Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Studio Spotlight - Beyond Belief Dance Company

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Studio Spotlight - Beyond Belief Dance Company · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_03: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_03: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_03: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_03: This week's episode is our final studio spotlight of season five, and it's a special one.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: Beyond Belief Dance Company is known for incredible performance quality, entertainment value, and a high level of commitment.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: It also happens to be owned and operated by Justin Johnson, perhaps better known as a list of editor from season five of RuPaul's Drag Race.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_04: Hey y'all, welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_04: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I'm here with my co-host Leslie Mailer.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_04: Hey Courtney, can you believe it is almost the end of the season?
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_04: No, I'm so sad about it.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_04: Every time this time comes around each season, I'm just like, what are we gonna do without the podcast?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: What are we gonna do?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_03: What is everybody gonna do?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_03: They're gonna start go back to season one and start over for like the couple of months in between or catch up if they are uh delayed and they're listening.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_04: I feel like there's a lot of new listeners that have discovered the podcast this year.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: So shout out to any listeners out there who are new and recently discovered our podcast.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_04: We've been around for a while.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_04: There are five seasons worth of things to listen to.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_04: And as we are nearing our end of season five, we are also doing our very final studio spotlight episode today.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, and we are super stoked to have uh the studio on.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_03: It's kind of a neat compilation episode.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: We have a studio, which is a studio in its own right, but then the owner also happens to be kind of a star in their own right.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a really cool episode.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_03: We can't wait for you to listen to it.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um but before we head into that, we have some Making the Impact awards that have been uh given out during this season.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_03: Do you want to talk about those, Court?
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_04: So as you may have heard, our Making the Impact Award is sponsored by our podcast, an Impact Dance Adjudicators, and is distributed at each IDA affiliated competition event that has at least one IDA judge on the panel.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_04: That judge or your judges want to pick one dance.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_04: They want to recognize you.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_04: They get to pick one dance that they felt like through the entire weekend event made an impact to them through their performance, their choreography, their storytelling, their technique, you name it, they just can't stop thinking about you.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_04: And they want to award you with the Making the Impact Award.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_04: And one of the perks of winning that award is getting a shout-out live on our podcast.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_04: So, Leslie, would you like to do the honors of our very first Making the Impact Award winner?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I would.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: From High Demand Dance Competitions event in Long Island, New York.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_03: Congrats to Dance Arts Development Center of St.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_03: James, New York, and Sophia C for their solo Last Dance.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: I got to judge and watch that dance.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: It was amazing.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: So congratulations, Sophia.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_04: From True Dance Challenges event in Newcastle, Pennsylvania.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_04: Congrats to Studio K from Cain, Pennsylvania for their large group, Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: From Star Talent Productions event in Sevierville, Tennessee.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_03: Congrats to Acro Dance Express, LLC of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Emery B for their solo Smile.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_04: And from World Class Talent Experiences event in Long Island, New York, congrats to KJ Dance Theater of Massapiqua, New York for their large group, Something to Someone.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_03: And before we jump into the episode, let's hear from our sponsors.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_04: Our season 5 premiere sponsor, Francisco Gella Danceworks, is thrilled to introduce New Century Dance Project, a performance festival for the aspiring choreographers.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_04: Throughout the seven-day intensive, you will learn the craft of choreography from the perspective of not only the choreographer, but also for the dancers.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_04: New Century Dance Project hosts many components during their event, such as a choreography intensive, a prestigious choreography competition, concert performances, and community outreach events.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_04: The intensive starts each day with a technique class, followed by classes and seminars that will help you hone your choreographic skills, like compositional techniques, improv, music selection, lighting design, and so much more.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_04: Submit your work into the New Century Dance Project Choreography Competition, which offers three different age groups high school, undergraduate, and emerging professional.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_04: The competition results in a critic's choice winner and a people's choice winner for each age division.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_04: If you're an aspiring choreographer 15 years or older and looking to advance your composition game, then head to the New Century Dance Project, happening this summer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from July 29th through August 4th, 2024.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_04: And don't forget, if you want to save$75, use our exclusive podcast promo code, MAKINGTHEIMPAT in all caps when registering for the festival.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_04: Learn more on their website and register now at New Century Dance Project.org.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you to Francisco Gella Danceworks for being our season five premiere sponsor.
• 5:08
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• 5:10
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• 6:03
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• 6:08
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• 6:20
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• 6:25
  SPEAKER_04: We are jumping into our final studio spotlight episode of season five.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_04: Everyone loves the studio spotlights, y'all, because they are just an inside look into successful studios around the country and the world.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm real pumped about our final studio spotlight of season five.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_04: I actually had the pleasure of judging and watching these dancers on stage this season at competition.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_04: And wow, I truly said so many times in my head, and even to everyone who I talked about after watching, I said, I felt like I was watching a show.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_04: I felt like I was getting paid to watch a show.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_04: I didn't feel like I was judging.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_04: I think that's what everyone wants their judges to say and feel when they watch a dance on stage at competition.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_04: Is I didn't even I didn't even really critique, I was just like, this was this is great.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_04: Loved it, love everything about it.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_04: You know, that's what you really want your judges to say.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_04: And after watching them all weekend long and being so impressed and getting to work with their dancers in class, I was like, we have to have them on the podcast.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_04: And then they said yes, and I was so excited.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm really excited to welcome our next studio spotlight.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_04: They are coming from the state of Texas in the Dallas area.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_04: They have been featured on an entire Netflix series all about them.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_04: And you may have even seen them on America's Got Talent.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_04: I'm excited to welcome the owner of Beyond Belief Dance Company.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome Justin Johnson to the podcast.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome, Justin.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, thank you guys for having me.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: And wow, so this is ultimately what fuels me, what motivates me, and what I love so much about what it is I do, especially hearing all the positivity that you just shared about my students, about the program, and about them in the workshop classes.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for sharing that.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for inviting me.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Truly an honor.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I think that's what's really fun about where our podcast has gone in all of these seasons.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm sure Leslie, you can speak as well on this, is that I've I sometimes when I'm judging and I see those studios, I'm like, we gotta get them on the podcast.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_04: Like I'm out here scouting for these awesome studios that exist around the country.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_04: And luckily we have this platform where we can talk and learn more about your studio.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_04: Besides me, I only have seen them and you know, on stage and worked with them in class.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_04: Now I get to learn the inner workings of Beyond Belief and how it came about and how you got into the studio ownership and how many hours your dancers trained and all those little details that everyone wants to know.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_04: So thank you, Justin, for wanting to be here.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, I'd love to kick things off before we jump into the studio aspect.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_04: Let's talk about you.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_04: Can you tell me a little bit more about your early dance life?
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_04: When did you start dancing?
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_04: Did you always know you wanted to be a studio owner?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_04: How when did the studio start?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_04: Tell me more.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness, how much time do we have?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: As long as you want.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'll give the long story short.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm one of seven.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: I do have four sisters and growing up in Mesquite, uh, from a very southern, quintessential Texan family.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: My father, very masculine, definitely believed boys wear blue, girls wear pink.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's me, his first son with my mom, and I'm all things colorful.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: So my father was bound and determined to make me an all-American ball player.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: And after two broken arms, I felt like I'd been assaulted by baseball a million times.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: My grandmother said, We're giving up on this.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Put the put all of that down.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And by the grace of God, I have a gunkle, a gay uncle, who is in the world of theater, and uh told my mom Justin needs to be in some kind of theater program.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, Mesquite, there wasn't uh access to that, and of course, my family didn't know anything about that, but there was a local dance studio, and I'll never forget this because they were running an ad in the Mesquite newspaper.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: It was like an all-boys hip-hop dance class, and um it was like 10 bucks a month.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so that was many, many, many years ago, you know, trying to get boys involved in dance.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: My father was not having it, but my grandmother took me to the class.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I think after like class two, the owner came out and she was like, Who is the the parent of this child?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a studio owner, and my grandmother's like, Oh, that's my grandson.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, she was like, he needs to go into a jazz class, like and a competition program.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just so young.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: I actually, believe it or not, was very shy as a kid.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I found my voice through dancing and going to my dance classes.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now, here's the thing: I wasn't talking, but gestures I was great at.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: And and like more of like, I think like when you start thinking of like panamime and and movement and storytelling, I didn't get to in indulge in the idea of an improv class.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was like a tap ballet jazz.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: So it we're in that era of dance.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: But through that, through the movement, my teachers recognized something was there.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I became like a student teacher, I was always the teacher's pet.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was the first one there, the last one to leave, because it was really the only thing, the only place where I felt safe, I felt celebrated, and I felt heard.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Even if I wasn't talking, I felt like my existence, my uh presence was alive and vibrant and and well received.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so shortly after I, you know, a few years dancing competitively there, you know, I was the only little boy on the company.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: I my teachers were like, You've got to get Justin into an academy.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: He needs to go to a school, he needs a male ballet teacher.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: And all we started, you know, and my poor grandmother, she just was like, it was a little overwhelming for her.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: She's like, I just wanted him to have a little fun time and sell this.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: It became something like for her, she's like, look, he's not good at the football, the baseball.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: It we need something, an activity for him.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm very thankful that my grandmother like introduced and my uncle introduced me into a world that would become, I feel like, not just a passion, not just a part of me.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: It would be like my calling.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: It would be, it would be a world that I would believe in and that I knew that I would be a part of this for the rest of my life.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: I can't say I ever woke up wanting to be a studio owner, but I did know for a young age, after being a student teacher, is that I wanted to be like the Steven Spielberg of dance.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so for me, Courtney, thank you for recognizing.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that Beyond Believe Dance Company, I don't think we make dances.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think we make performances.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think we make shows.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, for me, I grew out of the five, six, seven, eight, uh, stage right, stage left, let's get a 100 on a score sheet.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: More for me, especially um at this point in my life, 21 seasons later, by the way.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's more about a performance.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: I always tell my students, look, I want to sit in the audience, and I just want to watch, you know, a two to three minute entertaining show that I can't get enough of, skip the intermission.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get back to act two.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: But Beyond Believe kind of really fell into my hands.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: I was after, you know, uh competing, which I'm so enthralled with everything that's going on in our world today.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: Children have so much access.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: These young dancers, the youth of today that will be the future of tomorrow.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: There, I mean, between this phone and these conventions and all of uh all of the opportunities through YouTube, everyone is dancing nowadays.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: So you think you can dance, dancing with the stars.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, I know Lizzo had a show.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen so many dance shows, and I love that, you know, one of my um all-time favorites it uh was America's Best Dance Crew.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really taking you back.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, America's best dance crew.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, these shows have inspired so many people to want to dance, and you know, me as well.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that I started teaching like a mesquite competition, like drill dance palm was really um, really popular, really big, really relevant.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: And my sisters were in drills, so I that's kind of really where my uncle and grandmother were like, look, we've got to get him involved because I would do their little steps on the sidelines, and it killed the father, especially me wearing the little football costume.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like a teeny tiny little boy, but you know, I I kind of got into that drill world, that dance team world, didn't know much about it, but I learned very quickly like palm and and visuals and precision.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I started like assisting teaching that.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: And this dance team that I was teaching for, the we were at a like a ballet studio, and I actually really enjoyed just being a part of something.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: So when she had um her first child going off to like kindergarten, she was at a point where she's like, Look, Justin, I don't, I don't know if I want to like continue next year.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Oh, I totally get it.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: So we were moving out, and the owner of the ballet, the studio, she had MS really bad.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: And the landlord came and as they were getting ready to move out, we were getting ready to move out.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: The studio was the building was gonna be essentially empty.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And he said to me, I was on a break, he said, You know, I see you here every Sunday, and you have a big group.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: There was like 35 kids on the little dance team.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, Have you ever thought about being a business owner?
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I just kind of looked at him, and before I could say yes or no, Michelle Sherrard, oh my gosh, my fairy godmother, one of my students, her mother said, Yes, he's interested.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh absolutely interested.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and kind of like a second mom to me, you know, like a dance mom for me.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, coming from a large family, my parents just didn't have time.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: They weren't as involved.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I looked at her and I was like, I don't know how to run a business or operate a business, how to start a business.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: And she worked at a bank and uh she said, I'm gonna help you, but Justin, this is an absolute an opportunity you cannot just pass up.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: So he's like, Look, I'll make you a deal.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: It was a very small deposit, I think like a thousand bucks.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: And the building's already set up.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: She wrote him a check for a thousand dollars that long did she believed in you.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, she had so much faith and belief in me.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, Justin, you love this so much.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're so creative and you're so talented.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: And that that after that first year, the next year, I doubled in the amount of kids.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: So it was just kids just kept coming in.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: And the next thing I know, I'm gonna say, maybe, maybe six years later, maybe five.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, Courtney, you're really taking me back today.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: We want to make that talent for the first time.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I took a group of kids of 30 dancers, and uh, we made it to the top 20.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: And uh a fun fact about that, I'll never forget this.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: They kept like saying, Justin, we want to get you on TV teaching the kids.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Oh no, I can't do that.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm terribly shy.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: I do not want to be on television.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh, talk about a plot twist a few years later, but that I mean, that's how I got here.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it's such a beautiful story uh that became my journey.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm very, very grateful and thankful.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: So, Michelle, if you're listening, you know how much I appreciate you.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_03: Well, and I just want to give a shout out to that original studio that saw something in you and nurtured that love and that ability and you know, and even with the student teaching and assisting and stuff, like and that's a small town.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I've heard of Mesquite, but it's a it's still small.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: So they're just, you know, the fact that they were like, we have to get this kid out to another place.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_03: We can't do anymore for him.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_03: And like that's just, you know, once once a studio owner or a teacher realizes that, like, hey, this I've gone as far as I can, like, that's a testament to an excellent teacher who says, I can't do anymore, let's find you something bigger, you know.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: That's really cool.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, you know, home of the barbecue and the rodeo.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: And and and now I could say Justin Johnson and Alyssa Edwards and Beyond Dance Company.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yep.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, but Joyce Sharp School of Dance, yes, I I owe so much.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I I I I pass that studio uh sometimes I'm in Besquite, and it I just I just smile so big because you know, if it weren't for that place, I don't really I don't really know where I would be at this point.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure I'd be in the art somewhere, but that definitely was the beginning of the rest of my life.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_04: Wow, I love that story.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_04: That is so cool.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_04: How old were you when the studio felt opportunity came about when that a thousand dollar check was handed?
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_04: How old were you?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was probably let's say, oh, I was young.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go back 21 years.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: So what was I like 22, 23?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_04: Nice.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I I I was just, oh gosh, a baby.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, here's the thing the business part for me hasn't ever been my thing.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very fortunate that I I have people on my on my side.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately that's what a studio owner is.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: They have to be in sync with you and in line or and aligned with you.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: But Michelle was very much helpful that first year, and you know, her daughter eventually graduated.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: I I was 23.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: My gosh, I had no clue, no idea.
• 20:51
  unknown: Wow.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: But you figured it out.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's like someone, you know, it's like I learning how to swim.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: They took me into 12 feet of water with no floaties and said, good luck.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I absolutely was trying to stay afloat, but I I figured it out.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, absolutely, for sure, because it was something that I don't think there was anything else that even interests me at the time.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, we fast forward a little bit since we're getting the whole memoirs here today.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll never forget going with my friends and um well, first I have to tell this I was in like in my second third year of college.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I I I I I'm I'm sketching costumes, I'm sketching staging and lighting and setback.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll never forget a professor walked up to me and I was in a large like lecture.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: And uh she said to me, Justin, this is quite creative.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I just look like, oh my gosh, I got caught.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, You're not interested in this class.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: I said, Not at all.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: What class was it?
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like biology?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: I probably was and I was like, Not at all.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And she said, I think you're onto something right here, and you should follow that.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, never forget.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: I packed my backpack and I never went back.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I need to be creating.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: I need to be creating all of this.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: These stories that I have in my head, I need to make all of this come to life.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: I want to do the hair, the makeup.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: I want to create the set and the lighting.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to find this cast and you know, um, nurture them.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to mean dance is the greatest language that we that unites us all.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: That and uh it's it definitely for me is the greatest story ever told through the art of movement, um, most powerful.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, I had to add that in there.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: Well, and another person to thank.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, thank you, Professor So and so, for recognizing that like this ain't it.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: This is not it, girl.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: This is not it for me.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: This was not it.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's I knew I said I knew at a young age that I didn't want to be a professional dancer.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: I never saw myself dancing behind someone.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh like, you know, and and I celebrate, I I love hearing my students are like, I want to be a um a backup dancer.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, a backup dancer?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: Why don't you, you know, uh come center stage and you hire the backup dancers?
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: Be the star of it all.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: But I knew I was like, no, I want to be the creator.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: I I want to have be the vision behind it all.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_04: That's great.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_04: So many people know that.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_04: Like, you know, I I know that I maybe don't I I like being a dancer and I like being an educator, but I don't really like being the creator.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_04: You know what I mean?
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_04: That's the choreography creative side.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_04: Some people are meant to do that, and it comes easier to others and harder for others.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_04: I think that a lot of people in like, especially dance parents, might think, oh, you dance, well, you do everything.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_04: You're a dancer, you're a choreographer, you're an educator, you're a business owner, like you wear all these hats.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_04: It's like some people might just want to wear one hat and be good at that one hat that they wear.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_04: And that's their, you know, that's where they're meant to go in this industry.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_04: Or there are people that can wear a lot of hats and be really successful, and that's great too.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_04: But for you to know I want to create, that's where your heart was in this dance world, like and and now also business owner, like, how special.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and like I said, it really became my purpose.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I found Alyssa Edwards, like I was saying, by accident.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: I I remember being with my friends.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: We went to a club, they had a cabaret theater, and I I walk into this, I felt like Alice because I walked into this wonderland working on stage, and there's this character larger than life.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: And that I I I I remember being a little confused and conflicted, um, but I was definitely interested.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: And this character was so bold and and and had so much power because the entire room was just uh captivated by this performance.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I looked to my friend, I said, What is that?
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, Justin, that is a drag queen.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, A what?
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, a drag queen.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: And like us, you know, being from Mesquite, I've never heard of no drag queen.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, fast forward, I I and I talk about this in my a one-woman stand-up show.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: You it it's it's it's it's it's quite funny how this crazy little thing called life works out because never in a million years did I see uh or imagine a chapter where I would be entering an open stage talent drag show.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so here I come.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: There was a flyer up, you know, on the wall looking for new talent.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: I told my friend, I'm gonna do that.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: He said, You don't know how to do drag.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, I don't, but I'm gonna go out.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I remember, you know, like I said, the bonus to having four sisters, they had a little bit of cosmetics, and I loved like dressing them up.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: And you guys truly uh I love I can sit back and just remember all this and go down memory lane and just giggle because uh I put myself in some kind of drag, and I have like high neck, snake skin leotard.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, that sounds fierce.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, well, it probably was it was probably fierce to me.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_04: In that moment, it was fierce.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: I literally waltz in this cabaret theater on this Thursday night, and I was like, I'm entering this open stage night.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: The can't be MC was like, Well, what is your drag name?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, Oh, I haven't gotten one just yet.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still workshopping debt.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, doll, you got about three seconds.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I said, I want to be Alyssa.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: And she said, Alyssa, I said, just like Alyssa Milano, because I grew up watching Who's the Boss?
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: I get on stage, and my friends were like, Justin, you were so good.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_04: Really?
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and I actually won the competition that night.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, you really were so good again.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: Your calling, it was your calling.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, to be fair, it was by audience response, and maybe I had the loudest friends in the building.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's fair.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's fair.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: They loved you.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so a part of winning is you come back the next week, okay, and so like you're like the little special guest.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I found myself doing that for my creative outlet, somehow, some way, I don't know.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, it all goes hand in hand now.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: When I look at Beyond Belief and I think of Alyssa Edwards and me being the man that does wear a lot of hats.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I've kind of those worlds have kind of now blended together for me.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because, like I tell my dance moms when they get accustomed, they're like, What do you think I should do with this?
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, put it in drag.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Just put, you know, and listen, here's the thing.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: I love the appliques, I love the rhinestones.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, we need more than that.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Come on, let's let's let's start, let's start building on top of that.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, really honestly, people always ask, like, what is in the water over there?
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what I I think for me, I want to create individuality, uniqueness.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: I want to create, you know, a fantasy world that's fantastical, a world that for me as a young child, that I wanted to live in.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I I teach my students to be your your best version of you, of you.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Be you and you're beautiful, rather than trying to emulate someone else.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I think I have a diverse group of dancers, and I I like the idea of it being more of a an act, a spectacle, rather than just a three-minute dance.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I applaud the studio owners that have the patience that can teach that.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think for me, in my mind, I'm like, I want to watch the dance twice or the performance twice, and then I want to create something all new.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I think the dances that we did at streets were new.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, cool.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: My group is so open to that.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: My kids are like, they'll come in, the minis, and say, Justin, do you want to make us something new for this weekend?
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're so down for it.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: They're so open.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, let's do it.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: We'll just start over.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_04: Coming to you from our season five premiere sponsor, Francisco Vela Dance Works, I'm excited to introduce New Century Dance Project, a festival of performance and choreography.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_04: New Century Dance Project focuses on teaching the craft of choreography and why it's important for both choreographers and the dancer.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_04: The festival components include a choreography intensive for dancers ages 15 to 24, a choreography competition, concert performances, and community outreach events.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_04: The seven-day intensive starts every day with a technique class.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_04: After that, participants will head into classes and seminars that aid in the choreographic process, such as compositional techniques, improv, use of props, music selection, partnering, lighting and design, and so much more.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_04: The choreographic competition offers three age groups: high school, undergraduate, and emerging professional.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_04: If you are an aspiring choreographer ages 15 or older, looking to advance your composition knowledge and display your work in an artistic choreography competition, then look no further than New Century Dance Project, taking place this summer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from July 29th through August 4th, 2024.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_04: The deadline to submit your choreography for consideration is by March 1st, 2024.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_04: Use our exclusive podcast promo code MAKING the Impact in all casts when registering for the festival to receive$75 off.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_04: Learn more on their website at New Century Dance Project.org.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_03: Well, okay, so speaking of that, so this is where my I want to get into what your studio like weekly schedule kind of looks like because dancers who first of all want that to be thrown something new every week have to have something to back it up with.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_03: They can't just be like, I love this and not have any training to back it up to be able to then execute it.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_03: So what do what does your studio look like on a on a weekly basis for your competitive kids so that they're able to come in and do a do a dance every week and that's brand new?
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, after I filmed Dancing Queen, my Netflix series, I knew at after that, I I knew I was ready for, I felt like I was like at a threshold that I needed to break through.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: I knew that I was at a a place that it's like, okay, what is what is what is next?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: What is where do I see myself going with this?
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I I made um a choice, a decision.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: I said, I'm gonna, I'm gonna follow my instincts, I'm gonna follow my heart.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I I've always wanted just a company.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what I did is I did away with the rec program, I did away with with a large number of kids.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted more quality, not quantity.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I was looking for a very specific dancer.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: And and for me, the the the first thing that I recognize that that is interesting to me is a dancer that is authentic, that is, of course, passionate, dedicated, disciplined, all of those things, but someone that gives themselves permission to walk into a space and a facility and they're open to learning anything.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, with that being said, I'm very proud to say that now I just have a company.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: I only have 30 kids from minis to seniors, and I've hand selected all of them, not just through like a one or two-day workshop audition, but through an evaluation of classes.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, believe it or not, um, my kids only come three days a week.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: So the olders come Monday and Wednesday, and the youngers come Tuesday and Thursday.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: So the junior companies are Tuesday and Thursdays, and the teen and senior company are Monday and Wednesdays.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then on Sundays, we do a company rehearsal, but each age is only like two hours, two and a half hours.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_04: So is the company rehearsal when you guys do like rehearsal for competition and things?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_04: Like is it training during the week and then rehearsals or training during the week.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: They they're they're definitely gonna come in and they're gonna do like their ballet classes.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: I want to say that we're as less structured as what people would think.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I never teach faculty um outside of ballet um and then their technique classes.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like when they come to my class, my kids don't know what to expect.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: They might get jazz, they might get lyrical, they might get contemporary, we might be doing progressions, but everything is technique based.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like for me, I'm not big on just combo classes, meaning we'll do that maybe the last like 10, 15 minutes, you know.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: But I love watching them do that in the convention uh classes.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so I would say like the first three hours of their week is just technique, and then the second, like so Monday nights, just technique, six to nine.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then on Wednesday, they would do probably six to seven thirty technique, 7:30 to nine.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_00: We'd work on some kind of choreography.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: And that could be me introducing something like I want to build a finding Wonderland dance or story, and then so we'll start talking about the story and the idea and then the cast, and then we'll start kind of workshopping movement.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: It really is collaborative at Beyond Believe.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think all of my faculty has a wild imagination like me.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: They're all very creative-based, and we all kind of work really well together.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: And but we also bring in the students as well, you know, rather than me saying, look, it's not about me and my ego.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: What do you guys feel comfortable?
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: What do you what do you hear when you hear this selection of music?
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: I really like to challenge them.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love that.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: And challenge their uh their uh creativity and their i ideals rather than just making a piece, if that makes sense.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_04: That that's so nice to hear.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I feel like we hear that often when it comes to solos.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_04: You know, a lot of people are like, okay, make sure the dancer like likes the song they're dancing to and is on board with it.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_04: Don't just give them a song.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_04: Like, okay, yeah, solos feel personal.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_04: It's one person on stage.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_04: But then when it comes to group routines, it's usually like what the teacher says goes and that's it.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_04: And there's no you don't get to fight it, you don't get to say what you think.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_04: Like, there's no collaboration in that process ever, usually, from what I feel like I hear in the studio world.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_04: So I think because you have such a boutique collective in your studio and having a small group of dancers that all work well together, that are all on the same page, you also have a different like respect and trust for them to be able to say, let's collaborate on this.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_04: What do you and to just kind of get them into the world of knowing what it feels like to become a creative because you're that's what you're so great at and that's what you where your passion lies, that it's great to introduce that to the dancers too, to kind of get an idea as to how you work and how you like to create.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_04: Cause a lot of choreographers like collaboration.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_04: There's a lot of people that want to have that feedback and bounce ideas off of the dancers.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_04: And hey, does this work?
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_04: Does this feel good for you?
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, what do you what do you hear when what do you feel when you hear this?
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_04: And what do you see when you hear this?
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_04: You know, that type of response back is helpful for your creative process.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, when you have when you involve the dancers, that's really when where for me, that's where you really get to feel the heartbeat of it all.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then it becomes a a part of them and it's special to them.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember being a kid, and oh my gosh, can't believe I'm uh sharing this, but dancing to one time, which I love the song, It's My Life.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: What is it?
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: John Bon Jovi.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the girls are in the in the all-girls piece, they're dancing to like Britney Spears, I can't get no satisfaction.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: I want to be in that.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: You're like kind of like back in my day, it was like you're put into a box.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: It was like, okay, you're a boy, you're gonna do the boy parts and the partnering.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, well, hold on now.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_00: This was also too before we got, you know, lyrical introduced the emotion.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then the and then contemporary dance came and it was like, what is contemporary dance?
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: People were uh really just mind blown that by that.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, I was contemporary is like, I think of anything new, you know, and uh the movement can be new for you.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was very hard for us to kind of place, but it was technical based.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with like with not having that opportunity as a child to pick, like, oh, I want to be in, I want to dance to this kind of song or I want to tell this kind of story.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: I kind of bring that to my kids.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, are you guys feeling this song?
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, here's the truth of it all.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: We've all sat in an audience before and have watched a group of dancers on stage, not interested in a thing of what they're doing.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's like someone taught them, someone told them to do this.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: They invested, probably not.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I tell my kids, uh, and here's the thing, I always say, if it doesn't work, look, I had a good idea, it just didn't go over well.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: I asked them to be open to the idea, and then I get their feedback.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: But then I also teach them look, you've got to be in this industry adaptable, flexible, moldable.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to be like Play-Doh if you want to be successful.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: So Beyond Belief is a lot.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: It is, it is a whole lot rolled into one.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: But also, I don't know if I answered this uh question.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: As far as training goes at the studio, every group, the first three hours of their week is just technique training because it is so important for them to be able to move fast through learning choreography.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: That that is the emphasis.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then the second half of the week is half technique, half choreography.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then on Sunday, we just put it all together.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully that helped.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_03: Nice and concise.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_03: But I liked all the whole the whole reasoning behind all of it because it makes sense.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, here's the thing it is a lot of it is a lot, and I know like I always also share with new parents when they come.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, fun fact I took down the website.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: I I I Yeah, I couldn't find it.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't notice.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: Do they exist?
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I told Kelly, who runs my studio, I was like, I don't want no new kids.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: There cannot be any more new kids in here because this is many people.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, we're kind of hearing some more companies like this, like look Project 21, you know.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, I was like, I don't, I don't want a whole bunch of new students.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: So the people that come to Beyond Belief, they have to go on a wild egg hunt to usually get in.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then the the then and then the parents will ask, is this like a club or something?
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do we get a membership?
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the thing that eliminates uh people that aren't necessarily interested in the seriousness of it.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I understand we're not we're not doing uh any curing of any diseases, we're just dancing and sharing art, but it's something that I take so personal and so much pride in that I only want to share my experience, my knowledge, and my artistry with people that are uh grateful and appreciative.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_03: It's important.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_03: Well, and who want to be there for the reasons you have set up your business the way you have.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you're not everybody can be everything to everyone.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_03: And that's just what it is.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_03: That's life, that's the world, that's business.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, you've you've attracted the people and chosen the people that you want to, you know, represent your company.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what it is, a company, which is, you know, like you said, it's it's an interesting, newer, different take on the studio.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_03: But I do think with with the way training has gone over the past decade, like you said earlier with all of the television shows, everybody wants to dance now.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_03: But there's versions of that.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_03: There's I want to dance one day a week, I want to dance seven days a week, I want to dance every minute of every day for the rest of my life on a stage, get paid.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_03: And there's, you know, there's room for everyone, but not everywhere.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_03: You got to go to the right place.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like you're speaking my language because I share that with all of my people who I call the Unicorn Tribe.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Y'all are my people.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: We come in here, we share this space together.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have to come here, we get to come here.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_00: We get to the studio and and and turn on these lights.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: And for these three hours of the night, we get to unzip ourselves.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever happened on the outside of the world, I tell my students, when you walk in, you unzip yourself, give yourself permission to explore, to create, maybe find that inner character that lives within you.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I also tell them when we're getting in, you know, I because I I I have some very like I said, being introverted.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: My you know, it's like here's the thing, I always use this analogy.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like Clark Kent isn't always Superman until he puts on that Leontard and that cake.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, I feel like drag gave me this voice that I didn't even know I had.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so I always challenge my students, find your inner drag character, find your super uh power.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think I think I always too like what you were saying, Leslie, Beyond Belief is for some, not for all.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: And these people are a perfect fit.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: But I I do applaud studios that can have three and four hundred kids and make it a full-blown business and and they live off of.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very fortunate that it's now because of my work as Alyssa, I can make Beyond Belief my company to share my passion.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that makes sense.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_04: And I, you know, we've we've brought up Alyssa a handful of times.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_04: I do want to just make sure that everyone is aware that we're talking about Alyssa Edwards here.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_04: We're talking to Alyssa Edwards from RuPaul's Drag Race, the drag queen from Texas.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_04: And who owns a dance studio, y'all?
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_04: Like, you know, if there's a lot of fans out there who might be like, who's who's Alyssa that we're referencing?
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_04: And we, you know, this is a studio spotlight about Justin's studio, but also is who is Alyssa Edwards?
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that that also, where you're at in your career, where you're at in your career with uh Alyssa as well, being Alyssa Edwards, has allowed you to really scale down and focus on what you want to be able to focus on because there's a lot of studios I think, you know, even like financially, they're like, I have to have 300 kids to make this work.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_04: Whereas you have other income streams coming in in other ways where you can actually be like, I can put more focus on this company in this studio if it's more boutique and if it's more selective and if it's a smaller scale company, you're still going to the conventions, you're still weekly teaching, you're still doing all the things as a studio owner.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_04: It's just not on that grand scale.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_04: But also, like you said, quality over quantity.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_04: And and honestly, I'm getting flashbacks to our A recent studio spotlight that we just had with Dance Attack, they said the exact same thing.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_04: They have a smaller studio.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_04: A lot of our studio spotlights have said that.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it's important for a lot of our listeners out there to hear, like we've said, all the different types of studios that exist in this beautiful dance world because maybe that's that works for you, and maybe the mega studio works for someone else.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, there there have been studios that that have we've had on who have said they have like 30 staff members running the ship, you know?
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_03: It's like four locations.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_03: And you're like, which is amazing, you know?
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_04: It's it depends on if that's what you want out of studio ownership or if you want it to be a little bit more selective and exclusive and in in the right way.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_04: So props to you for for making this company.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_04: It's really exciting.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_04: So I when and let's talk about quickly Dancing Queen when you did that, the show, the Netflix show, which if anyone hasn't watched it, go take a peek.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_04: It's on Netflix.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_04: So much fun.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_04: Love watching it.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_04: So were you in the studio?
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_04: That was the studio program at that point.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_04: And after the show, you said that's when you became more of a company.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I yeah, that's what Fuel did.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_00: I see.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: Truly a plot twist in my life.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I didn't see that coming.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't manifest that.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: I was never like, I need to be on TV once again after appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race, and they found it so compelling.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, I love that you love being on stage, but this is not your first love.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, absolutely not.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I need to be in a studio creating, you know, this was just all a trick of fate for me to be wearing this wig and be the man behind the magic of Alyssa Edwards.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember uh RuPaul saying to me, like, you are wildly gifted, and how you can balance and juggle all of this is is just so interesting and intriguing.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_00: The next thing I know, we're at the studio and we're shooting a sizzle reel.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I here's the thing, it was very hard for me to be open to that because we've seen some dance shows.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and I just thought, look, I sure have.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that's really me.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but here's the thing.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_00: I am, I was very proud of myself uh when I watched the show.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_00: It was very campy, it was very cheesy, but it'll it it was it was so there was there was so much power within the vulnerability for me to uh peel back the curtain and unveil some of the magic, show the crazy sides, the wild sides, the fun, the you know, all the sides and all the angles.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that was I I look at that and I'm like, wow, that was uh a chapter that I will be forever thankful and grateful for.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um definitely that you're like really talented.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I just I can't with that.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's amazing.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I I remember being there um at the World of Wonder offices, and uh some of the dance kids were with me, and Rue was like, this is the first time we've seen something like this, and oh my gosh, you're from Texas, and how does this work?
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_00: And are people accepting?
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm very fortunate that you know, this is gonna be hard to believe.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_00: But before I was on drag race, no nobody knew anything about me or my personal life.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_00: So really, no, no idea.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: When season five of RuPaul's Drag Race was announced, and Texas was like, Oh my gosh, our very own Justin Johnson, who owns Beyond Believe Dance Company, is Alyssa Edwards.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_00: My whole studio was like, What?
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: Really?
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_00: My best brand new and my secretary.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: No, and to everyone else was like, Justin, I remember getting a letter from one of the dads, and um, it touched me so much.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he was just so so kind with sharing.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I remember the letter it said, Justin, you know, I'm so very thankful that my daughters get to study underneath someone who is so uniquely gifted.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for sharing.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_00: It was it was something on the lines of this.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember going because I was so afraid of being judged, and people would look at me, you know, differently.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_00: And not one, not one parent.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it was like a scene from a movie.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: I walked in the studio, and after the announcement, I thought, oh my God, I was in my car having a little bit of of you know anxiety, and I thought, what am I gonna say when I walk in?
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Melissa Edwards.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, right.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: I do feel like I'm the real Hannah Montana of a ski.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: So um, I was like, just laugh and make a joke of it.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so I walked in, I said, everyone was sitting there just like waiting.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: I said, Well, hello, everyone, Hannah Montana.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so we just kind of all we we we all laughed and everybody just like kind of started clapping.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, Justin, wow.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it was just so special.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I the the whole everybody was just so celebratory.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't something like, okay, we're we're not gonna address the elephant in the room.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone was just like, congratulations.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, wow, that's awesome.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it yes, the feedback and the response was very overwhelming.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm even feeling that again right now, reliving that.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_00: That was 10 years ago.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I just so thankful, like I said, it's one thing being celebrated, but being but that feeling of being appreciated and heard is just so special.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_03: Well, and that goes back to your initial experience of being at your first studio and feeling like, wow, oh, I I get it.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_03: These people get me.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_03: You know, for it to come full circle for you to be able to now have students that you're like, I get you.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_03: You're you're you belong here.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_03: Like this is where you belong.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_03: Like that's so cool.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like my life has been one big circle.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's like just it's like coming back.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I people have always asked, why do you keep your studio in Mesquite?
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you keep it in that area?
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, here's the thing, there's probably another little Justin.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, yes, I could move it somewhere else, but it's home for me.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_00: And home is where the heart is.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I am, you know, in this in this season, season 21, I made a promise to myself that if I'm going to do this, I'm always, I'm never gonna look at it as just a business.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_00: It has to come from the heart and it has to be real and it has to be something that I'm completely invested in.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, in the back of my head, I'm like, here's the thing, Justin.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's better to go out a champ than a chomp.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_00: So don't ever come in this studio because you have to and you feel like it's work.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: Come in this studio because you created this, and it's a world now for others to believe in.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure that it's it's authentic and it's from a right place.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_04: Wow, that's so special, and that's so true.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_04: I love hearing this story, it's absolutely inspiring.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_04: And I have a few more questions as far as the studio life.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_04: And this is one first question is, and we ask every studio spotlight because it's just routine at this point.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_04: Ballet.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_04: How much ballet do your dancers take?
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_04: I know you said they're only there for like technique training two days a week.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_04: So are they taking ballet both days?
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_04: Are how long is the class?
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_04: Is it like a standard ballet class?
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_04: Are they supplementing ballet elsewhere?
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_04: Tell us about ballet at the studio.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so they're gonna take a ballet class for an hour and a half at the beginning of each week, and then it's also an hour and 15 on Sunday for our warm-up.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_04: Nice.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, nice.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_00: But I've given my ballet teachers permission.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like the ballet class can be disciplined, but be exciting and invigorating all at once.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I actually just read something that was interesting to me that it was saying some of the, you know, ballet had to modern its its its classwork for kids to to really find that love for it again.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_00: Especially when you look at like, let's say comp competition kids, you know, I didn't I didn't go to a class where I was doing headstands and and these fascinating tricks and uh acrobatics that we're seeing nowadays.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't do that.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think for a competition, some kids are it seems like in the younger, you know, like a mini junior, there that's more of an emphasis that that seems like it's a focus.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I told my ballet teachers, let's make the ballet classes still kind of fun for them, and they can see the reward.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_00: It will be an incentive for them.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 52:45
  SPEAKER_04: We all know the struggle is real when it comes to getting stage ready for competition, especially when it's time to apply your eyelashes.
• 52:53
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• 53:15
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• 53:23
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• 53:25
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• 53:32
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• 53:35
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• 53:38
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• 53:38
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• 53:56
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• 54:19
  unknown: Yeah.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_03: It has to be.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's really wise.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_03: It has to be.
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_03: And if you have the right ballet teacher, it's possible.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_03: Not every ballet teacher is willing or able to do that, I think, just because of what you know, the age of most ballet teachers.
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_03: You know, some of us are younger, some of us are older, but like a lot of them skew older just because of the nature of ballet.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_03: And if you can find that right teacher, I think that's really, really effective for that to be like the exciting class of the week because we get to go to ballet.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_03: I wonder what we're doing in ballet today.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I can testify that what I've watched from your studio at competition this season, they have very strong technical foundational training that stems from either the classes you're giving them in the the jazz contemporary, all of that, but also like I can tell they have ballet technique.
• 55:04
  SPEAKER_04: So I know that they're taking ballet, but it's interesting to hear that they're only taking it two times a week.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_04: Like that's pretty impressive because we we talk about all the time how much ballet do you take and all the things, and everyone thinks there's a certain number, but it's like quality over quantity.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_04: If you are taking a ballet properly, if the teacher's making it fun, if the dancers are getting that uh very detailed training and are applying the corrections and are focused, you don't need to take it every single day to be great.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_04: You can take it two times a week.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think here's the thing what is it, moderation with everything.
• 55:37
  SPEAKER_00: I you do not, if you are consuming your time, if you are being smart with your time and and you are diligent within your work, that is ample amount.
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's why we're going back to having a boutique company is easier because it's kids that are going to they're going to get the most out of that hour and a half class one day, an hour and 15 the next, rather than me stand behind them like with a ruler going, stretch my company.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_00: No, we're not going to, we're not, I always say, look, I'm not a babysitter, okay?
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_00: By no means.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: So you're your own babysitter and you're in the the driver's seat, okay, of your vehicle.
• 56:21
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're not taking your classes seriously, the only one that will be affected is you.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing also with me, too.
• 56:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very upfront with my students.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: You get casted based off your work.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_00: Unless it's a specific role or a part that I'm just really seeing something, I want you to know that this is all I am a little bit old school when it comes to this.
• 56:43
  SPEAKER_00: I am a tough love coach that uh nurtures as much as I scold and hold.
• 56:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I I believe in hard work and work ethic, and you're going to get what you earn.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we do live in a world nowadays where uh children's going back to, I did not grow up with this.
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I knew to come home when the street lights were coming on.
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_00: I drank out of water hoses, you know, I played outside all day long.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_00: I I read uh an article about that and I kind of giggled because I was like, that was my generation.
• 57:17
  SPEAKER_00: But I was very responsible in my classes because I love to go into dance two times a week.
• 57:25
  SPEAKER_00: It was the highlight of my week.
• 57:27
  SPEAKER_00: I do hear about studios programs that they're there like it seems every day, which I think if that works for people, that works.
• 57:36
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that would work for me.
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_00: I don't, I don't know if that's entirely necessary.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_00: I guess it is if you have a lot of kids and a lot of programs and a lot of, you know what I mean?
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, truthfully, we have four numbers on each age level.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_00: Two small groups, two large groups, and that's it.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I told my parents, I was like, that's too many.
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like one quality into one.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's make like three really fierce, strong, powerful, magical stories and performances rather than just, you know, you're at these conventions, you're sitting watching the same kids come out 20 times personally, but I get it's turned into like a little bit of uh business.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I think in my world, in my head, I would love to have a theater and a stage and just do my own stories one day.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you should.
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_00: But I also I love watching my kids uh thrive and and and grow and be inspired at these conventions.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we they left streets and nonstop in the classes and we we get back, we talk about the weekend.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_00: We all set and like I said, instead of just going right into a warm-up and progressions, let's talk.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_00: What did we learn this weekend?
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_00: What did we celebrate?
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_00: What are things we need to work on?
• 58:47
  SPEAKER_00: Let's listen to the notes.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh let's learn about one another.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_00: I I teach them we're a chain.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, we're like a link.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if there is a broke link, if there's a weak link, it affects the whole chain.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to stay connected.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the sign outside the studio says Beyond Belief Dance Company, a family of champions.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I found my family within the studio.
• 59:09
  SPEAKER_00: I found my tribe.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_00: I found my people.
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the idea of champion, it's not just a validated by a trophy.
• 59:16
  SPEAKER_00: Champion to me is the hard work, it's the amount of focus and attention to detail that you put in.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like I'm rambling so much.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I just I think I'm so proud to say that I I found this chapter, I found this space, and I found this place, and I found the people that and the characters that fit perfectly into it.
• 59:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_04: It's beautiful.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_04: And I see that in your work as well.
• 59:41
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it really shows in the work that you're producing at competition and at on the stage.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_04: It really speaks for itself and says a lot, and it is that memorable piece and does feel like a show.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_04: Like I said at the beginning, like I do believe you need to produce some type of show.
• 59:58
  SPEAKER_04: You need a full-length something, you need to be Broadway bound.
• 1:00:02
  SPEAKER_04: Hello, because there's just so much good stuff just from the whole the whole spectacle.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, Leslie, I will I will say that when I watched Justin's studio, there was always a prop.
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_04: But there was always a prop that was there was it was used.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, it was used.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_03: It wasn't lonely somewhere.
• 1:00:16
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my gosh, it was used and it was be Oh my gosh, Justin.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_04: I have to tell the the the box dance, the the juniors in the in the box, like they look like Jack in the box.
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_04: The clouds.
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_04: They were coming up with the bread.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my god.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_04: Oh cool.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_04: Oh god, it was so good.
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_04: It was so good.
• 1:00:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like I'm dreaming about it.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, like for me, I get in the room and I'm like, look, I have this idea, and I see the younger dancers in these boxes, and we're gonna come out.
• 1:00:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I love the idea of Tetris and like the visual effect of it.
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, the story with like the gloves and the fingers, and I did a lot of gestures.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so I get in the room, and I mean, we have a plethora of people that are there just helping, and it is it's it's so inspiring.
• 1:01:04
  SPEAKER_00: On that number, it was I I just me, my assistant Jenna, uh Keely, Easton Blake, you know, we all get in one room and we just start bouncing ideas off each other, and then the kids start adding things.
• 1:01:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's really a very special process at Beyond Belief, creating these pieces and and the work.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_00: And and then I'll start like, okay, what do you guys think about like this costume?
• 1:01:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, here's something.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_00: Look, like this is a note.
• 1:01:33
  SPEAKER_00: I like look at this and I'm like, I think we need makeup like this.
• 1:01:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh I'll start like writing things and the kids, they're just all involved.
• 1:01:43
  SPEAKER_00: So when I gave up the idea of like, look, stop making this a competition, stop making this a competitive thing with other companies, make this authentic, what you've always done.
• 1:01:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the world, it's like the clouds just parted and it was that aha moment.
• 1:01:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I I make it now a competition more within the dancers and and and and not necessarily the score sheet, but essentially like, look, what can we do to get 100 possible points?
• 1:02:13
  SPEAKER_00: And and something that I did last year, oh my gosh, I put this on my Facebook.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_00: I told the minis, I was like, it's the 20th year.
• 1:02:20
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna create this piece with you all, but for every perfect score you get, because this is a hard piece, it's gonna require a lot of work outside of the studio.
• 1:02:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to challenge them, like I was saying, because this phone is quite a distraction.
• 1:02:35
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to, for me, when I was young, I wanted to chat about this.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_00: We spoke to one another.
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_00: We got to the studio early.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_00: We talked about choreography, we ran notes, we didn't have videos to learn our material when to go home and review.
• 1:02:49
  SPEAKER_00: We had to stay late.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so I wanted to challenge my dancers to do the same.
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, tell someone they did good before you leave today.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe come early and meet with someone if you have a counterpart and you guys work together.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe present something to me if y'all if y'all see it's not working out.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it does open conversation within the studio, and that's why they're so close.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing chemistry is important, teachers.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_00: It is important.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_00: We can tell when a group of kids paid their tuition and they're all wearing the same outfit.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_00: As an audience member, we can say we can we can see that.
• 1:03:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I I I always remove my teacher hat once I go sit in the audience and I put on my audience member hat.
• 1:03:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I tell the students, like, I'm so very excited to get to be in the front row to watch you all perform tonight.
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh this is what I say every time.
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_03: Please go sit in the audience, teachers.
• 1:03:43
  SPEAKER_03: Please go sit in the audience because then you get to look at your creation.
• 1:03:46
  SPEAKER_03: Don't look at it from the wings.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's not your creation.
• 1:03:50
  SPEAKER_03: I used to gobble that.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_00: I had to get rid of that.
• 1:03:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I had to get rid of that.
• 1:03:54
  SPEAKER_00: I had to get rid of that and say, um, but I told my students last year I said, for every perfect score, I'm gonna give everyone in the dance a hundred dollar bill.
• 1:04:02
  SPEAKER_03: Whoa.
• 1:04:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you can afford to do that when you only got 30 students.
• 1:04:07
  SPEAKER_00: Not really, because I'm sitting there open opening the opening competition.
• 1:04:12
  SPEAKER_00: We were at Hollywood vibe, and the minis got a perfect 100 on their contemporary.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god.
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_00: And that's my partner looks over and is like, go to the ATM.
• 1:04:23
  SPEAKER_00: All my kids about stage, and they're like, No.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_00: Pseudo directors are like, Justin, do they get paid to win?
• 1:04:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, no, not at all.
• 1:04:31
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's not really that.
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_00: She's laughing, and so I ended up giving them.
• 1:04:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm looking for this picture, uh, a$100.
• 1:04:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then we go into okay, right here.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_00: I had to give these kids, here's them holding their hundred dollars.
• 1:04:46
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my god, amazing.
• 1:04:48
  SPEAKER_04: That's so fun.
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a lot of kids, audience, who can't see this video.
• 1:04:52
  SPEAKER_00: One.
• 1:04:53
  SPEAKER_00: So once I did that, the teens were like, they're really getting money for what about us?
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, hey, it's it's it's the 20th season for every hundred.
• 1:05:01
  SPEAKER_00: The next week, the minis large group gets a 100, and then the teens large group get a 100.
• 1:05:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, no, like, okay, so now I'm like, well, there went$3,000.
• 1:05:12
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my God.
• 1:05:14
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 1:05:14
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, so I but what I found from this like experiment was they would stay after, they would come early, or using, they created a group chats where they would write notes and compare notes.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought, this is what you've always dreamt.
• 1:05:31
  SPEAKER_00: This is that magical clubhouse, you know, and kids are communicating and the chain, the link is so strong, it's so powerful.
• 1:05:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I did tell them this year they tried to bring that back up.
• 1:05:42
  SPEAKER_00: I said, nope.
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_00: No one time only.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_00: That was for the 20th season.
• 1:05:46
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe on the 30th, maybe on the 30th season.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_03: Don't come back here being 29 years old asking me for your hundred dollars.
• 1:05:56
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's so good.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_00: Something that I'm very proud of, especially.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_00: Watching the kids from Dancing Queen graduate from the Beyond Belief program and getting accepted into their first choice, furthering their education through the wonderful world of art.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_00: Willow ended up going to the Boston Conservatory.
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_00: She was the presidential scholar.
• 1:06:18
  SPEAKER_00: Kiana went to SMU on a full scholarship.
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_00: Riley ended up at Chapman, NYU for Sydney.
• 1:06:26
  SPEAKER_00: Molly was in a bridge program, ended up booking her first work on the Las Vegas Strip.
• 1:06:32
  SPEAKER_00: And uh all of them have become so successful.
• 1:06:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it it truly just makes me so proud.
• 1:06:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it once again, the greatest reward is getting to sit back, sit in the audience and watch your students, whether it be on a competition stage, a convention stage, or on life's biggest stage.
• 1:06:53
  SPEAKER_04: This is this is so awesome.
• 1:06:55
  SPEAKER_04: I I love hearing all about your studio and what you've created for for the community in Texas and for the dance community and around the world.
• 1:07:03
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, so many people know you through the drag scene and then now also through your Netflix show for the dance world that kind of blends both.
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_04: And like you said, it's a nice blend these days.
• 1:07:14
  SPEAKER_04: But uh, can you share anything about what might be coming up for Beyond Belief?
• 1:07:19
  SPEAKER_04: Any exciting things in the horizon and in the future, any goals that you want to achieve in the next few years with the studio?
• 1:07:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I I gosh, I have so many.
• 1:07:29
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I love to journal a lot.
• 1:07:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I love to write little like love letters to myself with like goals and ideas and uh ideals and and and what I see.
• 1:07:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I always say that like my book of life, it's already written.
• 1:07:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's just now being read out loud.
• 1:07:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm trusting the process.
• 1:07:48
  SPEAKER_00: I understand the idea of timing, and I'm enjoying the chapter that I'm in.
• 1:07:52
  SPEAKER_00: I just I filmed that it's coming out soon, a new reality series called The Goat, the greatest of all time reality television contestant.
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's it's a fun show.
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's gonna be on Amazon Freebie and without giving away too too much, but it's a lot of different people from different walks of life.
• 1:08:09
  SPEAKER_00: You got a housewife, you got a guy who won the circle, you got um Lauren from Love is Blind, you got a girl from Vanderpump Rules, me from Drag Race, and um, we all live in a house.
• 1:08:20
  SPEAKER_00: We do these like silly fun challenges, and um I can't wait for that show to come out.
• 1:08:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh be look on the uh lookout for that, probably May.
• 1:08:29
  SPEAKER_00: Don't know a date yet, but I'm just fingers are crossed for May.
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think for Beyond, so that's I'm something I'm excited about, and I'm also working on a new touring show.
• 1:08:41
  SPEAKER_00: And for Beyond Belief, I think where I see the future of that is just building on this solid foundation.
• 1:08:49
  SPEAKER_00: I have so much heart for the world of art, and I want to continue building what has already been um laid with this foundation.
• 1:08:59
  SPEAKER_00: I believe not just my book, but Beyond Belief's book, it's already written, it's just now being read out loud, and I'm enjoying this chapter.
• 1:09:06
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see the growth that's already been laid on this solid foundation.
• 1:09:12
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many talented kids there, and I'm so proud that every time I see them on stage, they're also authentically themselves.
• 1:09:21
  SPEAKER_00: Did you notice that, Courtney?
• 1:09:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_00: The diversity and like the uniqueness in each kid.
• 1:09:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I I really I really have instilled with them.
• 1:09:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to be a successful performer, learn about yourself.
• 1:09:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I want you to be able to dance in an ensemble and and pick up material that is very invaluable information and and and a skill that you need to learn at a young age.
• 1:09:44
  SPEAKER_00: But I also want you to have a little bit of a star power and a star quality within that there's only one of you.
• 1:09:51
  SPEAKER_00: And Judy Garland said it best it's better to be a first-rate version of yourself than a second rate of someone else.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I want that to continue to rise.
• 1:10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And if I still have the love and the art and the and and the energy, I just still want to celebrate Beyond Belief.
• 1:10:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited to see what's next.
• 1:10:14
  SPEAKER_04: We hope you enjoyed our latest and last studio spotlight of season five, featuring Beyond Belief Dance Company.
• 1:10:21
  SPEAKER_04: Huge shout out to the owner of Beyond Belief, Justin Johnson, for joining us on this fantastic chat.
• 1:10:27
  SPEAKER_04: We loved learning about your studio.
• 1:10:30
  SPEAKER_04: Don't forget to follow them on Instagram at Beyond Belief Dance Company.
• 1:10:34
  SPEAKER_04: And stay connected with Justin at Alyssa Edwards.
• 1:10:37
  SPEAKER_04: Follow them on Instagram at AlyssaEdwards underscore one.
• 1:10:41
  SPEAKER_03: Don't forget to follow Making the Impact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and pretty much everywhere you listen to podcasts.
• 1:10:48
  SPEAKER_03: And if you want more exclusive episodes, support our podcast by joining our Platinum Premium membership for only$5 a month.
• 1:10:54
  SPEAKER_03: Subscribers receive free Making the Impact stickers, shout-outs live on the air, ad-free listening, and exclusive access to our QA episodes for members only.
• 1:11:03
  SPEAKER_03: Join now at Impact Danceadjudicators.com/slash Platinum Premium or click the link in our show notes.
• 1:11:09
  SPEAKER_04: Looking for some outside expertise to fine-tune your dance before hitting the competition stage this season?
• 1:11:15
  SPEAKER_04: Then check out IDA's Online Judges Critiques.
• 1:11:18
  SPEAKER_04: Our seasoned judges will provide you with the video critique of your routine, just like you'd receive at competition.
• 1:11:24
  SPEAKER_04: But with IDA's online judges critiques, we take it one step further with our post-critique additional feedback.
• 1:11:30
  SPEAKER_04: Your judge will go through your routine again, pausing the video to give you even more detailed and personalized feedback.
• 1:11:37
  SPEAKER_04: You can even request a judge that specializes in your style of dance.
• 1:11:41
  SPEAKER_04: This game-changing service has helped countless dancers prepare for the competitive stage and is available year round.
• 1:11:47
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• 1:11:51
  SPEAKER_04: Click the link in our show notes or visit our website at Impact DanceEdjudicators.com/slash one line critiques to learn more and submit your dance today.
• 1:12:01
  SPEAKER_03: Stay tuned as we wrap up season five with Making the Impact with episodes on in-house versus guest choreography, a chat with current college dance majors, and our season five takeaway episode.