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Competition Kindness - Etiquette at the Event · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_05: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_05: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_05: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_05: Each week, we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_05: In today's world, it can be easy to forget the simple things we learned early in life.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_05: Please, thank you, and great job.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_05: On this week's Valentine's Day episode, Making the Impact is bringing kindness in our stage as we talk with Judges Lauren, Bo, and Kelsey about etiquette in the classroom and at competition.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: Hey everyone, this is Courtney Ortiz, and I am your host on Making the Impact a Dance Competition Podcast.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: And I am here with my fabulous co-host, Leslie Mueller.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: Hi, everybody, and happy Valentine's Day week.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, it's Valentine's Day, and this week we are talking about competition kindness today.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: So we are going to uh discuss this in full detail about competition etiquette and how we can enjoy the experience for the best.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_03: And we have three great uh IDA judges here who are going to chat with us about their expectations for kindness at competition as well.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_03: And before we jump into the episode, I just want to give a big thank you to all of our listeners who have been tuning in throughout the past m few months since we've launched in October.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's been such a fun journey to get this podcast on its feet, and we wouldn't be here without you guys.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_03: So thanks for uh subscribing.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for sending over reviews.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_03: And speaking of reviews, we have some great ones.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_05: We have such nice reviews.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you everybody who's been sending them in and just sharing the love.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_05: I wanted to say thank you to Bethany Mendez who wrote My daughter and I really enjoy listening to this podcast.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_05: She's a young dancer and has a tremendous passion for learning everything there is about dancing.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_05: This podcast captures her attention and it is very informative.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_05: I've even seen her writing stuff down.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_05: They're all easy to listen to and I would highly recommend anyone give them a try.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_05: My hope is to be able to use their service to get feedback on her solo before the season begins.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you for making this wonderful resource available to all.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yes! Oh my gosh, what a great review.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Bethany.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_03: That's so exciting.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: We have another awesome review coming from a Leiden, and this says, Love this podcast.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_03: This has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: As a dance teacher and choreographer, I truly look forward to these weekly discussions and opinions.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for finally creating the podcast all of us have been desperately craving for so long.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, couldn't be better.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: You're welcome.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, you are.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_05: So thanks everyone again who's been listening, subscribing, and sharing.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_05: And if you want to stay up to date every week throughout the season, be sure to subscribe to Making the Impact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, and leave us a review.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_03: So this is our Valentine's Day edition of Making the Impact.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: So we brought together some very nice people to talk about etiquette and kindness at competition today.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: So first up, let's meet Kelsey.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: Kelsey, tell us all about you, who you are, where you're from, what you're doing now, and any credits you want to share.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, everybody.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is Kelsey.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm currently located down in Tampa, Florida, and originally from the great state of Kansas.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: I went to school actually with Miss Leslie at Oklahoma City University.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Ghostars.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, I am currently a faculty member for Frive Thrive Dance Experience and the Bridge Training Program.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: So those are two really awesome experiences that I'm excited about.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've also been working on creating my own original conditioning and cross training program for dancers.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that's something I'm working on launching hopefully by 2020.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: So there we are.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, if you have not seen some of Kelsey's videos on the internet, you need to go watch them because they are absolutely brilliant.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: What you, I don't know how you get these kids to do that.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_03: Like I watch those and I'm in pain watching these videos.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's so good.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's amazing.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_04: Well, if you're ever in Florida, come take my class.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_04: I need to.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we'd get our buttons.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much, Kelsey.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: We're so happy to have you here.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_03: Next up is Bo.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, what's up, New Yorker?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us a little bit about you and any credits you want to share and what you're up to now.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, uh, thanks so much for having me.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: This is awesome.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm originally from Michigan, a very small town called Marshall in the southwest part of Michigan.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: I started performing in musical theater there, and eventually I enrolled in dance at a studio in my hometown and I was about 15, which could be considered a little late to the game.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: I started with tap and ballet, and then I got really into it really quickly and pretty serious.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: So then I went on to study musical theater performance and graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: And music theater majors were pretty much triple majors in dance, acting, and singing.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: I know we did it all.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I've been living in New York City now for the past 10 years.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: I performed in Broadway national tours of the musical The Wizard of Oz and the last Broadway revival of West Side Story.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then I also traveled throughout Europe performing in the international tour of West Side Story, which was the exact same production team that Miss Courtney Ortiz traveled with.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Then I went on, I was a dancer in the final cast of the musical Chicago on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, The Allure of the Seas.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: Along with dancing in the ensemble at that time, I also understudied the role of Amos, so I got a little bit of both worlds of ensemble dance and then principal work, which was cool.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: I performed in numerous musicals, different regional theaters around the country.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: And this past summer I danced in New York City fundraiser Broadway Bears with tons of fellow Broadway dancers.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: And for those of you that don't know, it's a benefit for the organization Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, an amazing fundraiser.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: And now I can also be found like freelance teaching, choreographing for studios in the greater Southwest Michigan area.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a member of an organization called the Young Michigan Dance Association, in which I work remote from New York City to Michigan and choreograph for them and guest artist.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: And this is my second year with IDA and my third year judging in the competition circuit altogether.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: So all right.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_03: And last but not least, Lauren.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: Hello, hello.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_03: How are you?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'm doing great, excited to be here.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us a little bit about you, who you are, what you're up to.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so I am currently living in Naples, Florida.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_06: I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_06: I grew up in the competition circuit.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_06: So was definitely a competition kid growing up, and then went on to dance with the University of Cincinnati.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_06: I did the Cincinnati Dance Team, the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and Butler University in Indianapolis with their dance department.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_06: And then from there, I went on and danced with a professional contemporary jazz company, which was awesome, and started kind of teaching from there.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_06: So I've been teaching and choreographing for about 15 years now.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_06: I'm currently the competition director of a studio in Naples, and I get to work with a lot of awesome kids, all different ages.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_06: And that's been really great to be able to share my passion for dance with them and then come and be a part of this podcast and could try and connect with the dance world in another way with IDA.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_06: It's awesome.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm so excited to have you this season on IDA roster.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna be a fantastic judge.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_03: I know it.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm very, very grateful for all three of you for joining us on this discussion about competition kindness.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, thanks you guys.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_05: We appreciate you spending your time with us today.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_05: I wanted to mention that always our topics for this first season are uh pulled from our original IDA judges blog that's been around since 2017.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_05: So this topic was originally blogged about back in April of 2017.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_05: And it was one of my articles that I wrote.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_05: That was exciting.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_05: Yay! It's called Competition Kindness, Etiquette at the Event.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_05: And if you want to read more about that and any of our other topics, check out the show notes and head over to the blog to read more about that.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_03: Let's get right to it.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_03: Let's talk about kindness at an event.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_03: We know that these days at competition are always extremely long and start at six in the morning sometimes and end at midnight.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: And you you're gonna meet tons of different studios, you're gonna compete against tons of different studios, but at the same time, we need to remember that etiquette is a very important element of the competition experience.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_03: So why is it important?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_03: What makes, you know, how can that help your experience as a competitive dancer when you bring etiquette to the table?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: What do you look for as a judge when it comes to etiquette at competition?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: I think etiquette, I mean, it's just important in life in general.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think kindness is important in life in general.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Don't you think?
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's just such a key factor in our everyday, even living in a big city or a small town, how you behave and the energy you put out affects everybody.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: The first person you interact with is the last person.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, you want to treat others as you would have them treat you.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a good rule of thumb.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: In the competition world, especially, I think, like Courtney said, it is such a long day and it is kind of hard to keep, you know, the energy up, so to speak, sometimes backstage.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: But I think a good rule of thumb, especially, is that people notice everything.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's representation for the competition every in every corner of the, you know, the venue, pretty much.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: So there's all eyes.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not just, you know, faking niceness, but you know, just genuine genuinely enjoying yourself and that shows.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I think that we we do notice that even as judges, we go backstage, we see, you know, interactions, and and you know, even if something went poorly on stage, it's kind of how do you reconcile that and how do you deal with it?
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think etiquette just it values everybody's efforts, going from, you know, respecting the performers when they're on stage, the staff backstage working the events, your teachers, the judges, fellow competitors, parents.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: It just, if you have proper etiquette and are respectful, it's valuing everybody's time and energy.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then it allows the event to really make a bigger impact on people rather than just necessarily like going and trying to win an award.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you have etiquette and respect, who knows, you could make new friends, you could make new relationships with people that long term could really impact you if you just take the time to like invest in others and you know, take a step back sometimes and see the bigger picture of what you're a part of and have value for that.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's really important.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_06: And I think with what both Bo and Kelsey said, I mean, representing yourself at competition is so important because it does translate into the rest of your life and it could translate into a future career or maybe different studios you go to or different shows that you do, because the dance community is such a small world, really.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, even on this podcast, like Bo and Courtney were did a the same show.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_06: So it's it's a very connected world.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_06: And I think when you have that great etiquette at competition, that's important because there's a lot of connections out there with the dance community, and you want to put your best foot forward always, whatever the scenario you're in is.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_06: So that helps you going forward in the future and and you're showing everybody your personality and your kindness, not just how you are on stage as a dancer.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_05: Totally.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_05: I think speaking of sort of like the interconnectedness of the dance community, Bo, when I met you, I think we literally just went to a bunch of the same West Side story auditions because when I was auditioning, I was always auditioning for anybody's, which means I was dancing with the boys.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_05: And there were multiple times I remember seeing you and you just seemed nice.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_05: You were always very approachable.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_05: And I remember I think I maybe asked you at some point what you know, had you heard about a callback or had you heard anything from this theater.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_05: And you were just really kind to me and you gave me the information and you shared information, and then eventually we became friends like on social media.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_05: And uh that's that's just it.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_05: It's like if you can approach somebody to create a relationship, you never know where that's gonna lead.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_05: And now we work for the same company.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_05: You know what I mean?
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_05: And like the the world is just small.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_05: And if you can start that kindness from the beginning of your world, which, you know, when we're kids, we're when we're dancing as kids, your world is the dance studio, your family, and then your wider circle is gonna be that dance competition family.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_05: And so, you know, it just becomes a bigger, a bigger, smaller circle, if that makes sense, once you get into the industry, you know, where we are.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: And and thank you so much for saying that, Leslie.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's so sweet.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: That actually really made my day.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because I totally remember you from auditions too.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it is that whole network of people that we meet in this business that really makes a difference and supporting one another and even the smallest thing, like you said, just communicating, how's this going or is this happening for you can make a difference and just being kind about it, because there's some people that could maybe, you know, withhold information or you know, just be in it for themselves.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: And and I understand the idea of you know, pursuing your life and your career, but I don't I I don't see the problem in opening yourself up to other people.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: And in fact, I think that's actually gonna get you further in this business because if you have a good attitude and you're kind to someone, then people will remember you for that in a good way and they'll think, huh, this person's really personable, really easy to talk to and work with.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: Let's give them a shot.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and that that's a perfect example because I, as the owner of IDA, I have to screen hundreds of judges that send in submissions, and the like final part of the pre-screening process involves the judges to send critiques.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_03: And a lot of the judges who I'm considering to bring onto the roster, I don't personally know.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_03: Some of them have been referred in through a friend and someone recommended them or someone just applied from finding it online.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm listening to, you know, these dancers critique or these teachers and educators critique their routines.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: And that's really all that I get to know about them.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: So after that, if I'm like, okay, they have solid critiques, I like them.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_03: The next step for me is to go ask their reference, hey, how is this person?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: Are they are they reliable?
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: Are they trustworthy?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: Are they cool to get along with?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_03: Are they not gonna flake out on me on an event?
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_03: Are they, you know, a reputable person?
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: Like ca are they top notch?
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: Is how do you like them as a person?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: And first impressions are everything to a lot of people.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: Some people have said, Oh yeah, I met this person once and I don't really know them that well.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_03: They seemed nice enough.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, okay, well, that's cool with me.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_03: You know, if you thought they were nice first impression, I'll take it.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_03: Or sometimes if you, you know, don't aren't the sweetest to others, some people have or maintain a bad reputation, and that's never what you want in the industry because people do ask, and uh casting directors will ask and employers will ask about you.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: So learning that and starting that from competition is so huge, even in the classroom as as a dancer and at your studio with your teammates.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: Everything matters, and I think that that's an important skill to learn and utilize at competition as well.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think it's great that you guys are having this conversation right now with your listeners, because I think that starting that at a young age is gonna set them up for success that much more.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, start learning these skills now, learn that first impressions, like you said, Courtney, do make a huge difference.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can learn that now at a young age, you're gonna get a great advantage.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_05: Speaking of uh starting at a young age, so we start at a young age dancing at studios.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_05: And that's your home, that's your dance home from the beginning.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, and we always sort of say, like in just the general how we bring up children, like you you're learning how to be a person from your from your home.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_05: How do you learn how to be a kind dancer from your dance home?
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_05: What can studio owners and teachers do to promote that kindness and that good etiquette in the studio and encourage the positive behavior both in and out of the studio?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: Something that I've started this season with my students is I've created a positivity board that we've put in each classroom.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I have a bin of post-it notes and markers.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever they see their teammates do something good or something that they loved or if they were inspired, they just write them a post-it note and stick it on the wall.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: And every day there's kids going up checking and seeing if they have any messages, writing messages to each other, different age groups writing each other messages.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just really cool to see them kind of communicating and celebrating each other.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: And something else that I have my students do is share something good that happened in their day.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then we celebrate that in the classroom.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: So how I start class every day is tell me something good.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: And they all raise their hands and we'll share a good grade on a math test, or, you know, that they got a donut as a snack from a friend or whatever.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, whoa, that's awesome that that happened to you today.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just like the little things, like getting the kids to see like the positivity and the good things that are happening, and they'll continue to see more and more of those things rather than seeing the negatives are being held up by a situation that maybe previously could have like brought them down.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: So those are two things that I like to do.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_03: That's so fun.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_06: I think one great way to set up etiquette or set up the kindness at competition that we use is to have kind of like a big sister, little sister program, or maybe team captains or a mentor to put some of those more senior dancers in a leadership role is giving them that added responsibility of you really have to represent the studio at a different level and you have to be the example for what we're doing at competition or having that etiquette.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_06: And then to have a younger dancer that feels comfortable or connected with them to, you know, go up and ask them questions at competition about what maybe they do or don't need to be doing, or to have the older girl feel comfortable saying to a younger one, like, okay, you need to be backstage at this time, or this is kind of what we would expect here.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_06: Putting those relationships in place, I think, is a great way to set an example for the younger ones and then give the older girls that little added bit of leadership so you have good representation when you get to competition and it's not all just falling on the coach or the teacher who may be kind of tied up with other things because it can get so hectic while you're there.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_03: And something that I I feel like that I want to see more of in class, specifically at the studio, is just people supporting and applauding for each other when, you know, the teacher recognizes a dancer and says, Hey, you did that really great today.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_03: And everybody could be like, Yeah, yes, you did, girl, and they clap, you know, like I I want to see a little bit more support from the teammates.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: And and I think that translates for me as well into the convention world because I teach a lot on conventions and it's very interesting to see the etiquette at convention as to like who actually is supportive of complete strangers that they're in the classroom with that day.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_03: And for me, it kind it stems down from if they're actually doing that in the classroom at home and if that's even something that they were taught to do.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yes, we're supposed to support each other.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's what we're here to do.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: So that's something I I want dancers to remember that it is important to support your friends.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely agree with you.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely think that it starts from the top.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that especially being a studio owner or an artistic director, even a faculty member, the parents and the kids look to you and how you respond to situations and how you bring energy into um the studio every day.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if you are the example and you bring the positivity and the kindness and the encouragement and the celebration, they're more likely to jump on board with that.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: And if you come in with a different attitude, then that's the energy and the kind of culture that you're gonna develop.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: So as a teacher, it's really up to us as to like what kind of culture we want our kids to grow up in and then make sure we foster and create that for them.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's that's a really good point because you think about in in any situation, if you are trying to get somebody's attention or a whole group, a whole room of people's attention, then I think what's more effective is to maybe stay calm and positive as opposed to being outlandish and loud and exploding, you know, maybe try a tactic of a little bit more, you know, calm and reserved as opposed to like explosive and angry.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I understand the energy of like, you know, giving it, but it's all the intention behind it that could be misconstrued.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a good point.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: It comes from the top, it comes from the teacher and the energy that we put in.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: So it is our responsibility to lead with this example, you know.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, there's I have several studios that I've taught for that do something super simple and it's just uh it's just an easy way to recognize uh what's being done well.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_05: Is it's a little you know, you can make it yourself and go to Zillow, not Zillow, what's the one?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_05: Moo or the printing companies and print out a wow card.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_05: And a wow card is something you give a student, you know, doesn't cost very much money, it's not candy, it's not a sticker, it's a little thing that they can hold on to that just said, you did something really well.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_05: Like you are you impressed me today.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_05: And it can be for whatever reason.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_05: And for the little kids especially, that is a big deal.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_05: You know, they covet these wow cards and they work really hard, you know, to be recognized by their teacher just for something, it could be as simple as you were really sweet to, you know, your friend today, or you let them go first in line, or whatever it was.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_05: It could be rewarding good behavior, it could be rewarding excelling at a skill or paying attention and just something like that.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_05: Like you said, it starts from the top.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_05: So what are those things we can kind of you know, show them from the top that'll trickle down to maybe, you know, it doesn't have to be a wow card at a convention, but it can be a hey studio kid that I don't know from another studio, you did a really great job today.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_05: Like that's the wow card.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_05: That's the way you can support, you know?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_03: So speaking of, you know, n the competition world and the award ceremonies specifically, what type of etiquette are we looking for?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: I know that when I'm on stage as a judge, whether I'm presenting my special awards or if I'm asked to hand out trophies or other high score awards or whatever it may be, I want that the dancers to all be paying attention.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like that a lot of the times at a competition and at awards, everyone's so excited and there's loud music and we're doing like the Cha Cha slide or whatever we're doing or we're catching the little free giveaways and it's super fun and exciting.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_03: But like once the actual award ceremony begins and the announcer starts talking, then I really wish that the dancers would chat quiet down the chatter and you know really focus on what they're saying.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's important stuff.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean there have been many times even for me that I've given away a special award and the dancers who I was awarding didn't even know that I was giving them an award because they weren't paying attention.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I think that at awards specifically that's what I'm looking for.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_03: Is there anything else that you guys really notice as while you're at competition at awards specifically?
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's a really good topic as far as the point in the competition is the awards is when I notice the most.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean that's when everybody's collected and we really get to see you know between the cracks of who people really are.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: We can fight out and playing a character and being found this in larger life and then all of a sudden we see you hunched over in the corner with your friends, which is totally fun.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love seeing the casual uh attitude of just a dancer chilling after an event.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think the one thing that I notice the most is when we're on stage presenting awards or handing out the pins or the little special treats that there's sometimes there can be a tendency to get distracted or you know you are with your friends so you kind of use it as a social hour.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a better way to kind of turn that is think of well we are on stage aren't we?
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: I mean I think every time you're on stage you kind of have to respect that.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like respect the fact that you're in that space and on stage and we're still kind of performing.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: So you know show us that you're the team that means it stand up straight be be performing even then and be yourself but you know show us the etiquette and show us the tricks that you learn at your home studio or at your home with your family and just you know make them make everyone proud.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I think my biggest thing is just kind of paying attention being alert and being in the moment and maybe you're not getting an award but another studio is so give them the respect of the moment and just you know just when you're there and you're on stage you're there you know turn it on.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm gonna go at it from a a teacher's perspective here for this specific topic.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't allow any of my students to take their cell phones on stage.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think that it's they think it is a a casual time and that they can't be seen.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: And in turn when they've had their phones in the past they've missed being announced for very special awards.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: They've missed their teammates receiving something special.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: They've missed their teachers getting recognized solely because they're just sitting there on their phone.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so I really encourage them to be very present in the moment with their teens and create memories while they're at the award ceremony.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: So we really encourage them to take on responsibility of the younger kids.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: So every older kid and younger kid is paired together and make sure that they're sitting together and very present, focused.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: And we also discuss controlling emotions and being respectful.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: We all work very hard every studio every dancer and has put a lot of time and energy to be on stage and to perform our best and sometimes it's gonna end up going your way and sometimes it's not but to understand that it's three people's perspectives and at the end of the day you have to be proud of what you did and control and acknowledge the emotions that you have but deal with them at a separate time rather than in the middle of an award ceremony on stage.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of some things that I talk to my students about.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah I mean that's that's a such a great one because I I've been in that position as a judge when I'm handing out just straight up adjudication wards and the dancers I can already tell are upset at their adjudication that I have to present to them.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: And I think to me I'm like you know you should I I'm your judge like I you should be respectful that I have sat here and taken the time to critique you and give you valuable feedback where you can go back and listen and take it one step further in the classroom and improve next time.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_03: And like you said Kelsey it's not always going to go your way every every time a competition and that's okay.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's we're here to grow.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: We're here to learn but to be respectful to the staff and the judges and the announcer by even just saying thank you for my award when we hand it to you.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's a big thing.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_03: Some kids just snatch it out of my hand and I'm like oh okay you're welcome all right moving on or or they don't even stand up.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah that's just to interject very quickly that's my biggest concern is you know whether whether you approve of the award I'm giving you or not, this is your award.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_05: So you you must stand, you must accept it.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_05: And then like Kelsey said, I I really like that like you know in in life we all have we all have emotions and they're all valid and the way you feel is valid.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_05: And if that feeling is very upset or disappointed, that's fine.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_05: But you you can't you know put that out there in a way that's going to disrupt whatever else is going on at that moment because then you're you're affecting so many other people at that moment.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_05: So like feel the feelings but you know feel them in in a space and time that's appropriate.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good point.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah it's totally valid to have these emotions it's totally valid to be upset about something.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I feel like the biggest test that we have in our competitive world in general is to just kind of temper those knee-jerk reactions a little bit because like I said energy is so contagious.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's such a ripple effect and think about on stage if one person says one thing or rolls their eyes that whole stage is going to be rolling like the eyes are just going to roll all across the board.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: So just think about how you can affect the person next to you and you want to be a great example especially if you're a senior dancer in a competition you or if a lot of kids are looking up to you and if they see you rolling your eyes they're gonna think that's acceptable.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's really not because we notice everything and when you're on stage remember you're playing a character so you even if you're a character you know your character should be proudly accepting an award.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yes and then you can you know cry in your car.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_01: We've all done it we've all done we've all done it save it for the car yeah Lauren what about you?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_06: Well I think everything you guys have hit on is just so key and as a teacher or coach it's just important to go over these things before competition.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_06: So just set aside 10-15 minutes of your rehearsal time and say hey this is what we expect at competition.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_06: You should be applauding for every studio you should leave your phone have it assigned who's going up for what award so when you get called up it's not like three people jump up or no one jumps up.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_06: So have kind of a delegated person beforehand.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_06: If you want your dancers standing in a nice fifth position when they accept their award, like awesome.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_06: So you're still performing like you said on on stage and you still have that clean look.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_06: I think it's it's great if you have a team warm up or some sort of a team spirit type of an outfit to wear up on stage and don't like change into your pajamas immediately with like your bun down looking kind of like you're just done for the day.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_06: You're ready to go crash.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_06: So if you can kind of keep that cleanliness, you've prepared so hard for competition, you've worked so hard on your routine to just finish it and then be like blah, I'm done.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_06: We're awards, like it's over.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_06: I think you you got to keep it going all the way until you go back and then you can go cry in the car.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_06: You can go take that bun down in the car and all that good stuff.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_06: But yeah, just keeping the professionalism on stage is important.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I think everything that you guys said is so valid.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: Like like you said Lauren we everything is a very important that we just discussed and this is specifically talking about the award ceremonies and this is perfect timing for this podcast episode because we're at the top of the season.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_03: So I hope that a lot of teachers will share this with their students and listen to this and hear it straight from the judges as to what we see and notice at at awards.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_03: So not just awards only, but I'm curious to know some of your pet peeves with etiquette outside of the award ceremony.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_03: We kind of talked about that, you know, what we see at awards now let's just anything else that just kind of boils your blood with with etiquette I know for me I can't stand when I see a ki a dancer, one of the friends of the dancer who's performing standing in the wings in my eyesight while I'm trying to judge them while I'm dancing.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_03: Doing the dance usually yeah friend is usually doing the dance.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_03: Doing the dance or like clapping in the wing and like not only for the judges I feel like it'd be distracting as a dancer.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mean I'm like wait what is oh get out of here I'm performing you know not your turn wait solo.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: I know and you know you know every team's kind of got there like we're gonna be there we're gonna you know cheer you on which is amazing but you know cheer them on from the audience or at least stand further back and give them their time and their space and just you know it's their turn to really show off.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: So we don't we don't want to see you yet.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_03: Right exactly and there's it's something to always remember for dancers is like if you can see me, I can see you.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_03: So if you I can make eye contact with you in the you're standing in the wing please scooch back and support your friend further back.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_05: And it goes for teachers too.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_05: Yes because that was going to be mine absolutely please just see watch her dance from the front.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_05: How often do we as teachers get to stand in the audience like literally never you know I'm always looking at my dance from the side always or I'm so close to her in the front there or the dancer in the front that I can't even see what you're doing.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_05: Like take that opportunity you you know if you're going to five events a year get in the back of the auditorium because what a what a beautiful way to watch your student.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah I don't think so because if yeah if you're in the wings like I'm I'm peeved I'm very peeved when I see a teacher in the wings just sort of hovering you know and no coaching allowed either don't coach your dance from the wings illegal.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah you're right that's a good point because how many times do you get to perform in these huge auditoriums these beautiful performing art centers that's a great point like take advantage of this opportunity and go stand on the back and be like wow that's my kid up there.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_04: Look how good I did like look at that great dance.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: It looks great because you know it's perfect formation from a distance I would say that my biggest pet peeve is yelling in the audience during a performance especially when it's like they're sitting like the row directly behind the judges.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh yes and are just screaming nonstop.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I can't hear myself think I can't create a proper adjudication for them to like get quality feedback and that's why they're there and that's what I'm being paid to do.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so it just really frustrates me when I can't even hear the music because there's so much screaming happening behind me.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_03: I can't agree with that more it's I mean you know it it's exciting we're excited that you know they're up on stage and we want to support but I think you know we're not at like a football game or something.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like we're at a dance competition we have to know when to be respectful and when to stop the hooting and hollering.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: I mean I've had people have like little clapping things and like sirens and stuff.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean people go wild and crazy.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_03: Dance dads yeah and I love the support but like at the same time like we can't do our job and we're distracted by the screaming behind us.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean it ends at at a point in time.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right and without saying without being so precious about dance like being like it's a ballet like it's sacred you can't make noise it's not it's not that it's it's just it's the level of noise.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: I mean sometimes you write Kelsey it's like deafening and if you're gonna scream that loud go to the back of the house because if you're gonna be right behind the judges I mean we might as well not even be there because you can't hear we can't hear the music.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we don't even know if they're keeping time.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: It literally is a sound issue.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_03: I have another edit another thing that I want to share that I am very passionate about.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: Go for it.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_03: I really wish that if a choreographer creates a dance that has a prop of some sort that's either extremely large and takes a long time to set up or maybe has a prop that's like rose petals that litters the stage.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_03: I really, really stress the importance of cleaning that up quickly and efficiently and not by the staff of the competition, by you and your dancers and your dance dads and dance moms and whoever's gonna come help.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think that a lot of studios are abusing the rules of as to how long you can take to set up a prop at competition.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_03: I think people just act like that that rule doesn't exist.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I've literally seen people build up a set piece for 20 minutes on stage and hold up the entire event.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_03: And to me that's poor etiquette because you're dis you're disrespecting the rest of the competitors because it's about you.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's about my prop and well I need this time.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like well, you know, it's there's a rule and whether or not the rule is enforced, that's not the point.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: It's the point that you should follow the rules.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I stress to the teachers to please follow the rules especially when it comes to props I there have been times when I've seen those rose petal dances and it was beautiful and I'm I loved the moment.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: I loved judging it.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_03: I loved watching it and then afterwards the rose petals just sat on stage and no one was cleaning them up.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_03: And it boiled my blood so much because I was like who do you think's gonna clean this up?
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_04: This was your mess.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_04: You made the mess like what do you do in rehearsal?
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_05: Do they just stay there?
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_01: Totally just like please sucks the energy out of the room too I mean because if you're trying if you're taking that much time with a prop, all of a sudden the show stalls and I mean usually it's a nice snappy pace and we like to keep it just moving along because it's entertaining you got grandma and grandpa back there and they don't want to be sitting there waiting for too long for their kids.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: Think about grandma and grandpa like you want to speed it up for them because they got to get out of here.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: Right they got bingo at the end they got things to go they got things to do.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah you do.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_06: And like on the subject of props I think as far as competition etiquette goes having maybe like one or two dances with a large prop or a couple numbers with props is great.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_06: But I think when every single routine that the studio brings has a prop, you kind of lose the impact or value of it and it does really slow the pace.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_06: So I think as choreographers if you're bringing multiple routines kind of be mindful of that you don't want to lose the impact of a prop by putting it in every single dance or being that studio like okay here we go again they're setting up another giant prop.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_06: So just be mindful if that's something that you're doing that you're using it in a really effective way where you're putting it in routines where you're gonna get the most bang for your buck and it's not every single number just for the sake of having those props there.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely agree.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_03: I mean you definitely don't want to become known as like the prop studio and I've j definitely judged a handful of the prop studios.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_03: You know everybody has their thing but we don't always need to have a prop and we don't need to rely on them and it needs to be it needs to make sense of the piece too.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_05: I mean that's a whole nother discussion but right well and because this is the thing you know there's I will give a special award once in a while for great use of a prop, but that's all that's really gonna do.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_05: You know, you might get a special award every now and then if you reuse a prop very very well because I will acknowledge that.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_05: But you know nine times out of ten, I don't need your giant box on the stage.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_05: But and then I also will say sometimes if you do have this giant box on the stage and you do bring it out for every single number, I at least take the time to acknowledge the dance dad or the dance grandpa or the dance mom who made that prop and who's storing it in their garage.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_05: Because thank you like you took the time and so in terms of you know our etiquette as judges I will always recognize if somebody has clearly taken the time to build something, to make something, to edit a piece of music really, really well, like I will always call that out because you know like Bo said earlier on on stage uh at awards we see everything.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_05: And and I try to acknowledge everything.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_05: And that includes you know people working hard behind the scenes.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: When dancers are not aware of other performers on stage and block the path the passageways in the back or are too far in the wings if dancers are entering and exiting giving everybody their fair shot to put their best foot forward on stage.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: We've had crossovers before or like big groups exiting through a wing and then have to enter through another one and dancers like hogging the space and just being unaware of their surroundings which causes issues for the kids that are actually on stage.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: And everybody deserves their chance to like fully perform and do their best.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: And those types of situations just like kind of hinder the kids to be like fully aware whatever they're doing because they're worried about being able to get back on stage.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_03: I mean I've I've wit I've witnessed it I've stand I've stood backstage before and just watch kids from other studios who are excited to watch what's happening on stage because it's exciting obviously usually it's a big production number with lots of entrants and exits and sometimes they're changing their shoes or their costume and kids from other studios are just maybe like awards is next or something.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_03: And they're just standing there completely in the way.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_03: They don't care if people are like running laps past them or not or don't even think like maybe I should get out of the way or maybe I should go watch from the front or maybe I shouldn't be backstage at this very moment.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_03: You know, teaching our kids that in the classroom ahead of time like you said to have a a pre-competition talk and say this is how the event's gonna go.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_03: These are some etiquette things that we need to remember.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: Be respectful to your competitors if someone's on the stage don't be in their way don't be in the wing cheering them on.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_05: Don't be in the wings 17 numbers before your number I think that's another very important point that, you know, I'm directing this year for competitions and that means I'll be you know walking around and seeing what every facet of the competition is how it's functioning.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_05: And I can't tell you how many times you know I'm like, oh what what number are you?
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_05: And they're like, oh I'm in like 40 dances and you're like well you get get out.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_05: Like I love you dearly.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_05: I know you love your friends dearly and you want to watch their dance, go to the front because there's just there's not there's only so much space.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_05: And then you know sometimes you are lucky enough to be in a giant performing arts center with a huge wing space and backstage space.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_05: But a lot of times you're in a high school and there's barely any space for the people who are entering and exiting.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_05: So you know the best rule of thumb teachers for that 15 minute meeting that you have before the event or on your last dress rehearsal is, you know, don't don't be in the wings until a couple numbers before like whatever you've decided on as a studio is it three numbers before is it four numbers before like that's reasonable but you know if you're just sort of lurking you're you're in the way of other people and their success, you know?
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right, because you guys, you have to remember it is dangerous back there.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean this is a venue this is a place you've probably never explored before and you're coming back into this dark backstage and you don't know what's back there.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: You may maybe the first time you're back there there's a fly system up top like there's things that you need to watch out for and especially people coming out of the wings if you bash into somebody as they're coming out that could be really dangerous.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_01: And and our your safety is our number one concern at competitions for sure.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: So it's more it's more than you know just you know being in the wings because you're annoying us blah blah blah blah blah but it is it is also a safety hazard.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_01: So you know you gotta think of it that way.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_01: And as far as you know a backstage track goes that's something to have a conversation with your students is not only the choreography we have on stage, but the choreography we're gonna have backstage is just as important for safety and cleanliness again because we're gonna notice that you're a very organized studio and you're gonna get a call out for that in a good way and we're gonna remember we're gonna, you know, we're all gonna have a good relationship that way.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_01: So the backstage etiquette and traffic and tracking is just as important as you're on stage for sure.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah the tracking and the the crossovers and entrance and exits is that reminded me that it is important to you know remind our dancers what the different wings are.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_03: You know, if you need to go on stage before the event happens and just be like this is wing one and this is wing two and this is wing three and this is where you enter and exit et cetera for you know different sections in this dance to make the kids feel comfortable because they don't have wings at the studio.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: So they're this is their first time learning that and that's what competition is about.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's about learning.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_03: So I've seen so many times dancers who think that they're off stage but they're not off stage or and they're fidgeting and they're fixing their costume and and everything and I'm like okay well either like stand still and professional if you are on stage like I just said before if you can see me, I can see you.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_03: Or really go fully offstage into the wing like you're supposed to.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_03: So I think just getting dancers familiar with that a little bit more.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_03: And you can totally fix that by going onto the stage ahead of time or during a judge's break or something like that to just kind of like make sure I know where everything at I think that just really shows a lot of professionalism from the studio.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah that's a good point.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yes I think that any chance you get to take a peek at see what's going on backstage, you know, just to get your bearings, that's gonna really set you up for success success for that weekend for sure.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_05: Guys I want to end with uh just something for Valentine's Day.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_05: Could you guys just tell me why you love to dance?
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_03: Because we love it.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_05: You got us with a top
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'll answer why I love performance in general.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_01: I and I I feel like I I tell people this all the time because a lot of people from my hometown ask, why did you pursue theater and dance, musical theater, especially professionally?
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: Why do you decide to do this?
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_01: Because they they know how hard the world can be because there's a lot of rejection, you know, and it's very competitive, and and you know, the jobs are a little bit scarce at times.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's just it's a tough career to really want to go into full force, but you really have to go in full force.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I just say I think about all the connections that I've made in 16, 17 years of dancing myself, all the people that I've met, the network is just insurmountable.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've met so many people, so many amazing, I know two of you right now from uh things opposite from IDA or something other than IDA.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I just love the network and and the people that I get to meet and the connections that I make.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then when you get to go on stage and tell a story and kind of play and act with these people, or do a dance and make a piece about something beautiful, it's just the best feeling in the world for me.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think more than anything, it's just this family that I've built.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've really met people like me.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: I've met my tribe through this industry, and it's made me feel really accepted, really happy and fulfilled.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_01: And it is a tough business, but because it's so tough, I can get through it because of the network and the family that I built through dance and the arts.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: Why do I love dance?
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: Is that was that the question?
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's the question.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's changed throughout my life why I love it.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_00: But if I'm gonna speak to this very moment in my life, I would say it's very empowering.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: I feel very empowered to use my voice, use my movement, use my knowledge, use my connections with people and my passion for educating.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it's empowered me to not only believe in myself, but believe that I can help people pursue their passions and see their potential.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's just something that's like a driving force that like I feel capable, and dance has been able to do that for me.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_06: Well, I would say I love dance because it's just such a way to express yourself so fully, because you're putting your movement into it, your whole body into it, your emotion, your soul, and you get to just really express your full person.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_06: And there's so so few instances I feel like where you can really just leave it all out there like you can in dance and just put all of your energy into being, you know, so in the moment with something.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_06: I love that it's so artistic.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_06: It can go from being like a crazy fun jazz dance to a deeply emotional piece where you're telling a message or sharing your story.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_06: And to have so many different colors and so many different things that you can do with dance as an art form, I think is just beautiful.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_06: And that's why I've stayed with it for as long as I have because you can continue to grow as a dancer.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_06: You can always be learning new things.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_06: We've mentioned it many times in this podcast, but it's just an awesome community.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_06: I still have friends that I danced with.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_06: A lot of you listening, I'm sure you're still going to be friends with the people you're dancing with now.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_06: And into the future, you'll have those connections.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_06: And that's just really something special to have something that you love and your friends love and that you can share together.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_06: To have those genuine connections is just deeply meaningful.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_06: And I think that, you know, if this is perfect timing for Valentine's Day, share the love with your dance friends.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_06: Share the love at competition this year.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_03: We hope you enjoyed this discussion on competition kindness, and thanks for tuning in to our Valentine's Day episode.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_03: Shout out to our very special guests, Kelsey, Bo, and Lauren.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_03: If you want to follow them on social media, you can find Kelsey at KJN Dance, Bo at B4H, and Lauren at Lauren A L T Zero.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_05: You have a dance competition question you've been dying to ask a judge?
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_05: Now's your chance to send us your questions.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_05: We might answer them on the show and give you a shout-out, or you can choose to remain anonymous.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_05: Submit your questions to us on our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com slash podcast via audio or text.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_03: A quick shout out from one of our sponsors and IDA affiliated competitions, Axis Dance Competition, where Linda Diamond's years of experience brings you the vitality of a new beginning.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_03: Teachers, studio owners, dancers, and parents have shared what they want in a dance competition, and Axis is here to deliver.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_03: This innovative yet traditional event promises to be a combination of fun, professionalism, and passion.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_03: Their goal is that each dancer leaves with a smile on their face and the incentive to be the best they can be.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_03: Axis is eager to provide every performer with an opportunity to celebrate dance.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_03: To learn more about Axis Dance Competition, head to their website now at AxisDance Competition.com.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_03: If you like what you heard on today's episode and want more, head over to Apple PodcastNow and leave us a review.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_03: The more great reviews we get, the more content we can bring to you, All About Things Dance Competition.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_03: Head over to Apple PodcastNow to rate us and leave us a review.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_05: Coming up in the next few weeks, we've got some awesome topics, including social media, interviews with convention owners, acro, and the February edition of QA with Courtney.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_05: Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify and tune in every Monday for new episodes.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_03: As always, we're so happy you joined us for this week's episode of Making the Impact.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_03: Until next time, keep dancing.