, you know, if that's what you want to go do, you can go do that.
1:14:25
SPEAKER_07: And that's an amazing opportunity.
1:14:27
SPEAKER_07: Streets does it now too.
1:14:28
SPEAKER_05: And conventions are offering it now.
1:14:30
SPEAKER_05: And our jump zone.
1:14:33
SPEAKER_05: I do think that nationals unfortunately has lost its luster, but there are so many other places to go to perform and to to get something beneficial out of it.
1:14:41
SPEAKER_05: Great judges, great challenges as a dancer, and money towards school.
1:14:45
SPEAKER_05: I mean, that's what it's about if you want to continue.
1:14:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:14:48
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
1:14:49
SPEAKER_03: All right, y'all.
1:14:50
SPEAKER_03: I think we covered a lot of really great questions.
1:14:53
SPEAKER_03: And this was so much fun to be interactive and like sit and hear everyone and look each other in the eye and not through a computer screen like we're so used to.
1:15:00
SPEAKER_03: Although it is very convenient that we are able to do have guests all over the place from around the world on our podcast.
1:15:07
SPEAKER_03: But it is a really special uh treat that we were all able to come here today and be in person in New York City.
1:15:14
SPEAKER_03: So I'm grateful for all of our judges here: Jackie, Brianna, Michelle, Tommy, and Ashley, and my co-host Leslie, of course.
1:15:21
SPEAKER_03: Of course.
1:15:22
SPEAKER_03: And and I would love this is our 200th episode.
1:15:27
SPEAKER_03: And I also want to shout out to all of our uh pre-submitted questions from all of our fans around the world who sent these in through Instagram, through our Facebook group, through our email.
1:15:37
SPEAKER_03: Uh, it was really awesome to answer these.
1:15:39
SPEAKER_03: And we have a lot more that we didn't get to, so stay tuned for those being on a future QA with Courtney episode.
1:15:44
SPEAKER_03: But to all of our fabulous IDA judges here, I'd love for you to round out this episode with one final thought about the industry as a whole, about competition judging, about what you hope to see on stage at competition this season.
1:15:58
SPEAKER_03: Any advice to dancers, teachers, studios, anything you want to share as your sign-off on our 200th episode?
1:16:05
SPEAKER_04: Well, I just want everyone to know that we can see everything.
1:16:09
SPEAKER_04: We see what happens backstage sometimes in the wings, we hear about things, and I love, love, love when I see other studios really cheering each other on and being there for each other.
1:16:18
SPEAKER_04: So at the end of the day, I think competitions really should be about engaging with the dance community and getting to know each other as stud uh studios and as students from across other studios, make friends, have fun.
1:16:31
SPEAKER_04: And at the end of the day, it is about growth and having fun.
1:16:34
SPEAKER_04: So don't get too stressed.
1:16:35
SPEAKER_04: Take it seriously enough to give us a great performance and do your best, but also at the same time just have fun.
1:16:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was gonna say something quite similar is that competitions have so much value, whether you go on to do dance for life or you don't.
1:16:50
SPEAKER_01: Be nice to everybody because you never know where you're gonna run into those people.
1:16:55
SPEAKER_01: Even if you choose never to dance again, you both might become architects and who knows what job you're gonna be on with them.
1:17:02
SPEAKER_01: So always introduce yourself to other people, but just remember all the valuable lessons you can get from competitions, team building, how to support one another, etiquette when you're not performing or when you're around people who know other things than you.
1:17:17
SPEAKER_01: Just you can value so much from those.
1:17:19
SPEAKER_01: So um, even if you do them as you're older and that's not your path in life, just think of all the lessons you can learn from others and just by being in that space.
1:17:29
SPEAKER_05: For me, it's dance is joy, and I would love to see your joy on stage this season.
1:17:35
SPEAKER_00: For me, it is um it is a privilege and it's a blessing to do competition dance, to dance, to be at a dance studio, to be trained, appreciate it, find your joy in it because not everybody can do it.
1:17:49
SPEAKER_00: And while you are sometimes worried about the trophies or this and that, you're missing the fact that you're able to study something that you that gives you joy, that's something that you know you really love.
1:18:01
SPEAKER_00: So keep reminding yourself that over and over again every time you shift that energy somewhere else.
1:18:08
SPEAKER_00: Because it really is just such a big privilege.
1:18:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, totally.
1:18:11
SPEAKER_02: I definitely agree with that.
1:18:12
SPEAKER_02: And I think one thing we talked about in this episode a lot was being present and intentional with our movement.
1:18:18
SPEAKER_02: So I would say with your performances, take more risks.
1:18:21
SPEAKER_02: You know, if you do the same dance five times in a season, change it up, you know, like really listen to your critiques, of course, and hear all of your wonderful judges have to say.
1:18:32
SPEAKER_02: But, you know, really find the storytelling, whether it's, you know, a solo or duet, and find ways to change it up and just really grow as an artist and take risks.
1:18:41
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, you probably get to do it again in a couple weeks, which is such a gift and a privilege.
1:18:45
SPEAKER_02: So really take that opportunity to just be a little bit more daring with your performances and you know, full out with feeling is what I always say.
1:18:52
SPEAKER_02: Go for it.
1:18:53
SPEAKER_07: Ooh, a final thought from me.
1:18:55
SPEAKER_07: Mine, I guess, is specific for improv because I know a lot of competitions just throw in an improv competition randomly for fun now, which would have just I would have quit dance.
1:19:05
SPEAKER_07: So, but for all of you out there who love improv, what we want to see from your improv as a judge is not your tricks, not your fancy turns and tricks and skills and acro and all this stuff.
1:19:15
SPEAKER_07: We would just want to see you, your humanity, your passion, your joy, your natural movement.
1:19:21
SPEAKER_07: Because that to me is more interesting.
1:19:22
SPEAKER_07: I think that to most of us is more interesting than because you can do all those tricks in your solo.
1:19:27
SPEAKER_07: Leave it for your solo.
1:19:28
SPEAKER_07: For improv, let us see who you are.
1:19:30
SPEAKER_07: And I think you will find that that is gonna push you farther in the running for the winner of that competition.
1:19:35
SPEAKER_03: Okay, and I'll finish it out with a final thought.
1:19:38
SPEAKER_03: And I just want to say to all of the studios out there, take some more risks.
1:19:44
SPEAKER_03: Make sure you're presenting and uh showcasing your studio in the best way possible when you come to a dance competition.
1:19:51
SPEAKER_03: Uh, we want to see the versatility out there.
1:19:53
SPEAKER_03: So make sure that you're not just bringing the same dance for every genre and age.
1:19:59
SPEAKER_03: I'd love to see dancers doing every style of dance in your studio roster.
1:20:04
SPEAKER_03: And I would love for all of the dancers out there to uh also take risks as far as challenging yourself, setting some more goals for yourself, um, not getting too focused on the score at competition, because as we know, every competition scoring bracket is very different.
1:20:19
SPEAKER_03: So don't get hung up on I got a platinum last week.
1:20:23
SPEAKER_03: So I need to get the platinum again.
1:20:24
SPEAKER_03: And what if you went shifted down a score at this next competition?
1:20:28
SPEAKER_03: It m so many factors go into that.
1:20:30
SPEAKER_03: And again, it's really out of your hand sometimes based on who shows up that day and who else you're competing against, what the scoring looks like at this competition compared to that.
1:20:39
SPEAKER_03: So don't let the scoring get into your head.
1:20:41
SPEAKER_03: Set your own personal goals for your growth throughout the season, and you will be successful.
1:20:45
SPEAKER_03: And happy 200th episode.
1:20:52
SPEAKER_03: Can you believe it?
1:20:53
SPEAKER_03: We officially hit 200 episodes of the Making the Impact Podcast.
1:20:58
SPEAKER_03: It has been such a great journey through the years, and we love making this podcast possible for our dance community.
1:21:03
SPEAKER_03: It was such a treat celebrating 200 with an in-person podcast recording in New York City with some of our amazing IDA judges.
1:21:11
SPEAKER_03: Huge shout out to the IDA judges who joined us on this episode in person: Jackie Belligan, Tommy Scrivens, Brianna Trilling, Michelle Tolson, and Ashley Peter.
1:21:20
SPEAKER_03: We love you all.
1:21:21
SPEAKER_03: I'd like to send another thank you to our giveaway sponsors who donated prizes for our 200th episode virtual giveaway.
1:21:28
SPEAKER_03: Thank you to Lily Lashes, Capezio, and the IDA affiliated competitions, Decca Dance, Elevation En Tour, and Streets Dance Convention for your generous prize donations for our fans.
1:21:41
SPEAKER_07: Season six continues in the next few weeks with upcoming episodes, including our first genre spotlight episode on Fosse, the product versus the process, and how to stand out at auditions.
1:21:53
SPEAKER_03: Happy 200, everyone, and looking forward to 200 more.
1:21:58
SPEAKER_03: We'll see you next week.
1:21:59
SPEAKER_03: Until then, keep dancing.