Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Special Awards - Recognizing More Than Just Your Score

Transcript

Special Awards - Recognizing More Than Just Your Score · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: On this very special episode, we have some very special guests to talk about.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Are you sensing a theme here?
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Special awards at competition.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Specials are given to recognize something unique about a dancer or a routine that can't be summed up in just a numbered score.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Today on Making the Impact, we debunk some myths about specials and tell you exactly why we as judges love to give them.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: Hey y'all, it's Courtney Ortiz.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_03: I'm your host, and I'm here with my co-host, Leslie Mailer.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, afternoon, or evening, depending on where you are.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_03: It is the afternoon over here for us in Recording Land, and today we are talking about special awards on this week's episode.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I love this topic.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited that we get to talk about it because I think specials are, you know, they are much beloved depending on who you are, but also I think they get a bad rap depending on who you are.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited to like maybe debunk some myths about special awards.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I agree.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: And I, too, I love a special award.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_03: I love giving them away as judges.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: I love getting to connect with the dancers when I present them on stage.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_03: There is so much good in the world.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_03: Special awards for our community are so needed and so necessary.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_03: So I can't wait to chat all about that today with our two IDA judges who are joining us on this chat.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_03: But before we jump into our chat today, we want to tell you about some of our current Making the Impact winners that have been receiving our awards at IDA affiliated competition events.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_03: So this season, our IDA judges are able to select one dance by the end of the weekend that they cannot stop thinking about.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_03: And that dance will win the Making the Impact Award, which is sponsored by Impact Dance Adjudicators and our podcast.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: And this dance could be a dance that the judges loved the execution, loved the storytelling, loved the choreography, loved the technique, whatever it is they want to recognize.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: One dance, it can be solo through production.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_03: And the winner will receive a shout-out live on our podcast.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_03: So today we want to give a shout-out to some of our recent winners.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: From Pinnacle Dance Competitions Event in Des Moines, Iowa, congrats to Dance Atlantic from Atlantic, Iowa, for their large group work.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_03: From Dive Dance Competitions Event in Clemson, South Carolina.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: Congrats to Elite Dance Academy from Rock Hill, South Carolina for their large group, Don't Worry About Me.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: From Diva Dance Competitions Event in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Congrats to Kaleidoscope of Dance from Wareham, Massachusetts for their small group, Fever.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: From High Demand Dance Competitions Event in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: Congrats to Dance Factory from West Warren, Massachusetts, for their large group, A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And from Epic Dance Showcases Event in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Congrats to Expressions Dance Studio from Denver, North Carolina for their production holding on.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: Congrats to all of our winners.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: There's a lot more coming your way on future podcast episodes because we're giving out a lot of awards this season, and there's a lot of winners to announce.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_03: So stay tuned if you are a recipient of the Making the Impact Award to hear your studio shouted out on the pod.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_03: All right, Dance World.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_03: It's time to jump into this week's episode all about your favorite special awards.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_03: We love them.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_03: We hear them at every competition.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe you've been the recipient of a special award throughout your years as a competitive dancer, or maybe your dancer has received a special award that just changed their life.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_03: We are so excited to talk about them today.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_03: Finally on the podcast, I cannot believe that we've never really talked about special awards in four seasons of Making an Impact.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's wild.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's, I mean, we do have to save some juicy tidbits for like seasons to come.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, we can't just hoard all the good stuff at the beginning.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm super excited to talk about this today.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, me too.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_03: I love special awards.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: And we have two fabulous IDA judges joining us on this chat today.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_03: The first judge that I would like to introduce to you is new to our podcast.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: They have been on the IDA roster for the past two seasons.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: I'm super excited to welcome Amanda Trusty to the podcast.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome, Trusty.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_04: Hi.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_04: So good to see you both.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_04: You too.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_03: We're so happy to have you here to chat all about specials.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: I know that you love some special awards in your life.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_04: I really do.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_04: This was the first year that I got hired just as a specials judge, which I'm sure we'll talk about.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_04: And it was such an epic experience that it's just like such a different part of the system that I don't know that we even grew up with as kids because we were still just doing like first, second, third, right?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_04: So, like this is kind of new and I think um such an exciting way to honor people where they're at and meet them where they're at and just kind of help them see what's going on.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_03: I agree.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_03: And I I love that uh we were able to have you out being just the specials judge with which, yes, I would love to dive into that as we get into the chat.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_03: But before we do, if you would like to tell the world a little bit more about you, where you grew up, where you received your training, any career credits and things you're working on now.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_04: So I grew up uh outside Philly in Reading, Pennsylvania, and started dancing super young, found competitive dancing around age 12 and competed for my entire youth and teen years, kind of in the tri-state area, and then decided to go to school for musical theater.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_04: So I attended Shenandoah University in Virginia and also the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, and did my first union show with Andre de Shields, actually.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_04: Age 23, d damn Yankees, he was our devil.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_04: And of course, like I was so young I couldn't appreciate it at the time, you know, until, you know, a decade later when he won a Tony.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_04: I feel like I was blessed with a lot of experiences in my musical theater career that I couldn't appreciate at the time, which I think maybe is again why I love specials too.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_04: Like there are some times that I feel like we give things to people that might not resonate for another decade or two.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_04: And so I was enjoying my musical theater career, but I was really struggling with my mental health and sought out some help.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_04: And at 26 was diagnosed with an eating disorder and needed to leave New York to kind of unpack that.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_04: I couldn't really unpack that with auditions happening 40 blocks away.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_04: And I started a blog that ended up kind of going viral about entertainment industry and the body image uh issues that we were all experiencing.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_04: And it was kind of the first time that we were all collectively talking about that.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_04: So I received a lot of opportunity due to that.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_04: Oxford University Press reached out to me to write a book about inclusive dance teaching with language that really was more gender neutral and addressed the whole dancer and started to combat the things that kind of we grew up with that I think we've seen evolution with because we're finally talking about it, but continues to remain an issue, obviously, because you know, I know even on the podcast you talk about it.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_04: And through that writing and, you know, kind of advocacy work, I've received a lot of opportunities to speak and uh do almost TED Talk style comedy shows where I kind of talk about this, but also tap dance and kind of break things down and entertain people, but also talk about like real stuff.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_04: And so that's kind of where life has led me from musical theater to now to starting a podcast to myself just to talk about these things and unpacking industry experiences and career-related trauma because I think it's just a conversation that is ongoing and ever needed.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_04: And so it's so great to be in the company of people who honor that as well today.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm super thrilled to be here.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_03: And yes, I I know that you have a new podcast that's launching in a project.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: So tell the world a little bit about that and where they can listen.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so uh together with a team that is not ready to be introduced yet, I've asked them, but you know, we're just kind of working on a new project together.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_04: We started recently on a a project called Healing Theater Hearts, kind of a throwback to healing arts and theater arts.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_04: And combining all of those things to provide space for people to talk about and unpack their industry experiences and kind of take ownership of their healing.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_04: I think there's a lot of complaining that we all do.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_04: Commiseration leads to community, but we'd also like to see that transmuted into radical acceptance and healing.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we are putting a call out to therapists and mental health professionals across the country, across the country, not just in New York, who maybe were one of us who went into the field.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_04: Because I don't know about any of you, but I've seen many therapists, many clinicians who try really hard, but they can never quite understand.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_04: And we want to help connect people to people like us who went on to study the field, who want to help people recover from any industry experiences that may have impacted them from little T trauma to big T trauma.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_04: Like there's those little things that stick with you just as much as the big things.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_04: So Healing Theater Hearts, uh, the first season where I hope to come out this summer, and we're super excited to just provide that healing space for people.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: Very cool.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's great.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: And that sounds like uh so needed for our industry and for podcast land.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_03: So everyone, be sure to check out the link in our show notes where you can learn more about Trustees' upcoming podcast.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_03: All right, our next special guest who is joining us today is a longtime IDA judge, studio director, and choreographer.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_03: She's been on the podcast many, many times.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_03: You may remember her from season three, episode 84, parent etiquette, season two, episode 43, QA with Courtney, and season one, episode seven, age range expectations.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited to welcome back Emily Branagan to the podcast.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome, Emily.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, everybody.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to be back.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: To hear you list those like that, Courtney, is just mind-blowing.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like season number seven.
• 10:22
  unknown: Wow.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: That was so long ago.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: Here I am.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: That was like a one of our like age range expectations.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_03: I Leslie, you weren't present for that one.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: I specifically remember that because you weren't on that episode.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, where's my co-host?
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_03: I'm pretty sure my internet just was like not cooperating.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: It was one of that, or like you had at work or something.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: I can't remember what it was.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_03: And we had like three judges on it, and we just kind of like went down the list of like what we want to see in each age range, and people loved that episode.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was pretty cool.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but it came so long ago.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: It does and it doesn't, though.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_03: So that's we're happy to have you back.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited to chat about specials with you.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, if you could just refresh everyone's memory on a little bit more about Emily.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm I was born in Connecticut.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: I lived here my whole childhood.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: I actually started working when I was quite young.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: So trusty, I can relate a lot of things to what you're talking about.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: My I booked my first job when I was eight.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: So working in and out of New York until high school was over.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: LA became my college playground.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: I moved straight to LA, lived there for 12 years.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, grew tired of industry expectations there.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: So they are awesome if you're if you're in it.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: It is a different game now.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I might dabble here and there again uh now that I'm back on the East Coast.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Moved back here, uh, settled in.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: We had a cute little pandemic.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And now I uh direct a brand new dance studio called the studio at Guildford Center.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like Trusty said, it's important to us to be taking care of the whole dancer.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: We also provide a nutritionist who comes in.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: The kids have access to counselors if they need it.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: We do lots of pop-up workshops for kids who aren't necessarily members of our program.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, it's super fun, it's evolving, and it's exciting.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: So here we are.
• 12:17
  unknown: Yeah.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_03: Congrats on that.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I love all these workshops that I I do follow your studio and you on Instagram and social media and all the things that you're doing for the dance community up there in Connecticut that's really great to see.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I was lucky enough to see your studio at a spirit event recently and just I'm not judging this season, so I just get to enjoy everything.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: So it was so cool to see your choreography translated onto your kids.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was really, really nice.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Leslie.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: We're working hard.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: Love it.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_03: Awesome, y'all.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I'm excited to have you both here for this chat.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_03: Let's jump in and talk about special awards.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Specials?
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: I love a special award.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: I think, trust you, I think you're right.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm trying to rack my brain and remember from my competitive time whether we got any specials.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to say maybe limited.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: But like it wasn't it wasn't as big as it what is now, Emily.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have memories of specials back in the day?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: I have very clear memories of specials back in the day.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think because I grew up going to like a Dance Masters or an American Dance Awards or those kinds of like old school comps.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um I remember the the man who invented the special, it was Bill Fowler.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And he did it because, you know, just like we were saying before, it was only first, second, third.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: So to in order to recognize more people and encourage them, he developed this other award to point out special qualities.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: So those were some of my biggest memories and kind of gave me like a re a real reason to want to judge is like, oh, these people really see me.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: So if I can see someone else and pass that forward, it feels good.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's what it really comes down to is recognizing other qualities besides a number and a placement.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, trusty, you mentioned being being able to be the special awards judge.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Can you tell us a little bit about what that position?
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, not every competition has that, but can you explain to us in your experience what that has been like and what that entails?
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was such an amazing day for all judges on board.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_04: So there were four of us, right?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_04: The three who critique and and adjudicate.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_04: And then there was me doing specials completely separate.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_04: Now, granted, that means that I was choosing all the scholarships, all the studio awards.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_04: Like I literally did all the things that are kind of maybe spread out between us and the competition or the tabulator or the host themselves.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_04: I was kind of doing all of that.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_04: And then I had the three IDA judges with me.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_04: On our first break, all three of us sat down and are four of us, sorry, and looked at each other and said, Does this feel like a miracle?
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_04: They only had to focus on critiques, watching, you know, adjudicating.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_04: Like there was no like thinking about things later.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, we had the IDA award, but that was one award that we could all talk about throughout the day, right?
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_04: Instead of, you know, marking things down and wondering if somebody else also picked the same person or also picked the same group, because that is really the trickiest part is when you all see something special.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_04: And especially each competition wants to spread the love in a different way.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_04: So of course we are following the competition's guidelines in terms of spreading the love and spreading the love between studios, but then oftentimes we're overlapping, which takes so much time before awards for us to go back, right?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_04: Because we keep notes, but you know, we it's so quick that it's hard to then go back and find different pieces instead.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_04: So I got to just sit there and choose those specials throughout the day.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, there were times that like I chose a special for a soloist and then later was like, no, this person needs a scholarship, or vice versa, right?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_04: And so there was more time to put into the consideration of the dancer's needs.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: Rather than a flash sale on specials, which is kind of what it feels like sometimes, right?
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: It really does.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: There's not enough, there's it's it's it makes our job so hard.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: I I think we've talked about it many, many times on the podcast, but it is such a hard job to be a judge, obviously.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_03: But then when we have we get thrown more responsibilities on the job than just being able to focus on let me give solid critiques and let me input my score and let me take a breath or a sip of water before I have to do that again for 15 hours straight, then layering more things on top of it.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you gotta find entertainment award, where you gotta find the technique award, well, you gotta find some choreography awards.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_03: Don't forget your special awards.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, oh my gosh, how many things can we put onto my plate while I'm sitting here, my back hurts, I'm tired, I'm eating pizza, like all the things.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: And you just sometimes it like to to have a competition understand that, all right, let's let's remove some of that the responsibility and let people, all of the judges focus on what that they need to focus on.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_03: And to have a designated judge for specials is fantastic.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_03: And like to hear that you had such a wonderful experience and it made the panel feel complete and the panel feel relieved and not overworked or frazzled, like it it takes a lot to add a fourth judge.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: It really does.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's a huge expense and investment for a competition to add a fourth judge, but it sounds like that it was really worth it in the end.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I would be walking down the hallway between breaks, and teachers or parents would say, you know, they that was the first time I feel like I've been called out for something.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_04: Like, because I would, you know, get up on the stage and then I'm explaining, taking the time.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_04: The competition also made it a priority to give me the time to speak to each and they, I mean, I was giving like 15 specials per session.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_04: You know, the scholarships and everything else were given separately, but my like 15 specials per session, I was also given ample time to speak to the dancers and explain that award.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_04: And I would get, you know, callbacks throughout the hallways, you know, on on breaks of just like, you know, this matters more to them than anything else, you know, like things like that of just like I think people appreciated the intention behind it too.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_04: It wasn't a throwaway, which sometimes it does feel like at an award ceremony.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_04: Like the specials were done first and then everything else came.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_04: And so I think for you know, spreading the love, specials sometimes go to dancers that we see something in that might not score um as highly as as the the rest of the the group that day.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_04: And they got to sit with that special while adjudications happened, which I thought was really unique.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's a good point.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, definitely.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Emily, have you ever been on a on an event that had a special awards judge?
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like separate, because I know some places the MC does that.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: Have have you ever worked for anybody that does?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: I've done it once and it was pre-pandemic, and then they scaled back after that.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: But it was so nice, like trustee said, like, I don't think I was even critiquing.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think I was just focused on the scholarship and the team and the specials and the judge's choice and all of that.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just so nice to be able to be like, I'd love to see, like this past weekend, no one was changing direction with their head.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: It was just like kind of lost.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: And this little girl came out and she changed her focus every quarter turn she took.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it was a moment mid-competition for me to give the kids the feedback of I loved seeing this.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: I felt feel like we can all do this better together.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And then lo and behold, just like when you're at a live event, the kids were coming out, and I was like, Oh, the heads are getting sharper, at least from that group of people who went to the studio with this little girl.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: But they're hearing our feedback if they're listening, they're hearing our feedback as the competition goes on.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a way to connect and express what we need to see from them or what needs to improve or what we really like.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I like when there's the opportunity to speak about it a little bit more.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's such a great point to bring up.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_03: And I wish that more competitions allowed that to happen.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: There's every competition is obviously different with how they structure their awards and what e awards they give out and how they do their specials, right?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_03: Like, like you mentioned, Leslie, some competitions have the MCs dis determine the special awards, others have the tabulator.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like sometimes it's not even coming from a judge.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_03: And that sometimes also isn't really apparent to the the audience either.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_03: They don't know where who determined these special awards.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: I personally think it's a very special moment when we as judges are able to get up onto the stage and present our special awards to who we want to give them to and say a little something about the how and the why.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that that can be a learning experience.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_03: Most dancers, let's be real, they're on their phones, they're chit-chatting with their friends, they're not even paying attention at awards.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: But it, if the competition is allowing a judge to get, like the kids should be completely engaged in listening in, even if that isn't their award that they're about to receive.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: Like it can be a learning experience.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I that takes me to another thought that a lot of competitions have like a specific way of structure.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'm curious to hear y'all's opinion.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like a lot of competitions will say, you talk about the award first and then announce who won the award and then present it to them.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_03: Other ones will say, announce who is the winner of this special award and then talk directly to the dancer.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_03: I'm curious to hear which which way y'all prefer as even as like someone who gives special awards, or even, you know, on Emily's end, like for your dancers, like what do y'all prefer as far as that that uh situation?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: I like to know who the dancer is first.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like I like because it's so much like you're talking about like the mystery date behind the curtain.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't really elaborate the way I want to and be as specific as I want because it's supposed to be this great mystery.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: But like you said, half the stage isn't paying attention or they can't hear because the people next to them are talking and Snapchatting, or the parents want to cue the video, which they shouldn't have anyway.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: Let's be honest.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: But they want to have that moment with their kid.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to celebrate that dancer and let them be aware of what's happening.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: So that's how I feel about it.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know about you, Trusty.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: Same, Emily.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_04: Same.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_04: I think the I think the former where we like talk the award and then pull the dancer is very adult awards based.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like it, that's like very like the Tony's.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_04: Like we're gonna talk about it and then a now we're gonna hold suspense.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_04: Kids don't operate the same way.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_04: Their brains are developing in a such a different way.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_04: They need to know what's going on way sooner.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_04: So same as Emily, I like to, you know, call the number as they're coming up.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_04: Normally, like also like everybody loves to see the look on their face, the shock of their and then they get to like light up as you talk directly to them, or sometimes you can address the whole audience and be like, right?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_04: Like, you know, like, you know, isn't this so something we all struggle with or whatever?
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_04: You know, just kind of engaging the whole group.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's more interesting to let that dancer get up there first, other than no one's listening if we're just like talking about it and then we're like, and then it goes to number 84.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_04: Like, no, they they missed the whole thing.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: I like to be petty about it because I like the opposite, specifically so that if you missed it, you missed it, you should have been listening.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: You sh I've talked about you, it could have been you, it could have been you, it could have been you, it could have been you.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: But if you didn't listen, you missed your whole thing, and that is too bad for you, and that should teach you a lesson.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, that is me.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: I am old school.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: I love that about you.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know that kids operate that way these days, you know, like they should.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: Like you're right.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: I have mixed feelings about I like both ways.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_03: I think both ways I've gone up.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_03: I like I think like my initial like if I'm asked to present a special and no one told me what structure to do it, I usually do it the old school way because I want people to feel I want everyone tuned in listening to find out if it's me.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_03: And this, like you said, trust you though, like this, like let's be real, they're not paying attention.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_03: Kids are like, oh what?
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: What did it mean?
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: But I also usually say something, like if I'm the special awards judgers, I'm giving a special, I will start it with, now listen up, everybody.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: This could be you.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: Pay it, like I will legit say it.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Pay attention because that's a problem.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, listen, I'm I'm a boomer at this point.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that is the problem with kids these days.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: They need to listen.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: Because you could win something and you would never know because you're on Snapchat.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then that's your loss.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then you're an adult and you could win the lottery and not know because you threw your ticket away.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: But side note to that, Leslie, teachers, please implement a no phones policy stage for your dancers at awards.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: If they need them for safety in their pocket, let them keep it on silent.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: But it is in our company contract that's that phones are not on stage at awards.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: And if they are, they're mine for the rest of the session.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's just how it works.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: So boundaries.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_03: It's true.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's so many times, even us as judges, even when we're not giving special awards, that kids are distracted on their phones and they don't even receive their adjudication.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, I remember pre-cell phones, so I didn't have a distraction back in my day when I was 10.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_03: But I would go out on stage with my program book and I'd be following right along with the adjudications, and I knew exactly when I was supposed to stand up to get mine.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I would write down all the different adjudications from every single dancer in my program.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like I would write down there was a whole thing in the back where you could write like different awards, like special awards and the top overalls and like take notes and stuff.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I don't know if co if programs still have that, but that's what I was doing as like a responsible dancer on stage at awards.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_03: And yes, of course, having fun and have my teddy bears and things like that.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: But I think that anyway, that first of all, I think that it's important to recognize that if there's a competition that is actually allowing the judges to come up and speak on an award, I think that that's that's special in itself.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_03: There, I feel like there's a lot of competitions that just list off random awards.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_03: And it has no, there's nothing.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's special, but there's they're not going into the why is this special.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it says so much when it's coming straight from the judge or straight from the person that selected it.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_03: Even if it's the MC, the MC can say, I loved this dance because XYZ, instead of just being like, fancy feed award goes to number 562.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: And terrific turns award goes like what?
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: That's like that just.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why people say that's why people think that they're throwaway awards, that they don't matter.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love for you, Emily and Trusty, to kind of back up why they really, if they're done properly, they are not a throwaway award.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us why.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: Well, lots of reasons.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking offline about how things adults say to children, and especially adults with influence, stick with them.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll use myself as an example.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: My first special award was actually out of a group dance.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was eight, and I got an Oscar because I played Dino the dinosaur in the Flintstones, and I rocked that part.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that kind of that's that really spun things for me.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, oh, I really like this acting thing.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: I really like this dancing thing.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I can do this.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it really was a motivator for me to keep going.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: Was I gonna be first place overall as Dino the busted little dinosaur?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: No ma'am.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I had something going on and it encouraged me.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's my favorite kind of special award to give is to give the kind that that tells kids like there's a next step for you.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: And without that bridge between first place and busted Dino the dinosaur, you know, there is there is no, you know, how do you see that next step for yourself?
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you see yourself?
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: And for us to take the time to see these kids as they are, but like through a lens of potential, like that's the best award to give.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: The potential of who they could be if they keep on this path instead of getting discouraged by not getting that first or second or that highest platinum diamond extreme.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's the importance.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: And that's you know, the reality is 10% of these kids will go on to the industry, right?
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: If we're lucky, right?
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: If they stick it out and they do it, that's what they'll get.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: But most of them are gonna use these tools to go about their career and their life.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so if we can give them tools to strive and dedicate them to something with their whole soul, like at this age and level, like that's so valuable for our community as a whole.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just about us, it's about what are we building around us.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I take that responsibility very seriously, and I do get a little sad when we don't get to give awards, like special awards in this dynamic, important way.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one of the things.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_04: I agree.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I agree with you, Emily.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_04: And like speaking of Dino the busted dinosaur, you know, I think that specials for people that are the dinosaur or are, you know, maybe in the background of something and they really wanted to do the contemporary solo that they saw on TV this year, it's also a way specials are also a way to back up the teachers and the studio directors, right?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_04: Like when we get up and we have a chance to say, wow, like your choreographer really gave you a story to tell.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_04: And then I saw you take it and make it your own to the point that it looked like you choreographed it, right?
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_04: That's like solidifying that chemistry between teacher and dancer or choreographer and group.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_04: And it's an opportunity for us to kind of highlight the art form as it is, right?
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_04: It's not those kids get on stage, but we also can like highlight the parents that you know made that possible.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_04: And it it also kind of gives this each competition their own way to shine light on what matters to them.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_04: I think the the intention behind specials is what makes specials specials.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_04: If if it is a throwaway, then everyone's gonna feel like it's a throwaway.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_04: So if you think it's a throwaway and you have to do it because everybody else does it, then the intention behind it, everybody can feel that, right?
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_04: Like we can feel the energy of that.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_04: Whereas if it's something that you designate and you email the judges beforehand, like the breakdown, and this is how we run things, and this is how we want people to walk away feeling.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_04: This is how we want the audience to feel when they hear the kids getting the specials, like that's an intention that does not get forgotten.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_04: And that is what makes a competition stand out to literally everyone, including the judges, right?
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_04: Because judges, we're teachers first.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_04: We teach we teach and choreograph before we came to the table.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_04: So it gives those kids a chance to remember that their critiques are coming from teachers just like theirs.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_04: And it gives us a chance to kind of stand in solidarity with the whole team that made it possible.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and also I love I love when the judges are able to give specials and verbalize it themselves because, you know, I feel like before this podcast, truly, I think most people thought the judges were like the man behind the curtain.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: You never saw them, you never heard from them, you didn't know what they wanted, you didn't know their perspective.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like maybe you knew a judge, maybe your teacher's a judge also, and you had sort of an idea.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: But like the podcast is now enabling people who go to competitions to hear from us and to recognize we're humans, we're teachers, we're educators, we do this too.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: And the also at a competition, when I can stand on stage and say it matters to me that this choreography fit this dancer so well.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, then you know, like you said, Trusty, what matters to me as an educator and as a judge?
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: You're hearing why I probably scored you the way I did.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm not gonna verbalize why I gave you a 94 instead of a 96.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: But if you hear the words I'm saying in praise of what you just did, like it's gonna sink in and make sense.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I I'd also love it when you can just we have the opportunity to be a human being on stage instead of uh the back of my head.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: Right, you know, because we're just the back of heads for most of the weekend.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_03: It just feels like that I get to have a personal experience and relationship with the audience and also the dancers and show them my personality and show them that that I'm not a scary face behind the table.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_03: And also prove myself to the audience that I deserve to be a judge for your children's dance competition.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like, not that we need to, but it does, it it kind of validates us as well to show that like we we know what we're talking about.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_03: We are here for a reason, and we're excited to, you know, create fun, exciting special awards to nominate dancers.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that the the interesting thing about specials for me is the fact that our judging criteria when we're scoring, there's so many different things that we're looking for: execution, performance, technique, choreography, presentation, all of those things.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_03: What makes a special special is we're singling out one of those things to highlight the dancer.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_03: And like we mentioned, that dancer that we might be singling out might not get first overall, and that's okay.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_03: But we gave them a performance award because maybe their performance might have been even better than the first overall dancer.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_03: But the first overall dancer had a little bit more of an of everything was a little bit more cohesive across the board and all of these expectations that we're looking for as a judge.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_03: But this dancer had extreme beautiful performance that we need to recognize, even though there's still more things that they are working on to get their actual score and the rankings higher.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: And that is okay, but it's important to highlight those things because we talk about all the time, well, what matters more, performance or technique?
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_03: And there's always the debate of, well, you know, you could be an amazing performer but not have good technique, but still score high.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_03: That is true.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_03: That is absolutely true.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: The opposite as well.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_03: Technique.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_03: You can have amazing technique, but no performance.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_03: And you still might score high, but you could score higher if both those things were like exceptional.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_03: And that's usually where those first place overall people are living.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_03: But we can really recognize when there's like, I mean, I think a lot of our special awards are oftentimes based around like performance and storytelling and like dancing from the heart.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_03: And that's very rare, honestly.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_03: Like, there is a there's a very small handful of dancers that I truly believe are dancing from their heart, that they love this on at a weekend, instead of just doing the steps and slapping a smile on their face and giving me fake emotion.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like, no, I want to recognize that I believe you.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: I believe in what you're presenting on stage, and that is special.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, it's not a throwaway.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_03: That is more meaningful than first place, honestly, to me, I think.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and to that point, you know, a lot of times people have trouble finding dance studios anymore that they can just be recreational students.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_04: And there are students that we see on stage at a competition that I don't know that they really want to be there, but they really wanted to dance.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_04: And this maybe was what their choice was.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_04: And I think a lot of times, you know, anything like dancing from the heart, you know, one of my favorite awards is living room expressive, when you can see a dancer that like probably does this at home in their bedroom as well, you know, is is just recognizing them to remind them that, like, hey, there's a spark in here, and you and dance are are in relationship.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like you have a connection to dance.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_04: And your adjudication might not be super high because maybe competitive dancer is not for you and where you live in a small town, like this was your only option, but this is like my 30 seconds to like just remind you that like you and dance should be in relationship for the rest of your life in some way, you know?
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_04: Like just giving them an opportunity.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_04: Like, not everyone is meant for competition, but if that's all that they've been shown or they aspire to to see, and they haven't seen any other options in terms of keeping dance in their life, specials can be a way to kind of allow them to see the other opportunity and possibility within it.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_03: Hey listeners, are you a diehard making the impact fan?
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_03: Do you love tuning in to our weekly episodes all about the dance industry?
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_03: Well, if so, we would love for you to continue to support our podcast by joining our Platinum Premium Podcast subscription.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_03: New for this season, our Platinum Premium subscription offers members exclusive access to monthly bonus episodes of Making the Impact.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_03: Our QA with Courtney live episodes are now exclusive to our subscribers only.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: And all Platinum Premium members will get priority to have their dance competition questions answered on an upcoming episode.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_03: Other Platinum Premium perks include Making the Impact stickers mailed to you and your dancers, ad-free listening for all of season four, discounts on making the impact merchandise, exclusive bonus content, and a discounted IDA online critique from me.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_03: By joining us on our Platinum Premium subscription, you are helping support our podcast to continue to produce the quality content you all love for years to come.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: Our Platinum Premium subscription is only$5 a month, or you can pay a one-time fee for upfront yearly access.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_03: With over 50 Platinum Premium members and counting, we truly are making the impact.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_03: Learn more and subscribe now at Impact Dance Adjudicators.com slash Platinum Premium.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_03: And now let's get back to the show.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_03: One thing I want to ask in regards to specials and the amount of specials that are given at events.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like that ever like we've talked about every competition is different with how they structure their specials and even like how many that we they tell us we are allowed to give.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like we might say, oh my gosh, it's so hard to pick.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_03: I have like 20 different specials that I want to give.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_03: And then they'll be like, you gotta narrow it down to like 10, all right?
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_03: Or they might say, you get five per award session or something like that.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_03: What are y'all's thoughts on the amount of specials?
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_03: Because I personally feel that if we're giving away too many, then they become less special.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I, but I also think that there's the whole spread the love and make sure every studio is recognized and all of those things.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_03: And that's oftentimes where we as judges can use utilize our special awards to recognize every studio.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_03: And that is fine and that is great.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: But like we've kind of mentioned, it becomes a little apparent sometimes at awards where it's like, oh wow, we really had to hit every studio, didn't we?
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like, did they and then you're thinking, did they actually earn this award or was it just a throwaway, right?
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_03: So uh what are our thoughts on on that?
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_04: It does come back a little bit to how hectic our entire day is as a judge.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_04: So, so taking away, you know, that fourth judge.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_04: So say we're all we don't have a separate specials judge, and there's three of us and we're critiquing and adjudicating all day and trying our best to take notes on an itty bitty sheet of paper, which I hope we've talked about the solutions for this problem in a bit.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_04: But, you know, I think the amount of specials is is relative to the speed of the day and the vibe that the competition has set out for the judges and you know, what is the goal at the end of the day?
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_04: I think sometimes if you want to spread the love, you have to be checking the studio codes and if that group, that specific group has already been awarded a special, and then we're gonna have to collaborate on it later.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_04: So the more specials we're encouraged to give, yes, the more we can spread the love, but then we need that space to do our research throughout the day, like to look at the studio code and make sure we're not awarding the same group of minis, you know, uh an award over and over because they were so clean, right?
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_04: Like it it comes back to a little bit how prepared we're feeling because I often feel like less specials are better if we're moving so fast and there's 10 studios to spread the love between and the same groups are doing the same thing.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, well, where where is the creativity gonna come from?
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_04: Like it's not organic anymore.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_04: So how can we, you know, continue to again set that intention, but also really set up, you know, maybe some formulas in terms of the paperwork we receive at the table or whatever that is to make sure it's actually possible to give the specials away that the competition wants, because the more the better, you know, on paper until it's like I there's no time to sit and break it all down, right?
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_01: Right, yeah.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like if I could have a happy medium of like spreading the love, because as someone in business, I think that's important for the parents, for the kids, for everybody to walk away feeling great.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because everybody pours their heart into their two minutes on stage and they should feel good.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_01: Not everybody's going to win.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's the game, but everyone should feel like they had a good experience.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't agree necessarily with like per session.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like each each code letter that was in the session has to be recognized in some way.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_01: I don't feel like that's reality.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because, like Trusty said, it could be like the same group of minis in the same mini session.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_01: So now we've got to give it to them, and then the other group.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like if we could get a breakdown of like they this code letter is in session A, B, C, and D, and then this code letter is like D and E.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't necessarily have to hit it every single time, but at some point I get to speak with everybody.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_01: That's important that you get to speak with everybody and everybody feels connected.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: Because I mean, I I don't ever feel like I have to grab for something.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe every once in a while on like a Sunday evening where my brain is getting a little slow, but I I always feel like there's something that can be recognized, whether it's the staging of the dance, whether it's you know, the etiquette on stage.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like I love giving a production number, like like good entrances and exits.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for not talking in the wings and touching the masking.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like, thank you for being professional.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that kind of award is just as important as like, look at your beautiful feet.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_01: They're so beautiful.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_01: Keep stretching them.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_01: So you know, like just keep stretching your feet.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_01: I just feel like that could be a happy medium because it does start to feel I hate to use this word, but a little bit condescending if if you just are like, I have to do it.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_01: I have to do it for each studio for each session, just feels a little forced.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it does better than that.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: They are they are, and that's kind of that's I don't know that I've ever worked for a competition that has gotten the formula quote unquote right, because there's still three of us most of the time.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're asking all three of us to come up with an award for every single studio in a session, that means me and trusty can't have the same award, even though maybe there was one that studio L had one dance.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if you want me to hit it, then we all have to hit that one.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not fair either.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so I don't know that it's, you know, I I think it's just sort of one of those in the moment common sense.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_00: Did you get this one?
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, great.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'll, I'll, I'll pull back on that one for a while.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, it's it's so hectic during the day, like you said.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't, I don't know the solution to competitions not being hectic.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think, I think there's people who maybe or event producers or whatever directors who handle it a little bit better and and things are more organized when you get the paperwork, but it still doesn't take away from the actual energy of the room of we have to do awards now, otherwise we're gonna be late.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like it's just it is what it is.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_03: And you don't have time to talk about your award.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_03: Wrap it up quick because we're already 15 minutes behind, and I don't care if the dancers had beautiful feet and you have to elaborate.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry, you have to cut that short because we have to go, you know, like.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: That I think the the solution is fewer entries, but that's a conversation for another podcast.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um to you know to allow for actual humane time for everybody to like have a moment.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I I don't I just don't know.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what the solution is, except for like be as fair and as kind as possible as a judge to recognize, oh, I didn't, I didn't I didn't land on that studio yet.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta find something, and then find something true and honest.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think one solution that's kind of worked when I've been judging, and I don't know who I was judging for if a judge came up with this, was just like so there weren't any uh need for collaborating before word started, was kind of going down the program list and creating sections for each judge to monitor like which okay, this is section number one.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_03: I'm this is my section, I'm gonna pull my specials from here.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_03: And that way you know at least you're not giving the same dance a special, right?
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_03: But you might have overlapping studios, and then you might be like, oh guys, we gave all the same specials to the same studio, like we gotta spread it out a little bit.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_03: And that's that's the one thing that I think like sort of works, but and and with that, I will say that like I personally feel that maybe if if we do it by like award ceremonies, I think judges should each give three individual special awards each session.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_03: And that to that gives nine overall special awards for each session, and that feels good to me.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_03: That feels like that there's not too many.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like we could even go less.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_03: We could do two per judge, and that's only six.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_03: And then we have however many awards sessions each like people are walking away with 25 different special awards throughout the whole weekend.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think that feels special and and not like a hundred special awards are getting distributed, and you're like, what?
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_03: This isn't special anymore when there was 500 entries.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, so yes, there's always things we can recognize, but I still think there needs to be that that special moment, and that's what makes them special.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's not like we're in the whole, everyone gets a trophy, we have the levels, we have the first place, we have all these, like every single gets a special, and now everyone gets a special.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, oh my god.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_03: That's why I think some people look at them as throwaway awards because everyone's getting them.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that if it really comes from like if a small select amount where you see a judge only giving two, you're like, wow, Courtney picked me for one of two specials this one session, like wow, that feels special.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_03: So that's just like my thoughts on it, but I love specials.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_03: They're not a throwaway, everybody.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_03: Just want to let you know.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, agreed there.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_03: Not the way we all give them anyway, you know.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_03: There might be some judges out there who do, but not us.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: No, yeah, not this special.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_03: So speaking of like us loving specials, what are some of your I know trusty, you mentioned one and Emily mentioned one.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what are some of your favorite special awards?
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, is there a special that you, when you're judging, that you give every single time that's like one of your go-to signature special awards?
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_03: That because the fun thing about specials is that we get to create the title.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_03: We get to create what we want this to be called.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_03: I always use alliteration in mine.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, that's just like what I do.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_03: And some competitions will give us like a little cheat sheet of like ideas to help influence like our titles.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_03: But some I've seen some judges get so creative with the titles of special awards, and then they explain like why they called it this.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_03: And that's the other thing that's important for like why the judge should be should be presenting their award is that if they create this like bizarre title and sure, if like the MC's reading it off, they're like, I have no clue what this means, but congrats, special award.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_03: Here you are.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's it makes it more personal and they can explain how I got this title.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_03: So any off the top of your head that you love giving away?
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I always do like a potential for like the world is yours.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's called the world is yours, and it can be like you just can go forth and and seize this day because you you can do anything if you can do what you just said right now.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_01: I am a very right-brained individual though, and I have to pare it down.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_01: Otherwise, it's way out in left field, and I have to talk about that's something I had to learn as a judge is to like, okay, wait a minute.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like, nobody is inside your head when you're giving these things out.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to really make sure it makes sense to the audience.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_01: I also really like song titles and movie names.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're like good for the parents, they understand.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um the world is yours, definitely potential.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_01: Love that.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, one of mine that I don't always get to give, right?
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_04: It it depends on what's there that day.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_04: But I like to give an unapologetically embodied award.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_04: And it normally goes to teens, of course, like normally a group of female identifying dancers who are lucky enough to work with a studio or a choreographer that is teaching them the difference between embodied sensual movement and maybe the oversexualized movement that, of course, we've all come to see and learn.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_04: And I think embodied movement is like these female identifying dancers just taking the stage so unapologetically, ownership over either their femininity or their desire to be feminine.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_04: And there's normally just like even a Flossy element involved or classic jazz.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_04: And it's you can tell that a choreographer has worked with them to not feel uncomfortable moving their hips or doing body rolls or changing their focus or flirting with the audience, but it's still completely appropriate and doesn't make me feel icky at all.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's something to be celebrated because I think it's a tricky game when you're a teenager coming into puberty and discovering what it's like to like even just like share a stage with other people who are developing faster than you.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_04: Or I mean, when you're going through puberty, it's like waking up in a new house every three weeks.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_04: Like yesterday your double was great, and tomorrow you're single, you fell on your butt.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_04: You know, like you just don't even know what's happening.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_04: And so to take the stage and just like embody the art of dance and be in relationship with the other dancers on stage, I think that's an award that I love to give and would love to give more, you know.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but that also, again, is like a way of backing up the choreographers as well, you know, when I get to give an award like that and stand in solidarity with a teacher who chose to take on that challenge with their kids.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love to give anything regarding basics, ballet basics, jazz basics, tap basics, because again, backing up the teacher.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I usually say, you know, in this mini tap dance, I saw shuffles, I saw shuffle hop steps, I saw he'll, you know, paradiddles.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_00: I saw I will list out everything I want to see, and then I say, that is what I want to see from this age group, and you did it.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, like again, you you you all now know how I'm judging you because I told you what I wanted and this group did it.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I absolutely love doing that because then the kids feel really proud because they know exactly what I'm talking about.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, Oh, I I did a shuffle.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: I did a paradiddle.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you did.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: You did it very well.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_03: I I always look for like musicality awards and style awards.
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_03: I think that those are some of the things for me that go beyond technique and go beyond performance is those next layers that we add, like the style and musicality.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_03: That's what really is going to like most likely if you have those things, you're gonna rank high to me, because you've your technique has to kind of be there to have the style because the technique comes first.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_03: So if I'm awarding you for style, that means that you probably have some decent technique because the style is is clearly seen on stage and delivered appropriately and properly based on the the genre of dance that we're doing.
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_03: So um I always like to recognize style, especially I'm a jazz dancer.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, the jazz style, I love to see it.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_03: We and it doesn't matter which style of jazz.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_03: We see such a variety of jazz on stage, but like when I see a classic jazz come out, ooh, I'm looking for style.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_03: And if you're giving that to me, I'm gonna tell you.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna let you know.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_03: I love the forced arch that you gave.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_03: I love the hinge that you found, I love the porta bra, like all those things.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_03: And musicality is is so hugely important to me.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I can tell if a dancer is actually connecting to their music properly.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_03: So I want to recognize that because I think that's getting very lost in the dance world is understanding timing.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_03: And we did our whole episode on counting earlier this season, so y'all know how passionate I am about that.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_03: But I wanna say, I could tell that you are counting your music.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_03: Great job, like little junior dancers.
• 52:20
  SPEAKER_03: Go you, never stop counting.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I just wanna continue to and then also again, it just it's another like thank you to the teacher.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's what's so exciting.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_03: There's gonna be those dancers that just have something special about them that just like fuels them, and it's just like they're a star and are born to be on stage, and the teacher didn't really teach that.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_03: That's just how they were that that's just who they are.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_03: But then there's things that the teachers actually brought to the table that to l that they present to the dancers, they delivered.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_03: And it's very apparent and clear.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_03: And it's again, like we've been saying, it's that reassurance and that uh confirmation that, hey, your studio is doing the right thing.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like, good job, teachers.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_03: I think that just makes them feel so the teacher's so special in the audience watching.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's also super helpful if you know Susie's mom is a little untrusting.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_01: And Susie gets a special award for the thing Susie's teacher has been telling Susie to work on.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_01: Right and said no.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's that's that's very helpful for us.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great relationship.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_00: We've kind of covered everything.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_00: Specials are I don't know, I specials are favorites.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of judges like specials, you know.
• 53:29
  SPEAKER_00: So we're really glad to be able to influence kids' lives in that way.
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_03: I completely agree.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_03: What are some of the types of dances that you feel like you gravitate more towards when you're giving specials?
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_03: Are you feeling like that you're primarily giving them to soloists that stand out?
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_03: Or are there groups like I know Leslie, you said, like I can talk about the staging and things like that, which feel more choreography driven and teacher kind of special awards versus like the kids execution.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_03: Are we giving like a nice blend of that?
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, oh my god, now I just thought of wouldn't it be cool to have like teacher studio specials or something?
• 54:05
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think that would be kind of cool.
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_03: I think a few uh competitions do do kind of like a studio award and they they they talk about different strengths that the studio brought and they awarded at the end of the weekend.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's special for the studios to receive because you can hear, like, oh, we had artistry and we had nice transitions and we had this.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think sometimes we're forgetting the teachers and the choreographers on the back end of these weekends where it's all about the kids, it's all about the kids, but like there's a lot of people behind the scenes that are making your kids do that special thing up there.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_03: And it would be nice to like recognize them a little bit more.
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_03: So, do you feel like that you do group dances sometimes, or is it primarily solos?
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of competitions stick to that.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, some competitions don't allow us to do solo specials, so it is only group specials, you know.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_04: So I think it also depends on what the competition allows.
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, the variety would be great, but I mean, many competitions I've worked for in the past two years, it's it's only group specials.
• 55:05
  SPEAKER_04: There are no solo options.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_03: Because the solos are probably getting other awards that, you know, interesting.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_01: I uh I love a group special.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_01: I also love giving a group special when no one is pulling my focus in the group.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just true teamwork, shared energy, and everybody is on the same page, and I'm not pulling towards one person over and over in every group.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_01: I like to see everybody.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if that's just the teacher in me or like the audience member when I go see a show.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I want to see everybody sharing the same kind of juice up there.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I feel like layering is a little bit of a lost art in choreography.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_01: And like whenever I see that, like nice use of layers and and you know, counterpoint, I like to see that within a piece.
• 55:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I I like to recognize that when I see it.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I usually call it like cinematic images or something grand like that.
• 56:00
  SPEAKER_01: Something love too much over the top.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of competitions, Courtney, to your to your thought about um not recognizing the teachers, the choreographers, you know, a lot of competitions do the choreography award or the technique award.
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_00: And those are still considered special awards, but they're not necessarily like the the certificate or the whatever you get, you know, as your special.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's more of a high level, not high level, but like it's it's a bigger deal.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's a plaque, it's a trophy, it's a something else.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 56:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think that's where you know, I I I definitely do a st you staging awards or you know, just I'll call out something about choreography within a special award, but not but maybe it's more about how it was highlighting those dancers in in the way that felt good for what where they're where they were, you know, like they weren't nothing was too too ambitious, you know, it all landed exactly where it was supposed to land and was impressive, you know.
• 56:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the other thing I like to do is give uh special awards if things are going wrong.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you know a prop fell over or if the costume piece fell down and you could tell the group was like, How are we gonna fix this within the routine and did it, you know, or covered something up, or this past weekend one of the specials given there was a routine to oh my god, you guys from uh legally blonde.
• 57:15
  SPEAKER_00: And the person who did the dog, like they actually had had a like a stuffed dog on a little thing that slid out on the stage for that section where the dog is talking about, you know, she's in the well or in the mall or whatever.
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so the special was given to the person controlling the dog who happened to be a dance dad.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_00: But it was like little fun things like that.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, You're a part of this too, man.
• 57:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, come out.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_00: So that was that was kind of fun and different and you know, something you don't see.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_00: You can only award those when you see it.
• 57:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's not common, but when there's a a unique situation, I think those are always fun to award.
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_04: And to that point, Leslie, like sometimes things go wrong that are costume related, right?
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_04: So there's kind of two sides to that.
• 57:52
  SPEAKER_04: Like when people wear gloves, right?
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_04: We're looking for like way cleaner arms and hands than you even realize.
• 57:57
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_04: So if you can pull off those pink gloves all around, I'm gonna talk about that.
• 58:01
  SPEAKER_04: And that's a touching.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_04: And uh this season, someone did like a basically an open number with tons of acro and and they were wearing suspenders.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm talking like the meat, the the I would say two seconds into the music starting, one of the suspenders left.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_04: And this dancer, they they used it, they navigated it like no one's business.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_04: And I gave them the suspended in art award because it was just like it was such a great example for everyone in the room to see that, like, if you want perfection, go to the movies.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_04: Like, this is live performance, and things happen, and that's we you can choose to let it affect your whole day, or you can choose to be so proud that you navigated that hat on the floor, or you navigated that skirt getting it stuck to your lip gloss, which is the whole thing.
• 58:52
  SPEAKER_04: But you know, it's just like the way that suspender, like, you know, they they were in a bridge, they were up, they were doing a front walkover, they were grabbing the suspender and they did it like it was amazing.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_04: And you knew it was a mistake because you saw the face when it happened.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_04: So it was even more special to witness that and then just call it out and make sure everybody knows that, like, we celebrate that year.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_04: We we celebrate, you know, coming through an experience like that and and and just recognizing that dancer for being brave.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, those moments are so important, and we're all every single dancer at a point in time in their dance career and journey is going to experience an onstage mishap in some way or another.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_03: And it's learning how to power through that and what to do in those moments.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_03: And that sounds like a perfect example to be recognized.
• 59:36
  SPEAKER_03: That dancer is always going to remember that moment and you recognize their true professionalism, and that's something that's really special because there's a lot of people who would just walk off stage and say, I need to go again.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_03: And instead of just powering through.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, I'm a very like, you know, I'd be like, ah, I'm nervous for your safety.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_03: If it's like a safety hazard, then I'd be like, please leave.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_03: But if it's like manageable and you can still power through it, then like let's do that.
• 1:00:02
  SPEAKER_03: And like, props to you for not getting overwhelmed and being professional because that's what it's about.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_03: And the this I've seen it so many times.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_03: I saw a dancer a few weekends ago who had a jazz shoe on and it was, you know, halfway off at a point.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_03: And she was like a senior and she just was like on the floor and grabbed the shoe, ripped it off, threw it off the stage, and like made a moment out of it.
• 1:00:21
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, Go you.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you don't need that shoe, girl.
• 1:00:24
  SPEAKER_03: Take the shoe off and finish your dance nice and strong.
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_03: And that's exactly what she did.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_03: The only reason we will approve of one shoe.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's be clear about that.
• 1:00:33
  SPEAKER_01: Let's be clear about that.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_01: Let's be crispy.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's not to make that happen.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_01: I saw a girl flick a shoe off the two weeks ago on like a big accent in the music on a bot mug.
• 1:00:49
  SPEAKER_01: She just let it was falling, and she was just like, bam.
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_01: I can't remember.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_01: It was like some old school jazz song.
• 1:00:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, you do that.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_01: You did that.
• 1:00:58
  SPEAKER_01: I will take it.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_01: I will take it.
• 1:01:01
  SPEAKER_03: And like making a moment out of it, like if you drop your hat, like find a moment to pick your hat back up.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_03: I've seen so many like prop miss like mishaps that happen where like it's supposed to move and it's not, and like, what do we do?
• 1:01:14
  SPEAKER_03: You know, and then you just see everyone come in together and like, oh, I they need help.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna push this for them, or oh, that prop's supposed to be over here, but it never baited over here.
• 1:01:23
  SPEAKER_03: What can I do in that moment?
• 1:01:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I've seen those dancers know how to act as a professional because it's live theater.
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like that is what's going to happen.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_03: And then we we won't, we'll always remember those dances.
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like when we're nominating specials, we'll be like, Well, do you remember that moment on stage when they were being true professionals?
• 1:01:40
  SPEAKER_03: I want to recognize them for that.
• 1:01:42
  SPEAKER_03: Like, that is such a great special to receive if if dancers ever receive it.
• 1:01:47
  SPEAKER_03: And sometimes they're embarrassed, like, oh my god, wait, you saw that I did that?
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, but it was it was so impressive.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like, props to you for powering through.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_03: Because I think we're getting, especially now, we're getting into this world where everyone just gets a second chance and we're like letting everyone just like, if you ran off stage crying and forgot your dance, you get to come back and do it again.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_03: Like, wait, no, what?
• 1:02:09
  SPEAKER_03: Like, no, like they're a dancers who I've literally seen like have like complete meltdowns on stage and power through.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_03: They turn around and they zone in and they power through.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_03: And like, yes, of course, that's not ideal.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, of course, you want a second chance, but we don't always get second chances in life.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_03: And it's really impressive to me to see dancers powering through like that.
• 1:02:28
  SPEAKER_03: And like, is that worthy of a special award?
• 1:02:31
  SPEAKER_03: It could definitely could be, but also at the same time, those types of moments, I try to like scale back and say, would they do they really want to be recognized for that?
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like, it could be could be a little bit a little sticky situation, and like I'm proud of you, and I'll say that on the critique.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so proud of you for powering through, but that might all that needs to be said.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think they might need to get always get a whole audience, exactly.
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like get called out for like, I watched you cry on stage and great job powering through.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_03: Like, no, don't be so embarrassed.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:03:02
  unknown: Yeah, I know.
• 1:03:04
  SPEAKER_04: That's another reason specials can be so special, is we've talked a lot today about standing in solidarity with the teachers and the choreographers, but sometimes it's about standing in solidarity with the dancers, especially when it comes to props.
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_04: You can sometimes you can tell a teacher was really excited about a piece with, you know, seven props and a costume change, but they didn't serve the technique of the piece, and the dancer feels overwhelmed and it's a lot for them, and they can't connect with the why.
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like the dancer can't find the why.
• 1:03:32
  SPEAKER_04: And so there are times when I just give awards to that dancer for like being a multitasker because that will serve them in the future at at all.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_04: But just honoring, like standing in solidarity with like, you know, this was a lot for you.
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 1:03:45
  SPEAKER_04: And I I don't know, you know, like you you have to come up with a way to say it, but also just standing, you know, with the dancer in case teacher gets upset later about like that not working.
• 1:03:54
  SPEAKER_04: Like it, we had seven props too many.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_04: And this dancer still came on stage and they gave us a full bowl and a hat and a and a curtain and and a and a platform, and they they went all in, but like we weren't sure that they knew what they were supposed to be serving up.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_04: So just also giving them props for like doing the tasks on the on the sheet, you know, that they've been given, but like allowing them to see like, wow, okay, that that was a lot for me at age 12 in my first musical theater piece and also lip syncing.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_04: So like maybe I do need to, you know, like it's also a chance for us to kind of stand in solidarity with the kids sometimes.
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_03: That's so true.
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I agree.
• 1:04:36
  SPEAKER_03: Because if we don't have those teacher critiques, then there will never be a way for us to tell the teacher those are seven too many props.
• 1:04:45
  SPEAKER_03: And but props to your dancer for making it work.
• 1:04:48
  SPEAKER_03: They're doing the best they can.
• 1:04:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, props for the props, but you know, I wish I could tell you to eliminate some props before the next competition, but I kind of can't.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_03: So keep doing what you're doing, dancer.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_03: You're doing everything best you can.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_03: Y'all, this is such a fun chat.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_03: I love chatting specials with you, and I'm so glad we finally did this episode on the podcast.
• 1:05:11
  SPEAKER_03: I hope that all of our listeners enjoyed, and I hope that you all learned and realized that specials are truly special.
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_03: They are so uh special to receive.
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_03: I think I can't stress the uh how important they are to our competition world and that they are not throwaway awards.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_03: We as judges really put a lot of thought and effort and consideration into who we give these specials to.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_03: And if you are ever a recipient of one, I hope that you just feel all the feels because you deserved it and you earned it.
• 1:05:41
  SPEAKER_03: And it's uh it's gonna change like your entire approach on how you train, how you perform, how you continue on into your years as a competitive dancer.
• 1:05:49
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you so much to Emily and Trusty for joining us today on the podcast.
• 1:05:54
  SPEAKER_03: And how I would love for y'all to lead us out is just with one final thought on our topic today, which is All about special awards.
• 1:06:01
  SPEAKER_03: You can chat to the dancers, the teachers, the studio owners, the parents.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_03: The whole dance world is waiting.
• 1:06:07
  SPEAKER_01: The whole dance world is waiting.
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_01: No pressure.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_01: No pressure there, Courtney.
• 1:06:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_01: I guess my final thought would just have to be just know that when we sit down, we sit down with the intention, right, to make you feel like you're capable.
• 1:06:28
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever, whatever the tools we need to give you are to make that happen, we'll give.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_01: But it is so, it is so heartwarming for us and such an honor, honestly, for us to be able to find these things and pieces and choreographers or students that we connect with who we may never see again, to be frank.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_01: And like for our souls to connect like that, and and for me to leave a piece of what I love with you feels really special for us too.
• 1:06:59
  SPEAKER_01: So just know that like if something special, if we call out something special, it's because we feel honored to give you that.
• 1:07:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's that.
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_04: I love that, Emily.
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_04: Like giving a piece of ourselves.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you for saying that.
• 1:07:14
  SPEAKER_04: I I agree and honor those sentiments as well.
• 1:07:18
  SPEAKER_04: And I know that personally, what I am always looking for is a dancer that sees an opportunity and feels gratitude to be on stage that weekend.
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_04: And I am always seeking out these dancers that see each weekend as an opportunity to evolve their piece and their training and learn and aren't on autopilot.
• 1:07:41
  SPEAKER_04: And I think at a young age, we use the word autopilot, and and some of you might not even know what that means.
• 1:07:46
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, like you're still growing up, your brains are developing.
• 1:07:50
  SPEAKER_04: The decision-making part of your brain doesn't even stop developing to your 20s.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_04: So there's a lot going on in there.
• 1:07:56
  SPEAKER_04: But I encourage you now to make the decision that every weekend that you do that dance on stage, it's a new opportunity to see how you're gonna take up the whole stage as a soloist or how you're going to connect with your fellow dancers and use your peripheral vision, you know, and just choosing to see competition as an opportunity each weekend for growth.
• 1:08:16
  SPEAKER_04: And I can tell you that as a judge, we see that.
• 1:08:19
  SPEAKER_04: We we feel that energy like through your entire body, someone that is open to kind of the challenge of seeing what might happen and having a different performance every time, right?
• 1:08:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like even in musical theater, we do shows eight days a week, but every show is completely different for us, maybe not the audience, right?
• 1:08:38
  SPEAKER_04: But every show is an opportunity to further develop character.
• 1:08:42
  SPEAKER_04: So whatever genre you're dancing in, just choosing to see the competition each weekend is an opportunity to see where the dance might go and take chances.
• 1:08:51
  SPEAKER_04: And those are the kind of dances that we like to honor with specials because we can feel you.
• 1:08:56
  SPEAKER_04: Like we just want to support and confirm that like you are making the courageous choice that's going to expand your artistic flow for you.
• 1:09:06
  SPEAKER_03: We hope you enjoyed this week's episode all about special awards.
• 1:09:10
  SPEAKER_03: Be sure to follow our special guest, IDA Judges, on social media.
• 1:09:13
  SPEAKER_03: You can find Amanda at Amanda underscore trusty and Emily at M.
• 1:09:18
  SPEAKER_03: Branagan.
• 1:09:19
  SPEAKER_03: And don't forget to check out Trusty's new project and podcast, Healing Theater Hearts.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_03: Their mission is to create open space for performance creatives to unpack industry experience and take ownership of their healing in the community of artists who deeply believe.
• 1:09:33
  SPEAKER_03: Seeds in one of their podcasts is launching this summer.
• 1:09:36
  SPEAKER_03: Learn more on their website at Healing TheaterHarts.com and follow them on Instagram at Healing Theater Hearts.
• 1:09:44
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to follow Making the Impact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and pretty much everywhere you listen to podcasts.
• 1:09:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want more exclusive episodes, support our podcast by joining our Platinum Premium membership for only$5 a month.
• 1:09:59
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribers receive free Making the Impact stickers, shout-outs live on the air, ad-free listening, and exclusive access to our QA episodes for members only.
• 1:10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Join now at Impact Danceadjudicators.com/slash Platinum Premium or click the link in our show notes.
• 1:10:13
  SPEAKER_03: Are you looking for even more personalized, in-depth feedback from your standard judges critiques that you've been receiving at competition this season?
• 1:10:20
  SPEAKER_03: Then check out our service, IDA's online judges' critiques, where you will receive up to 10 to 15 minutes of post-critique additional feedback.
• 1:10:29
  SPEAKER_03: You can even request a judge that specializes in your submitted dance genre, and they will go back through your routine from beginning to end and pause the video to elaborate even more on those specific corruptions.
• 1:10:40
  SPEAKER_03: Critiques start at only$35 on our website.
• 1:10:44
  SPEAKER_03: Submit your dance now at Impact Danceadjudicators.com slash online critiques.
• 1:10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Season four of Making the Impact is almost over, but don't worry, we have a few more episodes to keep you going.
• 1:10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Stay tuned for how studios cast their dancers, our Facebook group chosen topic, and the final spotlight feature of season four.
• 1:11:03
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see you next week.
• 1:11:04
  SPEAKER_03: Until then, keep dancing.