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Transitions - The Most Important Part of A Dance Routine · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_01: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_01: This is Making the Impact a Dance Competition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_01: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:24
SPEAKER_01: Love em or hate them, transitional steps have a huge impact on how choreography is received at competition.
0:30
SPEAKER_01: From the humble sauce to an intricate combination of steps, transitions can make or break a routine.
0:36
SPEAKER_01: Joining us today for this spirited discussion are IBA judges and dance educators Jonathan McGill and Maddie Kurt.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone, welcome to this week's episode of Making Impact.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Courtney, and here with my co-host, Leslie Mueller.
0:52
SPEAKER_01: Hi Courtney, happy belated Valentine's Day.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: Aw, happy belated Valentine's Day.
0:58
SPEAKER_01: It's almost my birthday.
1:00
SPEAKER_01: February birthday's in the house.
1:02
SPEAKER_01: Mine was a couple weeks ago, so just onwards and upwards in 2023.
1:06
SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, it's starting off strong.
1:08
SPEAKER_00: What a great 2023 so far.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: I've been super, super busy traveling pretty much every single weekend, judging and teaching, but I love my job so much and I'm so happy that competition season is in full swing.
1:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh yes, I'm about to start here in two more weeks.
1:24
SPEAKER_01: So I'm very ready, ready to just see all the hard work everybody's been putting into their season so far.
1:29
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, just super stoked about today's episode because we have some amazing guests, a great returning guest and a great new guest.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: So stoked to get get into it.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I can't wait.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: I know that this has been an episode that we've been dying to do for a while, all about transitional steps and what is a transition and why are transitions in dance important.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: And I know we are going to talk all about it in full blown detail with our special guest IDA judges.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: And I know you've heard us talk about our Platinum Premium podcast subscription, which was introduced this season at the top of season four.
2:07
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2:13
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2:15
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2:25
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2:43
SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited to share some of our recent podcast subscriptions and subscribers with you all.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: First up is Christine Anderson, a dance parent from Center for Dance in Richardson, Texas.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: Hello, Christine.
2:57
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2:59
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3:03
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3:05
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3:10
SPEAKER_00: And she says, I have been loving listening to the podcast and am addicted.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: I'm learning so much as a dance parent, and I love sharing what I learn with my three daughters who do competitive dance.
3:21
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3:23
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3:27
SPEAKER_00: And I have told so many people about this podcast.
3:30
SPEAKER_00: Even my sister, a dance aunt, has started to listen.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: My sister and I also dance for fun as an adult in our community and can apply much of what we hear to ourselves too.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, that's so cute.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: Jody, you're dancing for fun with your sister.
3:48
SPEAKER_00: It's a family affair.
3:49
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and dance is so special.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: And I'm so happy that you are continuing to bring dance into your life, even as an adult, and while you get to watch your three daughters grow through their competitive training.
4:00
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4:02
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4:10
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4:11
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4:15
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4:23
SPEAKER_00: All right, dance world.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: It's time to jump in to this week's episode all about transitions.
4:29
SPEAKER_00: Ooh, what is a transition?
4:31
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna tell you all about that today on the podcast.
4:34
SPEAKER_00: And I know that our judges cannot wait to dive into this episode topic because it's a hot one, y'all.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: And this I will actually say that when we were checking availability for our IDA judges to join us as guests on this episode, everyone wanted to talk about transitions because I think it's like one of the most frequent critiques that we say on the mic at competition is watch your transition.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: Make sure that transition makes sense.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: Don't forget about your transitional steps.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna talk all about that today with two IDA judges joining us on the chat.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: The very first judge I'm excited to welcome to the podcast for the very first time.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: He has been an IDA judge on the roster for the past few seasons, and he's also gonna do a little MCing this year as well.
5:17
SPEAKER_00: So excited for that.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: I'm very excited to welcome Jonathan McGill to the podcast.
5:23
SPEAKER_00: Welcome, Jonathan.
5:24
SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
5:25
SPEAKER_05: Thank you for having me.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: We're pumped to have you, and I'm so excited to finally get to meet you virtually for the very first time.
5:32
SPEAKER_05: Yes, same.
5:33
SPEAKER_05: Same.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: It's so great that we get to do these podcasts and I get to get to know the judges even more than I already do.
5:39
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we put you through the pre-screening and you're you're screened and all the things, but I don't get to really get to know you unless I'm out on an event with you.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: So this is so lovely to have you on the pod.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to hear all about you.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: So would you mind telling the world more about you, where you grew up, what your training was like, and any career credits that you'd like to share and what you're working on now?
6:00
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
6:01
SPEAKER_05: I grew up here in Los Angeles and I started dancing actually at a competition studio based in LA.
6:08
SPEAKER_05: And then from there I transitioned or moved studios.
6:11
SPEAKER_05: When Debbie Allen opened her studio, I moved to her studio.
6:16
SPEAKER_05: I finished my training there through high school, and then I went to NYU, got my BFA in dance, and I had every intention of like coming back to LA and taking the world by the LA world by storm.
6:28
SPEAKER_05: But I saw my first Broadway show and I decided, oh wait, I want to do Broadway.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
6:35
SPEAKER_05: So from there I took voice lessons, was auditioning, I got to dance for Beyonce randomly.
6:44
unknown: Yeah.
6:45
SPEAKER_05: I know it's it Yeah.
6:48
SPEAKER_05: And then through all that, the a year, year, a year went by and I, you know, auditioning voice lessons.
6:54
SPEAKER_05: And then I finally booked the Movin' Out tour.
6:56
SPEAKER_05: So I got to work with Toiletharp.
6:58
SPEAKER_05: I know.
6:59
SPEAKER_04: Wow.
6:59
SPEAKER_05: What a first like what a job.
7:04
SPEAKER_05: And I was a swing on the show, so like it was a lot.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
7:08
SPEAKER_05: And then from there I did Radio City.
7:11
SPEAKER_05: And then through all those years, I had been auditioning for Wicked.
7:14
SPEAKER_05: That was like the number one show that I wanted to be in.
7:17
SPEAKER_05: And auditioned for the second national tour of Wicked, didn't get it.
7:21
SPEAKER_05: A spot opened up on Broadway, got that.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: Oh, wow.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: That's fine.
7:25
SPEAKER_01: Right.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
7:28
SPEAKER_05: Made my Broadway debut in Wicked, the number one show that I wanted to be in.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
7:33
SPEAKER_05: And then decided to leave the Broadway company, go on tour.
7:37
SPEAKER_05: So I closed the first national tour here in LA, which is I had already wanted to move back, so I basically got paid to move back home to LA.
7:45
SPEAKER_05: And then from here I've just been auditioning.
7:47
SPEAKER_05: I've been able to I was on an episode of Hacks.
7:50
SPEAKER_05: I've been able to do more TV film commercial dance stuff.
7:54
SPEAKER_05: And currently I am in the Tale of the Lion King show at Disneyland, which is Disney's first all-black cast of any show that they've ever done.
8:03
SPEAKER_05: And they're they're celebrating their 100-year history of the the Walt Disney Company now, and they've never done an all-black cast.
8:11
SPEAKER_05: And so that was I've been very blessed to do some phenomenal things in my career.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: Yes, you have.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: I just love hearing all of that.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: I love the journey as well.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: I'm so intrigued that you chose to go to NYU living in Los Angeles for school.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: That's really interesting to me.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: What did you like?
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Was New York calling your name, or did you just love the program at NYU?
8:34
SPEAKER_05: I actually I had a teacher who I didn't I didn't know who took my mom aside and said Jonathan needs to go to New York.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
8:45
SPEAKER_05: And so she saw honestly, LA is not always about technique.
8:51
SPEAKER_05: It is it can it can be more performance-based.
8:55
SPEAKER_05: So my teacher saw that I needed that New York training and told my mom that I needed to go to New York.
9:02
SPEAKER_05: So my mom started connecting me with dancers who had gone to colleges in New York.
9:07
SPEAKER_05: And so I was looking at Fordham and NYU at the time.
9:10
SPEAKER_05: And to be honest, I chose NYU because it's a four-year program condensed into down to three years and two summers.
9:17
SPEAKER_05: I don't like school.
9:18
SPEAKER_05: And so I said, Oh, I can get my I can get my degree and cut off a year.
9:22
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely, that's where I'm going.
9:24
SPEAKER_00: Nice.
9:24
SPEAKER_00: Is the program still like that?
9:26
SPEAKER_00: I didn't know that about NYU dance program.
9:28
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's still it's a three-year program.
9:30
SPEAKER_05: It's it's intense, but yeah, three years and two summers.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: That's great.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I was just thinking of Ashley Marinelli, uh, who is an IDA judge and she went to NYU and I'm thinking back and I'm like, yeah, you know what?
9:43
SPEAKER_00: I betcha she did I think she did like, you know, jump into the industry a year earlier than most with the four-year program, but you still get that four-year degree.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: So that's awesome.
9:52
SPEAKER_03: Mm-hmm.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: Love it.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: Sweet.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: That's so interesting.
9:56
SPEAKER_00: I was just curious, and I'm sure that's so helpful for so many people to hear.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: And like, shout out to that one teacher that changed her life.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: I mean, yes, you didn't even know at the time, but she changed your life and changed your mom's perspective as well as like what's next for you and where should you go to college?
10:11
SPEAKER_00: Like, there's always those teachers out there that will do that.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: And shout out to her or them, whoever they are.
10:17
SPEAKER_00: Sweet.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: Well, I love hearing your dance journey, and you have done some fabulous things in your career and more to come, I know it.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for being on the raster and joining us today on the podcast.
10:29
SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
10:29
SPEAKER_05: Thank you so much for having me.
10:30
SPEAKER_04: Yay!
10:31
SPEAKER_00: All right, our next special guest, Judge, is someone that you may remember from so many episodes because she's been here a bunch.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: You may remember her from I'm going backwards in time, season three, episode sixty-nine, dance in college, season two, episode sixty-three, performance pathways for the professional dancer, and our most popular episode ever.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: Season one, episode four, lyrical versus contemporary.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to welcome back Maddie Kurtz to the podcast.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Welcome, Maddie.
11:01
SPEAKER_02: Yay! Hi, thanks for having me back.
11:05
SPEAKER_00: Of course, girl.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: We always want you over here at the podcast.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: We you have so much to say in so many ways, and you have been such a it's been so great to finally get to meet you in person this past week.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: I know that was the best advice.
11:20
SPEAKER_00: We had a great time.
11:20
SPEAKER_00: That food was delicious, the margaritas were flowing.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: It was awesome.
11:24
SPEAKER_00: It was great.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, this is gonna be a fun topic for you to jump into.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to hear what you have to say all about it because you've already started judging this season.
11:34
SPEAKER_00: I know it's early in the season, but you have been out there a little bit already.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: So sure have, sure have.
11:40
unknown: Yes.
11:41
SPEAKER_00: Well, Maddie, can you please tell the listeners for refresh their memory just a little bit more about you?
11:47
SPEAKER_02: Sure.
11:47
SPEAKER_02: I'm originally from Connecticut.
11:49
SPEAKER_02: I grew up about an hour outside of New York City and lost of access to dance my whole life and no plans of pursuing dance, but if you've listened to me on other episode episodes, you know that that was a big joke on me.
12:01
SPEAKER_02: And uh so I um ended up getting a bachelor's degree in dance, but I also randomly got a degree in religious studies.
12:09
SPEAKER_02: I love writing, I'm a big nerd.
12:11
SPEAKER_02: Unlike Jonathan, I would spend all my time in school.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: So I was uh when I finished undergrad, I went straight into grad school.
12:18
SPEAKER_02: I got my MFA in performance and choreography, and now I am an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa, so I'm based in Tampa.
12:26
SPEAKER_02: And I just started this semester teaching also at the University of South Florida, so that's been a fun new adventure.
12:32
SPEAKER_02: And I teach at a studio down here, a competition studio, mostly teaching like ballet and lyrical and contemporary and jazz, and I teach pure bar and Pilates and yoga and all the other things that we do to hustle and pay our bills.
12:47
SPEAKER_02: I make my own independent choreography in the contemporary genre, and I just started my eighth season of judging.
12:53
SPEAKER_02: So obviously I started when I was like 12, so I'm exceptional, just kidding.
12:59
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, eight years out behind the table.
13:02
SPEAKER_02: And I also do some work on the back end for IDA.
13:05
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I'm a big fan of the podcast, and I'm really excited for this conversation.
13:10
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having me back.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm thrilled to have you back.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: And to some of our listeners out there, if you've submitted an online critique, you may have had Maddie as your contemporary specialty.
13:21
SPEAKER_00: She's like the one of the go-to contemporary specialty online critique judges.
13:25
SPEAKER_00: And we were just Maddie and I were chatting before, and I was like, Maddie, do you know how many online critiques you did in two 2022?
13:32
SPEAKER_00: And she's like, No.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, 60.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: She did 60 online critiques last year.
13:38
SPEAKER_00: I live for it.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: And I'm helping pay her rent.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh thank you to everyone who has.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: 50 of those were contemporary too, I bet.
13:45
SPEAKER_01: I know.
13:45
SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
13:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
13:46
SPEAKER_02: So the rest are probably like lyrical and maybe a ballet variation.
13:49
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: Right.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: If you got like all the contemporary.
13:53
SPEAKER_00: So thank you to all of our supporters who continue to send us online critiques, especially to our judges.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: They appreciate you.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: Yes, indeed.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: And uh let's on jump on into this chat about transitions.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: Yay! So excited.
14:09
SPEAKER_01: This is it really is a very hot topic because I feel like there's students out there, dancers out there, young dancers who who don't even realize or understand that transitions are dancing.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: I feel like people think transitions are just like a filler or something we just shove in there because okay, I gotta have to get from one side of the stage to the other.
14:30
SPEAKER_01: Like it doesn't matter.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: But, you know, surprise.
14:34
SPEAKER_01: Transitions are a big deal.
14:36
SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna talk about them today.
14:37
SPEAKER_01: So I wanna, I wanna start with describing for people, you know, for maybe students who don't know or parents who are like, I don't understand what you're talking about.
14:46
SPEAKER_01: What is a transition?
14:47
SPEAKER_01: What what are we talking about when we say a transitional step in dance?
14:51
SPEAKER_01: Anyone can take the stage.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: I'd start with any sort of connecting steps.
14:56
SPEAKER_02: So often we think about tricks and we put our tricks in our dance, but how are you getting from one trick to the next?
15:02
SPEAKER_02: How are you going into your tricks or your technical elements like your turns and your jumps?
15:07
SPEAKER_02: How are you going into those?
15:08
SPEAKER_02: How are you coming out of them?
15:09
SPEAKER_02: That is how I would define a transition.
15:12
SPEAKER_05: I define, I actually had to like look up the definition of the word transition, and it's nice how you get from one thing to another.
15:18
SPEAKER_05: So how you get from one side of the stage to the other.
15:21
SPEAKER_05: As Maddie said, how you get into a trick or a technical element technical element to the next, how you uh transition from uh upstage to downstage, like it all matters.
15:35
SPEAKER_05: It uh it's how you connect the moments of your dance, how you get from one choreographic section to the next.
15:41
SPEAKER_05: It helps your dance become one long thought, one complete thought.
15:48
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
15:49
SPEAKER_01: I like that that description of it shouldn't, I mean, I guess it's almost like I we've talked about this before.
15:55
SPEAKER_01: I think when you're especially Maddie will relate to this with like writing, you know, it's very boring to listen to a sentence that is short without transitional words, right?
16:05
SPEAKER_01: It's much better to use your semicolons and your ellipses and your you know, your uh colons and your dashes and just interesting ways of of giving a thought because we can we can make a dance with a step and then a step and then a step and then a step.
16:20
SPEAKER_01: But if you're not putting them together in an interesting way, then it's maybe a little boring.
16:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:28
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think it just becomes a series of like class combinations.
16:32
SPEAKER_05: Like when you don't have the transitions, it's just like, oh, that was Tuesday's combination, and then that was Thursday's combination, and we just kind of put it together on stage.
16:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it starts to feel akin to like the Olympics where there are certain elements that you have to have, or like like when a gymnast does a vault routine, there's nothing in between.
16:51
SPEAKER_02: They're running, they're jumping, and they're doing their skill.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: And it starts to feel like that, which feels yes, athletic, but the artistic piece for me at least goes away in those settings.
17:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
17:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I feel like that when I think of transitional steps, I mean, one of the things that I immediately say often on judges' critiques is it's more for me, obviously connecting a hundred thousand percent, but it's also the the ins and the outs of how we get into those quote unquote tricks that we're talking about.
17:23
SPEAKER_00: Because if there's a lack of transitional step to lead you in, then most likely it's making it harder for the dancer to actually execute the trick itself.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: So we need to make sure that the transition leading in makes sense to help enhance the execution.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: There are so many times where I see like tricks strung together without transitions, and I'm just sitting there wondering, how are they even execute?
17:48
SPEAKER_00: How are they even able to get into that calypso when they just finished a double pirouette, but they didn't have the ball change in between?
17:55
SPEAKER_00: Like, I want the ball change.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: I need a ball change.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: I need a ball change.
17:59
SPEAKER_00: Please, oh my gosh.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: And if anyone's ever taken my jazz class, I say ball change every other second because it's my go-to transitional step, but it should be for everyone across the board in jazz dance and other styles of dance.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: That's like my that's my favorite transitional step.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: I don't, I don't know.
18:16
SPEAKER_00: Do y'all have any favorite, like your go-to transition steps?
18:20
SPEAKER_02: Pot of beret turn.
18:22
SPEAKER_02: Oh.
18:22
SPEAKER_02: Even even in like contemporary, it might not look as much like a pot of beret, but in every genre, I do like a million pot de beret balance turns in ballet, every every genre, pot of braille or a pot of braille turn.
18:34
SPEAKER_05: I would say probably a ball change, but the different variations, like a like a swivel step, or there's you can it doesn't have to just be back, front, ball change.
18:44
SPEAKER_05: You can make a ball change fit however you need to.
18:48
SPEAKER_05: But yeah, I think about that, a ball change is probably one of my favorite go-tos.
18:51
SPEAKER_01: I'm a big fan of like the um triplet or the chausset me too.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: In a nice deep plie.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: Because you can, again, kind of like with the pot de bureau turn, you can you can make it what you need it to be for the timing, or just you can you can get clear across the stage or you can do it right underneath yourself.
19:08
SPEAKER_01: It's you know, transitional steps, I think, are are the versatile steps because a pirouette is a pirouette as a pirouette, right?
19:15
SPEAKER_01: Like, but a chasse can be anything you want it to be.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: You can put you can make that stylized to whatever genre you're doing, and then whatever like subgenre of that genre.
19:25
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's what I'm kind of wondering too.
19:28
SPEAKER_01: Like when we're teaching classes, my thought is where what where do people learn a transition step?
19:34
SPEAKER_01: I know where I would teach a transition step and where I think that that's probably lacking in class.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: But does anybody have a thought of their own?
19:44
SPEAKER_01: Because I want somebody else to say it.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I hope I get it right.
19:48
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I mean, we hear and we see a lot of people in their classes emphasizing like some sort of warm-up, maybe, maybe, but we're emphasizing combinations, combo, the combo.
20:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:01
SPEAKER_02: So where is the across the floor progression?
20:05
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I mean, I've taken I've taken Courtney's class.
20:09
SPEAKER_02: It's like, yes, you have we spend a nice chunk of the class working on progressions and we still do a combo at the end, but that's where you're building those skills to transition forward and back, side to side, in and out of the floor.
20:22
SPEAKER_02: And if you don't do that, oftentimes I think um teachers maybe don't have the space to travel a lot in their studios in the combo.
20:29
SPEAKER_02: And so then we're losing that learning those skills of the ability to travel and transition.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, directional changes are huge.
20:36
SPEAKER_00: Like weight shifts and directional changes are something that we learn in choreography, but should be learned and across the floor.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: Like, I think that's where we learn that.
20:47
SPEAKER_00: We do our warm-up, we're you, you know, learning how to feel through our body and get ourselves properly stretched and prepped and ready for the dancing.
20:55
SPEAKER_00: It shouldn't just go straight to let's stay in center.
20:58
SPEAKER_00: We need to get the dancers to understand how to move through the space.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: And that's what across the floor is.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: And and regardless if you have a giant studio or not, you can create across the floor progressions that go back like back and forth instead of just side to side or front to back.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: Like we can use those directional changes and weight shifts within the progression to get them to understand the transitional steps and how to travel through space.
21:23
SPEAKER_05: I also, when I teach, I also use the across the floor to build the progression and to build the transitional step, but it's also a time to work on any new elements that I'm gonna be teaching in the combo.
21:34
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
21:35
SPEAKER_05: So that I don't have to spend that time in the combo.
21:38
SPEAKER_05: And I when I get to that, this should look familiar.
21:41
SPEAKER_05: We've already done it a couple of times in the across the floor.
21:44
SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
21:44
SPEAKER_05: We don't have to spend a million, you know, we don't have to spend a lot of time on this.
21:48
SPEAKER_05: But just like use it, like class structure is there for a reason.
21:53
SPEAKER_05: And we sometimes I forget or we sometimes we forget about the building blocks.
21:58
SPEAKER_05: We just want to go to the end.
22:00
SPEAKER_05: End result, and it's like, no, you have to have the solid foundation in order for the end result to really be solid.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a thousand percent.
22:08
SPEAKER_00: Oh, maybe we should do an across the floor episode now that I'm thinking about this.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: Oh, writing it down.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: Hold on, writing it in the writing list.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: Across the floor episode.
22:18
SPEAKER_01: Well, what do we so you know, if if we're not learning it in class, then you're not learning it anywhere, right?
22:24
SPEAKER_01: And that shows up in choreography.
22:26
SPEAKER_01: You're just stringing stuff together.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: You're just stringing skills together.
22:30
SPEAKER_01: There's no transitional elements.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: And so it's like I'm being slapped in the face with a tilt jump.
22:35
SPEAKER_01: Right.
22:35
SPEAKER_01: I'm being slapped in the face with your acro skill that came out of absolutely nowhere within the storyline of the dance that doesn't really exist because it's just tricky, tricky, tricky.
22:43
SPEAKER_01: And they're all well done.
22:44
SPEAKER_01: It's fine.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: Right.
22:46
SPEAKER_01: They're fine.
22:46
SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying don't do your cool skill that you're actually good at, but I'm saying that the reason the somebody else is probably winning is because that transition into that cool skill that's equally as well done as yours.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: The transition is there.
22:59
SPEAKER_01: And that's what I care about so much more.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: Once you get to the point where you can do the cool skill, you know, then I really care about the in-between steps.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: Right.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
23:07
SPEAKER_01: You're asking why this isn't winning, it's because you don't have any transitions in the choreography, you know, clearly somebody's not giving you the transitional steps in class to know how to get into a skill.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: Because the choreographer, the teacher should be, like you said, working on that in class.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: But the choreographer should know that there needs to be transitional elements.
23:28
SPEAKER_00: And to me, that immediately tells me when I watch a dance that is filled with zero transitions that it's not being worked on in class.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: Because if the choreographer doesn't even know how to utilize it, then obviously you're not working on that in class time because they don't even put it in the dance.
23:44
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's not, you know, in that moment, it's not really the dancer's fault.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: It really comes back to the teacher.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: Like the teacher and the choreographer need to understand these are the building blocks because I do think transition steps are building blocks.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: These are the building blocks that we've worked on in our training in our class.
24:01
SPEAKER_00: And now we're going to implement it into our choreography.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, then the dancer can actually work on their transitions because it's in the dance.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: But like, I feel, you know, even hearing that scenario, Leslie, like I kind of feel for the dancer be I do too.
24:18
SPEAKER_00: Because it's like they weren't given the proper tools to succeed because the choreography was lacking transitions.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: And we see it all the time at competition.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: But that's why we're here doing the podcast, because most of the time we're not allowed to say this choreography needs more transitional steps on our critiques.
24:34
SPEAKER_05: Correct.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: That's not really a critique that we're allowed to say because remember, everybody wants us to talk to only the the dancers.
24:43
SPEAKER_00: So until that shifts in the industry where you allow us to speak to the teachers who are at fault, then things might change.
24:48
SPEAKER_00: So now we're here talking on the podcast about it.
24:52
SPEAKER_05: Yes.
24:53
SPEAKER_00: Because it's an issue.
24:54
SPEAKER_00: Like it's nothing.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: I've and I'm sure we're all shaking our head in agreement.
24:57
SPEAKER_00: Everyone that's listening, like you've we've all seen the dances that are just trick, trick, trick, trick, trick, trick, trick, trick, trick.
25:03
SPEAKER_00: And tricks are fine.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: We love a trick.
25:05
SPEAKER_00: But like you said, Leslie, how do we connect the tricks?
25:07
SPEAKER_00: And how do we connect those tricks safely and properly so they can execute that trick even better than what they're doing?
25:14
SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes my mind is blown with like how hard it is for a dancer to get from one skill to the next because the teacher didn't give them a proper transition.
25:21
SPEAKER_05: I've even said that in a critique.
25:23
SPEAKER_05: I'm like, that's impressive that you know you've been able to do X, Y, and Z and I haven't seen a plie.
25:30
unknown: Right.
25:31
SPEAKER_05: Two A counts.
25:32
SPEAKER_05: Like, you know, it like literally my mind is blown sometimes at like what these young dancers can muscle their way through without the proper support.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna give a quick example of something that immediately goes comes to my mind, and I see it all the time when I teach, and I'm going back to my my go-to ball change transition and and my example of like the reason for the transition.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: So there have been times in choreography, and I'm thinking of a specific combo in my head where where I'll do like a front bat ma, and then I want us to do a ball change to then lead into a Shene up, Shene down calypso.
26:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so super we like if you're a dancer, you know what I'm saying when I say all these things.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: When I teach it, I demonstrate it with the ball change in between the bat ma and the chene.
26:17
SPEAKER_01: Because so you're saying, hold on, hold on.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: You're saying step left, bat ma right, correct to the front or to the side?
26:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, let's say to the side.
26:24
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: So we step left, bat ma right, ball change back, front.
26:28
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
26:29
SPEAKER_00: Then we present the right foot into a chenee up, chenee down calypso.
26:33
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: So so many dancers want to remove the ball change.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: Like it's not important.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: So that leg just does what?
26:40
SPEAKER_00: It just floats to the bottom.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: Somehow gets from a bat ma to a shene.
26:45
SPEAKER_00: And that is so hard.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: Like, why would you do that?
26:49
SPEAKER_00: That, like, no way in the world would my body mechanically want to do that.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: You're making it 10 times harder.
26:55
SPEAKER_00: So I always try to explain to dancers like the ball change is there because you are, you know, pulling off your leg for your bat ma, you're stacked on top and you're letting your leg lead you to the next place, but your weight is is moving in that direction.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: So that ball change is there for you to regroup and re-center yourself and re-prepare for what's coming next.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: It's not, it's it's there for a reason and it's a transitional step because of that.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: Because if not, it's nearly impossible to kick your ear and then pique into a shiny turn.
27:22
SPEAKER_00: Like, why would you do that?
27:23
SPEAKER_00: You're making it, you're making it harder for yourself.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: So that's why I always try to how how I have to like reel it back and explain it.
27:29
SPEAKER_00: And then also you're gonna be off the musicality because you're gonna be one count ahead, and that's another issue in itself.
27:36
SPEAKER_00: So many things.
27:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
27:38
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I'm thinking about an example that I always give, like during a waltz in ballet, I always do saute arabesque forward into a balance a back.
27:47
SPEAKER_02: So, and then another saute and then balance a turnover.
27:50
SPEAKER_02: And the number of dancers who can't figure out the coordination of that turn to then get into the Tampe Padabray or get into the waltz turn that comes after it, the reason they can't figure it out is because they're not shifting their weight.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: Right.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: So, like at the end of the day, everything we're doing is a weight shift, right?
28:04
SPEAKER_02: Like every style of dance, all we're doing is shifting our weight.
28:07
SPEAKER_02: And so if you can't figure out how to shift your weight, you can't do anything properly because it just won't dance.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: You can't dance.
28:14
SPEAKER_02: How are you even walking?
28:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:17
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I mean, like figuring out how to shift your weight in between the technical elements, which are also weight shifts in themselves, like a soda shaw is a weight shift from your back leg to your front leg.
28:27
SPEAKER_02: Right.
28:27
SPEAKER_02: You just happen to stop in the air in a split, hopefully.
28:32
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I think uh just understanding that like that is the reason we do it, like what Courtney was saying, explaining the why, I think is really important for us as teachers.
28:40
SPEAKER_02: Because otherwise it's like, no, but I just want to do my pirouette, I just want to do my soda shaw, I just want to do my bot mop, my aerial, whatever it is.
28:48
SPEAKER_02: And so understanding that like that doesn't happen without something before it and something after it.
28:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:55
SPEAKER_01: Well, and another thing I want to bring up for the teachers out there and for maybe even the parents of my my younger competitors, where you learn transition steps is your basic creative movement jazz class when you're six years old.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: And what shows up on stage in those classes and those routines are the transitional steps you will use throughout your entire life, which is why I don't want to see your leg catch turn when you're six.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to see your attempt at a triple pirouette or your big second split to the floor in a roll.
29:27
SPEAKER_01: What I want to see is your chasse ball change, your pivot turn, your jazz square, your attempt at a pata bureau, your grapevine, your step together step touch, because all of those things show me that your teacher is teaching you the transitional steps that show up in Courtney's advanced jazz class at steps on Fridays.
29:44
SPEAKER_01: Because Courtney does every single one of those steps.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's really stylized, maybe it's a fierce pivot turn and it doesn't look as boring as put your foot in front and turn around to the back.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: Right.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: But that is those are transitional steps.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: And so when people again are like, well, my kid just wants to do her fancy leap or she wants to get her aerial and she's six.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: No, what she really needs to get is the coordination to do a grapevine.
30:07
SPEAKER_01: That's what she needs to get, because that's a transitional step.
30:10
SPEAKER_01: And like we need it, you need to have it.
30:12
SPEAKER_01: Otherwise, your kid's gonna be 14 and getting the critique of, well, I mean, yeah, your pirouette's really nice and your bot ma's really nice, but you just kind of went there.
30:21
SPEAKER_01: You didn't dance into it because maybe that kid never learned how to do the grapevine.
30:26
SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
30:26
SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's really what separates like a good dancer from a great dancer are their transitions.
30:33
SPEAKER_00: Like that is really when we see when you see the first place overall dancers, most of the time they have exquisite transitions.
30:41
SPEAKER_00: And they also might have beautiful technique and performance and execution to back it up, but their transitions were there.
30:49
SPEAKER_00: Like they weren't just flopping into trick after trick.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Like they actually knew how to move and connect those steps.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think in and then, you know, even when we get to the senior division, like you're trans there's no excuse at that point for me.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely zero excuse if you don't know how to transition steps.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: Like you should, I shouldn't be hearing loud landings for anything that you do.
31:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't care how hard it is, it should be the softest landings because you're giving you're you should be given the proper transition and preparation leading in and out of it.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: And you should know how to master that skill at that point.
31:20
SPEAKER_00: And it's like you can still do all the exp amazing tricks, but how are we now create like connecting them in an even more advanced artistic way?
31:30
SPEAKER_00: Because we've worked on this for 18 years, you know, 15 to 18 years at this point.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: It should be seamless.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: And I'm starting to see a little bit more, especially in the contemporary division, of like more artistic choices be happening in the senior level where there are like epic transitions from standing to the floor to do all their cool floor work and swirling down onto the floor and really controlling themselves.
31:53
SPEAKER_00: That's so refreshing to see.
31:55
SPEAKER_00: And I'm also seeing like a pullback of lack of tricks in the senior division because we just want to like have movement quality and move around.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: And like that's what I want.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: Like, I I know I want to see that in the senior, and that's what really separates it.
32:08
SPEAKER_00: And there's so many people that are like, Well, I've seen a dancer win first overall in the senior without any tricks.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: Because it was they had amazing movement quality, they were connecting to the music musically, they had great style.
32:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure they can do those tricks.
32:23
SPEAKER_00: I don't need to see that at this point.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: I want to see how you move through the space.
32:27
SPEAKER_05: I think as you were saying, transitions really allow the audience and judges to see a dancer's artistry, to see how connected and present they are in the moment.
32:39
SPEAKER_05: If you can stay present for two and a half minutes and make every single second matter, every single second you're performing, every single second you are in the story that you're telling, like to me, that shows me that you are ready to be a professional dancer, that you are an artist, you are not just a good dancer.
33:00
SPEAKER_05: And like you said, I I have seen uh seniors win with zero tricks, zero Alice Acone turns.
33:07
SPEAKER_05: And because it's because they are so focused, they are so present, they are so in the moment, so connected to the music that their body is literally a physical representation of what it is we're hearing.
33:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and further, I would argue that you can't tell a story, not that every dance has to have a story, but you can't really convey emotion and tone and a story if you have one through tricks.
33:31
SPEAKER_02: Like me doing all second turns does not really push the narrative of my choreography forward.
33:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, maybe it does.
33:37
SPEAKER_02: Maybe turns are like a metaphor for something.
33:40
SPEAKER_02: But for the most part, for the most part, I cannot tell a story if I'm just flipping around, turning, kicking, whatever.
33:48
SPEAKER_02: So without those transitional moments, there's no way to connect artistically.
33:53
SPEAKER_02: Right.
33:53
SPEAKER_02: Whether it's with your music, with your audience, whatever.
33:56
SPEAKER_02: So it's really essential, not just for like your dancing ability, but also for your ability to be successful.
34:03
SPEAKER_02: Because we all know that performance is part of your score.
34:06
SPEAKER_02: And if all you're doing, you're like doing your turn sequences and you're doing your jumps, there's almost no time for you to make eye contact with your audience.
34:14
SPEAKER_02: If that's your solo, like the number of dancers I've seen where I'm like, I haven't seen you at all.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: I don't even know, I haven't seen your eyes.
34:21
SPEAKER_02: I don't know what color your eyes are.
34:22
SPEAKER_02: You haven't made eye contact because you're so busy like flipping around the stage, which is cool.
34:28
SPEAKER_02: But can we maybe build something in to allow that connection to happen?
34:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
34:34
SPEAKER_01: And I would also like similarly, when Jonathan was talking about the transitions being just so important to showing us the artistry of a dancer.
34:46
SPEAKER_01: I would also argue that if you are a dancer with these tricky, tricky tricks, if you have a transition, you are masking the the challenging aspects of getting into a tricky trick.
34:56
SPEAKER_01: Like what usually happens is I'm seeing your face turn into a limp and gymnast moment of, okay, here I go.
35:02
SPEAKER_01: I'm about to do my big trick in the middle of a lyrical dance.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: Right.
35:06
SPEAKER_01: And you're like, wait, what?
35:07
SPEAKER_01: It's what?
35:07
SPEAKER_01: Because you're not masking that transition.
35:10
SPEAKER_01: You're not using a transition to mask that preparation.
35:12
SPEAKER_01: And what I'm looking for as an artist is for you to wow me and surprise me with your amazing trick by coming into it out of the blue, not standing there prepping with the stress on your face of am I gonna, am I gonna nail this landing?
35:25
SPEAKER_01: Because that's not, you know, again, I hope you nail the landing.
35:28
SPEAKER_01: You shouldn't be doing it if you're not gonna nail the landing.
35:30
SPEAKER_01: But I shouldn't see the stress on your face.
35:31
SPEAKER_01: I should see beautiful dancing, interesting transition.
35:34
SPEAKER_01: Wow, look at that cool thing she just did out of nowhere.
35:37
SPEAKER_01: Right?
35:37
SPEAKER_01: And that's artistry.
35:39
SPEAKER_01: The way, the way you mask the skillfulness of it all with artistry is how artists work.
35:52
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35:55
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37:10
SPEAKER_00: And now let's get back to the show.
37:18
SPEAKER_05: And to tag on to that, sometimes the audience's eye needs a break.
37:24
SPEAKER_05: Like sometimes it's just like, wow, wow, firework, firework, fire.
37:29
SPEAKER_05: It's like, okay, let my eyes just have a moment and and like take in everything that you just did.
37:35
SPEAKER_05: And that's like what that transitional step or transitional section of choreography like the it sometimes you just need your eyes just need a break and just need to settle and not be all over the place.
37:48
SPEAKER_00: It's such a good point because again, we've just seen we we all know what we're talking about when we say that.
37:55
SPEAKER_00: We've seen the dances that are just they're overly choreographed with tricks and jam-packed and there's not enough dancing.
38:01
SPEAKER_00: And when you actually get a transitional step in there or even just th can I just please have three counts of eight of actual dance movement?
38:09
SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's not even a bot ma.
38:11
SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's not even a leap.
38:13
SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's not a headspring.
38:15
SPEAKER_00: No more reverse worms.
38:16
SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, like, I mean, if you're good, if you're gonna do it, it needs to be seamless.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: They never are, no offense.
38:24
SPEAKER_00: But like, it's just I there's so many times where I'm just sitting there missing the dancing because everyone thinks that there needs to be tricks 24-7.
38:32
SPEAKER_00: And if you've listened to our tricks versus technique episode, which was from season two, we talked about the fact that tricks are fun, but they need to be backed up by technique.
38:41
SPEAKER_00: Now we're over here talking about the fact that now they also need to be complemented with transitional steps because then it's just not dance, it's just tricking.
38:49
SPEAKER_00: And like, like you said, sometimes it's like over the top, too much where you're just like, whoa.
38:54
SPEAKER_00: And I'm feeling for the dancer, they're getting like worse and worse and worse.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: Like, no offense to the dancer, like you're doing the best you can, but like how of course your stamina is gonna get it's gonna start dropping.
39:04
SPEAKER_00: Your technique execution is gonna not be as strong as it started because it's just so overpacked with tricks that it's making it impossible for the dancer to execute, you know, and that's not fair to them either.
39:16
SPEAKER_00: They want a moment of just reach and a ball change and a drag.
39:19
SPEAKER_00: Like, give them, yeah, give them a drag.
39:22
SPEAKER_00: We want the drags.
39:23
SPEAKER_00: I want to see more drags on stage.
39:25
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know why.
39:26
SPEAKER_00: Drag step.
39:27
SPEAKER_00: Yes, give me a live in the drag step.
39:29
SPEAKER_00: Yes, please live drag.
39:31
SPEAKER_02: We love the kids I used to teach were like, Oh, is there a drag in this dance?
39:35
SPEAKER_02: And I was like, Of course there is.
39:36
SPEAKER_02: Like, do you know other teachers not do a drag in their lyrical combo?
39:40
SPEAKER_02: Like, how do we do a lyrical combo without a drag?
39:42
SPEAKER_05: Without a drag.
39:43
SPEAKER_05: That's like that's lyrical 101.
39:45
SPEAKER_02: I think I agree.
39:48
SPEAKER_01: It's it's very true.
39:51
SPEAKER_01: Well, so speaking of our favorite transitional steps, we've all listed them.
39:55
SPEAKER_01: Do you have any least favorite transitional steps?
39:57
SPEAKER_01: Because there are some that I'm kind of like, ugh, not that again.
40:00
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
40:01
SPEAKER_02: Uh well, I don't know if it counts as a transition because it's really clunky.
40:04
SPEAKER_02: But if you're gonna do an aerial on stage, you should not have to do a hurdle before it.
40:09
SPEAKER_02: You should not have to run, jump up with flexed feet with your knee into your chest, into your aerial.
40:16
SPEAKER_02: If you're five years old and you're working on it, fine.
40:18
SPEAKER_02: That's fine.
40:19
SPEAKER_02: But if you are doing a like, can you imagine?
40:22
SPEAKER_02: Like we have Celine Dion, of course, of course, background, and someone runs and does a hurdle into an aerial, like that just ruins the whole mood of the dance.
40:32
SPEAKER_02: So that is one of my least favorites.
40:34
SPEAKER_02: I think running into any sort of acro element or tumbling past, which that's a conversation for another day, I would maybe encourage you to think about the fact that you don't necessarily need that in your dance because it's a dance, not a gymnastics routine.
40:49
SPEAKER_02: But that's another conversation.
40:51
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I think the running and hurdling is really hard.
40:55
SPEAKER_02: And I would also just throw out there one of my good friends who I judge with a lot is acro art certified.
41:01
SPEAKER_02: And she once said something that really stuck with me.
41:03
SPEAKER_02: She said, an aerial should feel like a Shune turn.
41:06
SPEAKER_02: Like it is a transitional step.
41:08
SPEAKER_02: So I say that a lot of my critiques now.
41:11
SPEAKER_02: And as soon as she said that, I was like, oh, that makes really good sense.
41:14
SPEAKER_02: Like Shane, step out, aerial, ball change, whatever, drag, bot ma, whatever you want.
41:21
SPEAKER_02: Because that feels like it's it's part of the flow that could go into your pretty lyrical dance.
41:26
SPEAKER_02: However, when you run and hurdle into it, you're taking me out of it.
41:30
SPEAKER_02: That's true.
41:30
SPEAKER_02: So that's my least favorite.
41:32
SPEAKER_05: I have a few least favorites, one of which walking.
41:37
SPEAKER_05: I can't stand walking as a transition step.
41:40
SPEAKER_05: Like walking.
41:40
SPEAKER_05: Because it's something that we do pedestrianly.
41:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like are you speaking like pedestrian walks or are you st are you talking, like just pedestrian walk?
41:48
SPEAKER_05: Like, okay, we're here, and then now we're just gonna walk in transformation because we're dancing, we're dancing, we're dancing, and now we're walking in Target because we have to go to the other side of stage.
41:56
SPEAKER_05: Right.
41:56
SPEAKER_05: And now we're dancing again.
41:57
SPEAKER_05: It like completely drops the moment.
41:59
SPEAKER_05: And don't get me wrong, I love shopping at Target, but I don't want to see that on stage, unless that's the piece.
42:04
SPEAKER_05: You know what I'm saying?
42:06
SPEAKER_05: Like, I like it, yeah.
42:08
SPEAKER_05: It's just walking, it gets us out of performance mode, it gets us out of storytelling mode.
42:12
SPEAKER_05: It, you know, that certain dancers have a very fierce walk, they can be very committed in a walk, and when they are, I love it.
42:18
SPEAKER_05: I I always say, yes, work the walk, work the walk.
42:22
SPEAKER_05: But oftentimes that's not what we're doing.
42:26
SPEAKER_05: Like the skip clap.
42:27
SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
42:28
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
42:29
SPEAKER_05: Because we we never are on the same beat.
42:32
SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
42:33
SPEAKER_05: I don't know how we get off beat.
42:34
SPEAKER_05: Same with ponies, but we're yeah, we're never on the same beat.
42:39
SPEAKER_05: Everyone's off the skip, yeah.
42:40
SPEAKER_05: The skip clap.
42:41
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I'm just like, uh no, chaos.
42:44
SPEAKER_05: Um, and then the hip-hop run.
42:46
SPEAKER_05: I can't.
42:47
SPEAKER_01: The hip hop run.
42:48
SPEAKER_01: The turtle run?
42:49
SPEAKER_01: Wait, what?
42:50
SPEAKER_01: I need more information.
42:51
SPEAKER_01: Can you describe this?
42:53
SPEAKER_05: Like the hands behind the back, everyone's like face down, they can't really see whether I call that I call that a turtle run because they look like little turtles.
43:01
SPEAKER_02: I love it.
43:01
SPEAKER_05: Little turtles are little centipedes where like the feet are never the same.
43:05
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:06
SPEAKER_05: And it's like, well, we can like if you're if you're gonna do that, like I understand when you have like 50 dancers that you need to get on stage, sometimes you know sometimes it's okay, you're ready, run.
43:14
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, but at least like try to mask it, you know, have someone like pulling one side on, pulling the other.
43:20
SPEAKER_05: So it looks like it's part of the choreography that it has a purpose, and I don't just see like a centipede backstage.
43:27
SPEAKER_05: Um, and then my final one, my final one isn't really a step, but it's more of like the formation, like I call it the the travel of life formation change.
43:37
SPEAKER_05: It's like when that one dancer has to like go over the river and through the woods to get to the complete opposite side of stage.
43:45
SPEAKER_05: And then everyone else is just like, oh, I'm just switching places with the person next to me.
43:53
SPEAKER_05: Like, yeah, why there has to there have to be there, there has to be an easier way to do this because one you can already see the stress on that one dancer's face.
44:02
SPEAKER_05: They can't complete the they can't complete the choreography because they have to start traveling.
44:07
SPEAKER_05: Right.
44:07
SPEAKER_05: All the collisions colliding with every single person.
44:10
SPEAKER_05: And then they rarely even make it in time in the formation to like start the next section.
44:16
SPEAKER_05: So it's like there has to be a better there's there has to be a better way to do that.
44:20
SPEAKER_00: And then I'm sitting there thinking as a judge, why would you put that dancer through that?
44:23
SPEAKER_00: Why was that necessary?
44:25
SPEAKER_00: Wasn't there somewhere else that we could have gone necessary?
44:27
SPEAKER_00: Like it makes absolutely no sense.
44:28
SPEAKER_00: Why would you want your judge questioning what's going on?
44:31
SPEAKER_00: Like it should be seamless.
44:32
SPEAKER_00: It should be should make sense.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: Like oh that's always a short dancer.
44:37
SPEAKER_00: You're like why why'd you gotta give the six answer in that part?
44:39
SPEAKER_05: It's like it's all it's always the little the little tiny top that has to like book it book it wiggle through everybody and book it like the shortest legs.
44:49
SPEAKER_05: Come on.
44:50
SPEAKER_00: Right.
44:50
SPEAKER_00: Just unfair I'm really glad you brought up the the go-to hip hop uh low scurry run transitional step because I've been seeing it a lot.
44:59
SPEAKER_00: I think it's very clear it's in every hip hop dance.
45:03
SPEAKER_00: Every single hip hop dance if you're getting dancers from onstage to offstage everyone's like and go do do do do and you just like low sound hands behind your back.
45:12
SPEAKER_00: And there's always that one dancer that's that's not low enough.
45:15
SPEAKER_00: So my eye goes to them because they're not getting low.
45:17
SPEAKER_00: They're tall and sorry about it, but like that's the step.
45:20
SPEAKER_00: But I agree I I don't I actually it's one of my least favorites as well I don't hate it.
45:26
SPEAKER_00: I just don't think that it needs to be quote unquote the transition step because there are different types of ways to enter and exit the stage.
45:34
SPEAKER_00: So that shouldn't it shouldn't have to be like the theme of well it's time to change formations again.
45:40
SPEAKER_00: Make sure we do that low run.
45:41
SPEAKER_00: It's like there's other ways to change lines there's other ways to transition your formation besides that.
45:47
SPEAKER_00: It just gets repetitive and it's unnecessary and then when everyone's doing it it's like wait is this like the go is this the go to hip hop transition?
45:55
SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't understand.
45:56
SPEAKER_01: Well and then hold on we're gonna have a hip hop episode soon.
45:59
SPEAKER_01: Right.
45:59
SPEAKER_01: And the hip hop people are gonna be like what's that?
46:02
SPEAKER_01: Right.
46:02
SPEAKER_01: It feels like very like drill team like dancing.
46:05
SPEAKER_01: Like yeah I don't know maybe I don't know it it does feel very drill teamy.
46:10
SPEAKER_01: It feels it feels like a safe easy way safe easy quick way to get people to go somewhere.
46:15
SPEAKER_01: Which sure I got I mean if you if you're like if you're really struggling if your kids are like my arms are everywhere all the time of put them behind your back and run.
46:22
SPEAKER_01: Like okay but you know do better.
46:24
SPEAKER_01: My my least favorite is in tap when you could be doing a tap step to get to a next place but you're marching or you're walking or you're running instead of flapping.
46:34
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like unless you are again like five or six and you just don't have the steps in your wheelhouse I think you we must be doing a tap step to get somewhere.
46:42
SPEAKER_01: We must and yeah marching is a tap step sure.
46:45
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
46:45
SPEAKER_01: But there's a lot of other ones that you could use that are more interesting and show me more than just okay if you marched once you got it once.
46:53
SPEAKER_01: Exactly you get it one time in this two minutes and 30 seconds what's next.
46:57
SPEAKER_01: Right.
46:57
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
46:58
SPEAKER_02: And if you're marching are you landing on the ball of your foot are you stopping your foot like what the choice of your foot is making contact on the floor.
47:06
SPEAKER_02: So that we know that you know what you're doing.
47:08
SPEAKER_02: Yeah are you on the beat.
47:08
SPEAKER_00: Because I don't I don't mind like as you know if if it's a march and they're eight march in your transition but make sure we're all on the same foot.
47:15
SPEAKER_00: Make sure that we're getting our high knees make sure that we're stepping on the beat like I will take that I will take that as a clean transition because maybe doing like running flaps is too hard for you right now and that's fine.
47:25
SPEAKER_00: But as long as it's properly executed I'm fine with it.
47:28
SPEAKER_01: Maybe we have a flap together flap together.
47:30
SPEAKER_01: Maybe we have a flap bell change.
47:31
SPEAKER_01: Maybe we have an Irish maybe we have a heel toe heel toe toe heel toe there's so many steps guys there's just so many.
47:37
SPEAKER_00: That's how I feel with the hip hop run.
47:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm just like the there's so many choices.
47:40
SPEAKER_00: Same with uh jazz like my least favorite transitional steps are similar to Jonathan and when it comes to like the walks I say it all the time like a jazz walk can be the most powerful thing in the world if you know how to do it right.
47:54
SPEAKER_05: In the world.
47:55
SPEAKER_00: Like you can command a stage with a powerful jazz walk.
47:58
SPEAKER_00: You can show me nothing but style, technique, confidence with a powerful jazz walk if you are doing it right.
48:04
SPEAKER_00: But like when I when I go and teach all around the country and I start across the floor with show me a jazz walk the variations of types of jazz walks that people think are jazz walks is blowing my mind.
48:15
SPEAKER_00: Like the go-to is usually like a hip uh like a hop skip with a punch yes with a punch behind into the pockets and yeah like a hop skip hop skip hop skip and I'm like what's going on that's a hop and a skip that's not a jazz walk like there's no plie you're not being grounded you're not using your hips you're not pushing off the back leg you're not moving through forced arch like I I want to see you're not stabilizing those ankles.
48:38
SPEAKER_00: Yes yeah talk about it it's just a little and like then you always you kind of always see that as like well we're changing formation so now we're gonna do our hop skip and it's like again we can explore the different types of walks maybe there's a directional change with the walk maybe we're gonna do a pedestrian walk for this one but now we're gonna strut for this one.
48:57
SPEAKER_00: Like there's so many choices and then also the dancers who like don't have to travel far have to commit in the transition the entire time there are so many times we're like well I'm already here yeah like you should still be owning that walk of five six seven if you are still traveling yes yeah it's like you gotta own it the whole you're still part of the group you're still part of the the moment just because you're staying in front center and you're not transitioning across over into the corner that's not my problem you still have to do the walks in place like and you're front and center.
49:31
SPEAKER_00: So like do your sassy walk right there it's good you know like come on come on own it so I mean I think of I think a lot of us think of transitional steps as only ever like steps that move tr formations and I think like okay here's our transition we're gonna switch lines and whatever but I also want to compliment all the choreographers out there that uh are really skilled at changing formations without it being a quote unquote transitional step and and not doing like okay account line line formation change like there are so many times where I see a uh two lines and then during the agree they switch formations and I'm like oh that's amazing and we didn't have to put in that transitional account to change our formation.
50:18
SPEAKER_00: So I I I want more choreographers to can continue to explore that.
50:21
SPEAKER_00: That's something that I'm working on too and it's a skill in itself because it is when you see it done well you're like oh that's cute.
50:28
SPEAKER_01: But I mean and how many times like I s I stay in my living room choreographing angry so angry that I can't come up with a better transition sometimes.
50:37
SPEAKER_01: I'm like you can do better than this stop with the ball change like there's more out there Leslie like we it's it's hard.
50:43
SPEAKER_01: It's not easy and especially when you are just one person like my brain does not work well with like formations and numbers and geometry and like looking at like that's why I need to use the arrange us app, which is probably what I'm gonna do.
50:55
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, you know, shout out sponsor to some podcasts because I just can't I can't see that way.
51:01
SPEAKER_01: Like I I have a hard time with that.
51:02
SPEAKER_01: And so it does make it harder to think about well, how possible is it for all 35 people to do this step transitionally and like make it make sense and can Sally get over here in this step?
51:12
SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't know.
51:13
SPEAKER_01: It's hard.
51:13
SPEAKER_01: So you know it's definitely not something that we take lightly which is why we celebrate it so much when we see it on stage transitions being done well and being thought out properly and executed really well.
51:25
SPEAKER_00: Because it's hard we know yeah it really is it's hard y'all transitions aren't easy but I think it really it really goes back I mean unfortunately you know the teachers and the choreographers like we have to we have to make sure we're teaching it.
51:40
SPEAKER_00: It comes back down to that we have to make sure we're teaching it in class.
51:43
SPEAKER_00: We have to make sure that we're introducing it and implementing what we're teaching and learning in class not just the the tricks into the actual choreography.
51:52
SPEAKER_00: And I and I kind of like we're launching this at the top of the season and there's always time to evolve your choreo.
51:58
SPEAKER_00: It's not set in stone.
51:59
SPEAKER_00: You know this is we're in we're in February.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: So you can still I w I challenge all of the choreographers out there if you're listening to this to go back into that next rehearsal and really start looking at those transitions a little bit closer and really and I would actually say that it's I see it uh the lack of transitions more in solos than I do in groups.
52:22
SPEAKER_00: So I would really challenge your next solo rehearsal make sure that there's an in-between step for most of the time in between every single skill that you're doing and I and it is fun sometimes if you don't have a transition but it's seamless.
52:35
SPEAKER_00: You know if it's if it does like arrive and it's the surprise element of wow how do they get from from that to this like that's exciting.
52:43
SPEAKER_00: But if there's ever a skill that the dancer's struggling with that they're not always nailing that you know that they can nail but they're not within the choreography, what are they doing right before?
52:54
SPEAKER_00: What is the transition leading into it?
52:56
SPEAKER_00: Are you setting them up for success?
52:59
SPEAKER_00: Because it comes back to they're just trying to execute the choreography that you gave them.
53:03
SPEAKER_00: They're trying their best.
53:05
SPEAKER_00: There's only so much that they can do it's your job as the teacher and the choreographer at that point to all right this isn't working.
53:11
SPEAKER_00: Let me figure out how I can adjust this for you and have a conversation with that dancer because every weight shift might not feel the same for you as it might for that dancer.
53:21
SPEAKER_00: So if that weight shift oh you know I'd rather turn this way is that possible like yes absolutely let's turn this way because you're gonna feel more confident going into whatever that skill is.
53:31
SPEAKER_02: And what about coming out of the skills?
53:33
SPEAKER_02: I feel like that gets lost a lot like even I always talk about like coming out of a jump of any sort like you have a lot of momentum and you have to learn how to get out of it.
53:43
SPEAKER_02: And so as a choreographer you need to build in something that isn't just like walking or maybe you need to think about that extra step.
53:52
SPEAKER_02: So like if you're landing from a soda show let's say on your right leg, you have to follow through with the left leg to be able to do anything after that.
53:58
SPEAKER_02: So like maybe it's a plie chaise through into a drag or whatever it is like let's not look neglect the transitions out of things just because the trick itself or the step itself was really lovely.
54:11
SPEAKER_02: I always say like I'm gonna remember what you did after I'm not gonna remember your soda shot if you came out of it and it was a clunky mess.
54:19
SPEAKER_02: Even if you were in a perfect gorgeous split in the air that's great but now help me to remember that by smoothing out how you're getting out of it.
54:27
SPEAKER_02: I'm so glad you said that.
54:28
SPEAKER_02: You're such a good you're such a good judge my God thanks thank you to you for um allowing me to get a lot of practice eight years later.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: Thinking about the and as you were saying that Maddie which is just such a solid point I just started thinking about you know the weight transfers and the ins and outs on my end and how like how I naturally choreograph it and and I don't know this could be like I'm guessing right now I don't know but I I'm sure there's a lot of choreographers out there who don't actually who can't maybe can't anymore because of their bodies and and the age and things can't physically do some of the things that they're requesting for their dancers to do.
55:09
SPEAKER_00: They can't physicalize the movement themselves.
55:11
SPEAKER_00: And like that's where I started thinking about and I've had this conversation actually with another teacher that I teach on alongside on convention who's a little bit older than me and they're like I can't do I can't demonstrate that I can't do that.
55:23
SPEAKER_00: Whereas I'm like I actually have to get on the floor and do the transition to make sure it feels right for me.
55:31
SPEAKER_00: Because if feels right for me, then it will feel right for the dancer.
55:34
SPEAKER_00: Like that's how I do all my choreography and like to be quite honest I I don't really choreograph things that I physically can't do.
55:40
SPEAKER_00: And when it comes to transitions like not even the skill I'm like okay you can do that.
55:45
SPEAKER_00: Okay now I'm gonna figure out how we transition what feels good for you to transition out of this because I don't I can't do that.
55:50
SPEAKER_00: I think there just needs to be more of that conversation and collaborate collaboratively with the dancer in the room to make sure they feel comfortable with it.
55:58
SPEAKER_00: Because especially if you're not able to physically trial it out yourself then it it you should be trialing it essentially on your dancer and it shouldn't be like this is what it is.
56:08
SPEAKER_00: Right.
56:08
SPEAKER_00: It needs to be what works for you because then they'll succeed better.
56:13
SPEAKER_05: Agreed I think oftentimes you can I can tell when I'm watching a piece that the choreographer just wanted their vision to be executed and that they they were not taking into account the dancers that are doing it.
56:28
SPEAKER_05: 100% and some so as you were saying like there has to be there has to be an understanding of okay this is my vision but they can't achieve that and that's okay.
56:40
SPEAKER_05: You know so you have to say okay this is how can I still achieve that vision but make my dancers look good.
56:46
SPEAKER_05: How can I show off what their what their strengths are and get as close to my vision as possible.
56:52
SPEAKER_05: And I oftentimes think that teachers and choreographers studio owners they don't they or they may not think that way or they may not look at the piece and say you know what this isn't working.
57:04
SPEAKER_05: Like having that moment of this is not working that is going to be that's probably going to be your best friend because you can you can try you can keep saying no try it again try it again try it again okay I hope you get it by Saturday if they don't have it on Thursday they're not gonna more than likely not gonna get it by Saturday.
57:18
SPEAKER_05: But if you say okay you know what this isn't working let's figure out how we can make this work then it's going to open up more possibilities.
57:27
SPEAKER_05: It's gonna open up an app for something possibly even better for the dancers to do that like you said sets them up for success and it shows off their strength.
57:36
SPEAKER_00: Because that's your job as a choreographer that's what you want for your dancers you want them to succeed.
57:41
SPEAKER_00: Like you want them to look great up there.
57:43
SPEAKER_00: You don't want them to look a sloppy hot mess.
57:45
SPEAKER_05: Like that's not what we want yeah as a judge I want to see product not process like I want to see like I want to see okay this is this is the product this is what I'm selling this is what I'm giving you not this is what I'm working on in class today.
58:02
SPEAKER_05: Like yes I want you to be working on that in class but I want to see what you have solidified.
58:08
SPEAKER_01: That's controversial I love it I love that I I mean I think we're all on the same page of of the agreement but I have absolutely heard points to the opposite of no, I really want to see what they're working on.
58:22
SPEAKER_01: I don't I'm the same as you no you need to show up with what is polished what is ready to go what is what you think is gonna win today and I'll tell you whether you still need to keep working or not but like if you're if you're trying to come to me with what you think is a C plus, then you're gonna get a C plus.
58:41
SPEAKER_01: Right.
58:42
SPEAKER_01: I mean I can't give you a 78 but like if I could I would you know because that's what you've shown me you've shown me work in progress and you know I think when it comes to transitions like you know you guys were saying with being able to demonstrate and being able to see your vision realized it it takes a little bit more conversation than I think a lot of people are having with their dancers and being very honest with them and with yourself, you know, for me too it's like hey I can't do this anymore.
59:07
SPEAKER_01: You have to tell me is this even possible?
59:09
SPEAKER_01: Can you land this jump this way?
59:10
SPEAKER_01: I think you can I think I might have been able to 10 years ago but I don't actually know.
59:14
SPEAKER_01: So like you tell me and like that conversation has to happen.
59:17
SPEAKER_01: And if the answer from the dancer is Miss Miss Courtney I don't I don't think so then it's your job not to push them to do that because if the answer is no then that's for next year.
59:27
SPEAKER_01: That's for we'll wait on it.
59:28
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna keep working on it but we're gonna do it this other way now you know yeah yeah and also like let's all remember that this is an educational opportunity like we are working with children like maybe an 18 year old doesn't feel like a child but like these are young training dancers.
59:45
SPEAKER_02: They are not professional so at the end of the day like Jonathan you were talking about like being okay with your vision not coming to life fully find some professional dancers and set a piece on them if that's what you want.
59:55
SPEAKER_02: I think it's so important to be focused on your role as an educator even as a guest choreographer you're still an educator coming in to give the students an experience that they haven't had before.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_02: So whether you're a regular teacher choreographer with a same group of dancers or you're going into a new environment it is so important that you are setting them up for success and teaching them lessons that will set them up as opposed to saying well my my dance is about X, Y, and Z and you're not giving me that Yeah.
1:00:22
SPEAKER_05: Because if your students look good then you look good.
1:00:24
SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm also that yes exactly another thing I like to just say when it comes to majority of the transitional steps that we spoke about on this episode is to use your plie y'all because oh my gosh I think like that's the struggle that I see a lot in my class in particular.
1:00:43
SPEAKER_00: And then I go back and I I see everyone truly struggling like honestly I'm and if you to all of the listeners out there who have taken my class to the people like if you've seen my combinations like Leslie said they might have style they might have some musicality it's a ball change it's a pivot turn it's a drag you've been doing it since you were eight.
1:01:04
SPEAKER_00: They're like it's just how you do it.
1:01:07
SPEAKER_00: It's are you doing it properly?
1:01:08
SPEAKER_00: Were you even taught how to do it or were you doing double A catch turns instead because like you will never most likely never do these tricks that you think are important in a professional career.
1:01:23
SPEAKER_00: And and and regardless if you go into performance you do need to know how to do pivot turns.
1:01:30
SPEAKER_00: You do need to know how to do a pot you do need to know how to dance on the beat you do need to know how to partner like there's some there's skills that we can list that are going to be more crucial to your training in a professional setting than how great my headspring was, how fierce was my aerial, how many legit turns did I do today those skills are just extra bonus cherry on top but I need to know by watching your solo that you know how to do a pot de bureau.
1:01:58
SPEAKER_00: If I can't see at the age 15 division that you know how to do a pot de bureau and you only know how to do tricks, I'm a little concerned.
1:02:06
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little bit I'm a little bit concerned and honestly you probably aren't going to win first.
1:02:12
SPEAKER_00: You're not like because I can tell that there's there's missing links in your training and that's gonna hurt you down the road because you're not gonna you're gonna get to an audition and you're probably gonna bomb because every audition is going to have all these transitional steps that we're talking about that you need to know.
1:02:27
SPEAKER_00: And the o and the only place in that audition that you'll succeed is your improv.
1:02:31
SPEAKER_00: You'll blow us away in your improv and then when the choreography comes you'll probably bomb it because you don't know how to do your weight transfers and directional changes and transitional steps and you won't get the job because you're not doing improv on the job.
1:02:42
SPEAKER_00: You're doing choreography.
1:02:44
SPEAKER_00: And the same thing applies to even if you transition into down the road to become a teacher.
1:02:48
SPEAKER_00: If you never learn the transitions how are you going to teach it to the dancers if you've never learned them it's a that's a big huge full circle and we need to make sure we're like being trained well rounded not just in versatility but in the basics and basics and fundamentals of each individual style that we're learning and potentially going to teach one day and potentially perform one day.
1:03:08
SPEAKER_01: Oh I just vented and I think I think too like I said earlier like the th the skills I expect to see from your seven year old jazz dance are the skills that are in Courtney's class at steps on Broadway in New York City.
1:03:20
SPEAKER_01: And I think we have to treat them as teachers with that kind of gravity and that kind of excitement because I do think that there's a lot of you know especially maybe younger teachers they're more excited about the kids who want to do a leg catch turn because they're you know and of course of course we see potential in all these kids of course like look at that look at little Sally she's got a double pirouette and she's only six.
1:03:43
SPEAKER_01: Let's keep doing that.
1:03:45
SPEAKER_01: But we have to be just as excited to teach a pivot turn.
1:03:48
SPEAKER_01: We have to be just as excited and and talk up these steps that matter to these kids because they they're not going to believe they matter if all you're doing is saying well we're just gonna do a great fine and here it's just this.
1:03:58
SPEAKER_01: It's just stuff no no like if you don't treat it like it's important, they're not gonna believe it's important and then it's never going to be important.
1:04:05
SPEAKER_01: And so I think that's a key thing to remember too.
1:04:07
SPEAKER_00: Mic drop Leslie Mic drop Leslie oh we just dropped some pivot turn drop some mics on the last few minutes of this episode.
1:04:15
SPEAKER_01: We did and like and I am not even being I'm not even joking or being facetious.
1:04:21
SPEAKER_01: Like I love a pivot turn it's versatile it's interesting it's fun it's juicy it can be literally anything you want like it's truly like it's any style.
1:04:31
SPEAKER_02: Right.
1:04:32
SPEAKER_02: You can do it like like a low grounded step come around in contemporary in like a gaga fourth position.
1:04:38
SPEAKER_02: Right.
1:04:38
SPEAKER_02: No one's gonna be like oh I just did a pivot turn but like you are doing a pivot turn.
1:04:42
SPEAKER_01: Doing a pivot turn and like and I I think kids just when I get that excited about something so simple kids kind of laugh and they think I'm strange but like listen you know it's just sort of like I I would assume with cooking and you know flour it's just it's boring.
1:04:55
SPEAKER_01: It's white it's kind of powdery but like flour can be so many things.
1:05:00
SPEAKER_01: You can turn it into so many things just like a pivot turn.
1:05:02
SPEAKER_00: And it's essential.
1:05:04
SPEAKER_01: Right.
1:05:04
SPEAKER_00: It's essential Wow y'all we talked all about transitions.
1:05:09
SPEAKER_00: Oh my God.
1:05:10
SPEAKER_00: I absolutely love where this conversation went.
1:05:14
SPEAKER_00: I think we really uh spilled some knowledge to a lot of the parents dancers teachers choreographers everyone truly everyone will learn something new from listening to this episode.
1:05:25
SPEAKER_00: And I hope that we all start loving our transitional steps just a little bit more after listening.
1:05:32
SPEAKER_00: And we all all four of us hope to see more of them on the competition stage nice and seamlessly executed with proper technique and style and plie and all the things.
1:05:43
SPEAKER_00: So keep working on them across the floor which we're definitely gonna do an across the floor episode.
1:05:48
SPEAKER_00: How have we not done that?
1:05:50
SPEAKER_00: I mean I can't wait for it already.
1:05:52
SPEAKER_01: We gotta save some stuff for season five at the beginning.
1:05:55
SPEAKER_00: You are so right about that.
1:05:56
SPEAKER_00: And we've done so many great topics and there's just so many more to come.
1:06:00
SPEAKER_00: Like there's just never ending discussions to be had on making the impact.
1:06:03
SPEAKER_00: So uh can't wait for that.
1:06:05
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, Maddie and Jonathan, for joining us today on this chat.
1:06:08
SPEAKER_00: You guys were spectacular guests and had so much to contribute and share with the dance world.
1:06:12
SPEAKER_00: I I love having you both on the roster.
1:06:14
SPEAKER_00: You're such great educators and judges.
1:06:17
SPEAKER_00: And uh how we have our guests usually lead us out on making the impact is just with one final thought when it comes to our topic of discussion today, which is all about transitions.
1:06:28
SPEAKER_00: Final thoughts are ready set to go.
1:06:31
SPEAKER_05: I say this in my critiques pretty often, and I like to think of if you think of the dance as like a piece of as a garment, like a shirt or a dress, your your pattern pieces are your your choreography your choreography sections.
1:06:46
SPEAKER_05: They are your tricks, they're your technical elements.
1:06:49
SPEAKER_05: Your transitions, that's the thread that weaves the garment together.
1:06:53
SPEAKER_05: So without that thread, you just have a bunch of pattern pieces that you can't wear.
1:06:59
SPEAKER_05: Without those transitions, you just have a bunch of random dance elements that that do nothing, that give nothing, that say nothing.
1:07:09
SPEAKER_05: So use that thread, use your transitions.
1:07:12
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
1:07:12
SPEAKER_01: Love that was beautiful.
1:07:14
SPEAKER_02: That was I love that.
1:07:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:07:16
SPEAKER_05: Thanks.
1:07:17
SPEAKER_02: I would encourage teachers to look at their class structure and look at how we're building transitions into our warm-up phrases, into our across the floors, into our combos themselves to give our students a really strong foundation in that.
1:07:33
SPEAKER_02: And then don't be afraid to edit your choreography throughout the season.
1:07:36
SPEAKER_02: And dancers, don't be afraid to use your PLIA.
1:07:40
SPEAKER_00: We hope you enjoyed this week's episode all about transitions.
1:07:44
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow our special guest, IBA Judges, on social media.
1:07:48
SPEAKER_00: You can find Jonathan at imj.
1:07:56
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1:08:10
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1:08:16
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1:08:23
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1:08:26
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1:08:35
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1:08:46
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1:08:55
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1:08:58
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1:09:04
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1:09:06
SPEAKER_01: Season four is in full swing with some great episodes coming up.
1:09:09
SPEAKER_01: Stay tuned for our next studio spotlight episode, the importance of music theory and jealousy at studios.
1:09:16
SPEAKER_00: Thank you to all of our listeners who support us week after week, listening around the world.
1:09:21
SPEAKER_00: We'll see you next week on Making the Impact.
1:09:24
SPEAKER_00: Until then, keep dancing.