Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Q&A With Courtney LIVE - February Edition

Transcript

Q&A With Courtney LIVE - February Edition · 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_02: Hello everybody.
0:25
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to our QA with Courtney live stream podcast episode.
0:32
SPEAKER_02: We are so excited to be streaming on our Facebook page and into our Facebook community group.
0:38
SPEAKER_02: So if you are already here and tuning in, welcome to the podcast episode and welcome to the live.
0:44
SPEAKER_02: We love doing these live episodes.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: It's been such a blast to incorporate this element into our podcast.
0:49
SPEAKER_02: And I know a lot of our fans really love these QA style episodes as well.
0:54
SPEAKER_02: So we're happy to be here.
0:55
SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for joining us.
0:57
SPEAKER_02: So if you are tuning in today on our Facebook Live, feel free to give us a little say a little hey in the comments.
1:06
SPEAKER_02: Share your name.
1:07
SPEAKER_02: And I'll talk about this more soon.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: But you will be entered into a giveaway if you want to share your name in our comments.
1:15
SPEAKER_02: And we will announce our giveaway winner at the end of our episode.
1:18
SPEAKER_02: So say hi to us, tell us where you're from.
1:20
SPEAKER_02: If you want to give your studio a shout out, we would love to see all the fans out there.
1:25
SPEAKER_02: So everyone who has been tuning into our podcast this season, thank you, thank you, thank you.
1:29
SPEAKER_02: I hope that you all have been enjoying season three of Making the Impact.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: We have received so much fabulous feedback from all of the fans and so many generous donations from the fans as well onto our Kofi account.
1:42
SPEAKER_02: And I'm sure you've heard us talk about that this season.
1:45
SPEAKER_02: So if you have donated to our Kofi, thank you.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: All of the donations go directly back into producing future episodes of Making the Impact.
1:53
SPEAKER_02: So we're very grateful for your support.
1:56
SPEAKER_02: And if you haven't donated to our Ko-fi and would like to, then you can visit Kofi.com slash making the impact.
2:03
SPEAKER_02: It's also in the comments now on the live stream to send us a donation, to buy us a coffee.
2:09
SPEAKER_02: It can be as little as$3.
2:10
SPEAKER_02: We've received as much as$50 in one single donation.
2:13
SPEAKER_02: So generous.
2:14
SPEAKER_02: So thank you, everybody.
2:16
SPEAKER_02: We are so grateful for all of your support.
2:19
SPEAKER_02: And like I mentioned, there are many uh fans who are tuning in directly from our Facebook community.
2:25
SPEAKER_02: So if you haven't joined our Facebook community, it's called Making the Impact a Dance Competition Podcast Community on Facebook.
2:32
SPEAKER_02: Go and type it in in the search.
2:34
SPEAKER_02: And we'd love to have you join us there.
2:36
SPEAKER_02: We welcome anyone that's connected to the dance world as long as you answer the entrance questions to join our group.
2:41
SPEAKER_02: We have dance moms, dance teachers, dance professionals, dance judges, even dancers themselves are in there and contributing to the conversation.
2:48
SPEAKER_02: And it's a blast.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: So head on over there, join us now.
2:52
SPEAKER_02: We'd love to have you all.
2:53
SPEAKER_02: All right.
2:54
SPEAKER_02: So I have a few things to share in IDA podcast world.
2:58
SPEAKER_02: It's it's February, so happy February, everybody.
3:01
SPEAKER_02: And that also means competition season is here.
3:04
SPEAKER_02: We are about to start it off, and I can't wait.
3:06
SPEAKER_02: I know our judges are so excited to go back out there and see all of the dancers from around the country.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: So we're very, very excited to have competition season here with us today.
3:17
SPEAKER_02: But another fun thing that I love to share, and this is the first time that you may be hearing this, is thanks to all of our fans out there, and thanks to everyone who has been sharing our podcast with the world.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: We have hit over 125,000 downloads since our launch in season one.
3:35
SPEAKER_02: And we are getting recognized, everybody.
3:38
SPEAKER_02: And I can't believe it.
3:39
SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited to show you all this.
3:41
SPEAKER_02: We have been featured in podcast magazine.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: Oh my god, what in the world?
3:48
SPEAKER_02: I'm speaking so much truth because I can show you.
3:52
SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, look at this.
3:53
SPEAKER_02: Podcast magazine right here.
3:56
SPEAKER_02: This is this is real.
3:57
SPEAKER_02: This is the real deal, everybody.
3:59
SPEAKER_02: It's a real publication.
4:01
SPEAKER_02: And we have been mentioned and featured and reviewed in podcast magazine in the under the radar section.
4:10
SPEAKER_02: And they recognize us in the arts category as an up-and-coming podcast who are doing great things and so so many fabulous the review is unbelievable.
4:19
SPEAKER_02: I can't believe it.
4:20
SPEAKER_02: Here it is.
4:20
SPEAKER_02: If you want to take a little peek at it, and we'll be sharing this as well on a link in our show notes that you can read the actual article.
4:30
SPEAKER_02: Uh a full page spread, y'all.
4:32
SPEAKER_02: Crazy.
4:33
SPEAKER_02: And we honestly, we couldn't do it without you.
4:36
SPEAKER_02: We have we received 4.5 mics out of five.
4:40
SPEAKER_02: And it's there's so many great things.
4:42
SPEAKER_02: I'm still in shock.
4:43
SPEAKER_02: So thank you everyone for your support.
4:45
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Podcast Magazine, for this feature and for highlighting our podcast, our little tiny competition podcast.
4:50
SPEAKER_02: Y'all, we're doing it.
4:51
SPEAKER_02: People love us.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: And truly couldn't do it without you.
4:56
SPEAKER_02: Another exciting thing that I'm excited to show the dance world is that we are sponsoring an award through Impact Dance Adjudicators at every IDA affiliated competition at this season.
5:07
SPEAKER_02: And we work with many different competitions around the country to help staff their judging panels.
5:13
SPEAKER_02: And we've finally decided to present a physical award straight from IDA and straight from our podcast as a sponsor at each IDA affiliated competition event.
5:24
SPEAKER_02: So your judges, if there's at least one IDA judge on the panel at an event, they will be able to select a judge's choice award to a dance, can be a soloist to production.
5:35
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter what age level, genre, everything is eligible to be nominated for this award.
5:41
SPEAKER_02: And it's something that the judges felt made an impact.
5:44
SPEAKER_02: It's maybe that dance that they're still talking about that they can't stop thinking about by the end of a competition weekend.
5:50
SPEAKER_02: So these are the awards that you could win.
5:52
SPEAKER_02: It's our Making the Impact Judge's Choice Award.
5:55
SPEAKER_02: Well, look how pretty.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: And this will be given out.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: Also, what's so cool about this award is that every recipient will be able to register their award and we will give your studio a shout out on a future podcast episode.
6:08
SPEAKER_02: So I think that's what really makes the award so special and unique in the industry.
6:13
SPEAKER_02: And we can't wait to give this away in the 2022 competition season.
6:17
SPEAKER_02: So if you're attending an IDA affiliated competition event, be sure to snap a photo if you win the award.
6:22
SPEAKER_02: I hope you do.
6:23
SPEAKER_02: And you'll hear your name and studio and dance on an upcoming episode.
6:27
SPEAKER_02: How cool.
6:28
SPEAKER_02: All right, and I'm sure that you know that we have some sponsors over here at Making the Impact.
6:32
SPEAKER_02: So I am very excited to share this sponsor for this episode, and that is Dance Costumes by Urzua.
6:39
SPEAKER_02: Let's check them out now.
6:44
SPEAKER_02: Dance Costumes by Urzua and Urzua Dancewear offers high-end custom and semi-custom costumes and dancewear designed straight from New York City.
6:53
SPEAKER_02: If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind custom costume for the competition stage or in need of unique dance wear to stand out at conventions, Dance Costumes by Urzua and Urzua Dancewear will make your vision come to life.
7:05
SPEAKER_02: And now through February 15th, you can receive 30% off bikers and shorts from our exclusive Making the Impact Dancewear line by Urzua Dancewear.
7:14
SPEAKER_02: Head to their website now to grab this discount before it's too late.
7:17
SPEAKER_02: And if you want to add more options to your cart, you can use our podcast promo, Impact15 in all caps, at checkout, for an additional 15% off all other items.
7:28
SPEAKER_02: Check out all of their designs now at DanceCostumesByerzua.com and follow them on Instagram.
7:39
SPEAKER_02: All right, everybody, it's time to welcome and meet our special guest, IDA Judge, who is joining us for this month's QA with Courtney episode.
7:50
SPEAKER_02: This is a returning guest who has been a part of our podcast for the past two seasons.
7:54
SPEAKER_02: And you may remember her from season one, episode 20, pushing past performance anxiety, and season two, episode 29, a popular, one of our most popular episodes, music at competition.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: I am so excited to welcome back the Tap Queen herself, Miss Jen Garafa to the podcast.
8:15
SPEAKER_02: Welcome, Jen.
8:16
SPEAKER_02: Hi.
8:18
SPEAKER_02: Hey! Yes, you're back, but you're back in QA and not a regular pod, which is so different.
8:26
SPEAKER_01: Here we go.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: I'm so happy to have you back.
8:30
SPEAKER_02: And I can't wait for you to answer all these questions because you're you've been an educator for so many years and a judge for so many years on the IDA roster.
8:38
SPEAKER_02: And I know you have so much knowledge to share with our listeners and our fans.
8:42
SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to start answering some questions with you.
8:45
SPEAKER_02: But if you wouldn't mind telling a little bit, all of the listeners, a little bit more about who you are, where you're based, and any career credits you'd like to share.
8:55
SPEAKER_01: Of course.
8:55
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to be back.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: I love a good live.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: So this is gonna be, I feel like I'm judging a dance competition, but it's more fun this way because there's so many friends.
9:03
SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I am down here.
9:05
SPEAKER_01: I'm in Orlando, Florida, and I have been here forever.
9:09
SPEAKER_01: I grew up here and have loved it down here.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: My history is that I was at Walt Disney World for about 14 years and I'm currently awaiting with crushing fingers to be recalled still from COVID and all that.
9:22
SPEAKER_01: So everyone crush your fingers.
9:23
SPEAKER_01: So hopefully going back there soon.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: I performed also at Legoland and at Universal Orlando.
9:28
SPEAKER_01: I'm the co-founder of Orlando Tap Dance Collective with my best friend Emily Shad, where we just get to tap dance down here and it's so much fun.
9:36
SPEAKER_01: I also teach at two different studios, so I'm the competition team director at a studio, and then I'm the tap program director at another studio.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: I just completed last year my master's degree in arts and culture management, and then I've been stage managing the Sesame Street Party Parade at SeaWorld Orlando.
9:53
SPEAKER_01: That's been my newest big adventure, and being on that side has been the most eye-opening of anything.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: Being on the opposite side of performing has just been a blast, and you know we're not thankful for much out of the last two years, but that is one thing I wouldn't have.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: I don't think I've had the guts to go for it if it wasn't for it.
10:13
SPEAKER_01: So good thing comes from everything, and we're back to judging, back to judging.
10:17
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's everything doing all the things.
10:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you're so busy, you're so busy, and I love that about you.
10:25
SPEAKER_02: You just stay so busy all the time, and it is ex-I'm really excited that you are on the other side of the, you know, the other side of the table now, as someone who's setting shows and directing and kind of looking at it from the audience perspective.
10:40
SPEAKER_02: It is very different.
10:42
SPEAKER_02: I've actually I don't really feel like I've ever had that opportunity to do that yet in my career, and it's something that really interests me.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: So I'm really excited for you.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, call your girl.
10:51
SPEAKER_01: Come on down, let's do it.
10:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sweaty team.
10:55
SPEAKER_02: I love it.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for joining us, squeezing us into your busy schedule and joining us for the live today.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: So pumped to have you and to all of our listeners out there.
11:05
SPEAKER_02: Get those questions prepped for Jen and I.
11:08
SPEAKER_02: We would love to hear what you want to know.
11:11
SPEAKER_02: There's been a lot of talk in our Facebook group lately, which is really exciting.
11:15
SPEAKER_02: A lot of questions being asked over there.
11:17
SPEAKER_02: But bring them on over to this live.
11:19
SPEAKER_02: We'll answer them in this very moment.
11:21
SPEAKER_02: We do have a few questions that we can kick things off with that were previously submitted.
11:25
SPEAKER_02: There is the option to go onto our website at any point in the year and pre-submit your questions that will be answered on future episodes.
11:31
SPEAKER_02: So we do we will kick things off with those.
11:34
SPEAKER_02: But to any new viewers who have tuned in, feel free to say hi in the comments and let's kick off the episode.
11:42
SPEAKER_02: So, this very first comment, this question, is coming from an anonymous dance parent from Connecticut.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: And they said, My daughter works very hard and loves dance.
11:55
SPEAKER_02: However, she never gets noticed at conventions, barely places at comps, but does get the middle or highest adjudications each time.
12:04
SPEAKER_02: She improves herself, but there are always so many kids better than her.
12:08
SPEAKER_02: Is it possible for her to succeed in the dance world with some recognition someday?
12:14
SPEAKER_02: Should we give up dance?
12:15
SPEAKER_02: It's hard to keep encouraging her.
12:17
SPEAKER_02: I'm a fan of working hard and earning it, but I want to steer her in the right direction to mentally be healthy for her.
12:23
SPEAKER_02: I know not every kid is the star or the best, but many have a natural ability that my kid doesn't seem to have.
12:30
SPEAKER_02: So is hard work enough?
12:32
SPEAKER_02: Woo! That's a that's a long question and an important question.
12:36
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure many other parents are probably feeling the same way with this type of question.
12:41
SPEAKER_01: Agreed.
12:42
SPEAKER_01: This is something I think we when we're teaching, we deal with a lot because there's you teach the gambit of students and you're talking to the back left corner of her dance competition team.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: That was my spot.
12:53
SPEAKER_01: We just we put Jen in the back left the back left.
12:56
SPEAKER_01: That was it.
12:56
SPEAKER_01: And it went back there, it was very small.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: It was an easy hiding place for me when I was growing up.
13:01
SPEAKER_01: And here I am.
13:02
SPEAKER_01: So I think if you're working hard, great.
13:06
SPEAKER_01: If you're doing I think it's worth checking in with the dancer.
13:09
SPEAKER_01: If she's in it because she wants the accolades, then that's a different type of training than if she's in it for a long term and a long haul.
13:17
SPEAKER_01: If we're in it for the accolades, then I think maybe that's also a reassessment of potentially why those things aren't happening.
13:24
SPEAKER_01: Especially when I'm teaching convention, the kids that you gravitate to are the kids that aren't necessarily there for anything.
13:31
SPEAKER_01: They're just like, I'm just happy to be in the room.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: I'm happy to be here.
13:35
SPEAKER_01: And I love doing this thing so much.
13:38
SPEAKER_01: Where I have some I personally have students that go into convention room and they're like, I'm gonna wear a scholarship.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: This is my weekend, and they never it just doesn't happen because they're so focused on that and not focused on doing the thing.
13:50
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I always stick with it.
13:53
SPEAKER_01: The amount of people that are working or that I'm working with right now that are the people that stuck with it and weren't the star student, is it's everyone, everyone that works long term.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: I feel like it's are the people with the tenacity and the growth and the no one honestly at the end of the day, you can win a gold of platinum, a double platinum, a triple flippable platinum, a diamond, 37 diamonds, and it doesn't matter once once you're out of competition land.
14:19
SPEAKER_01: The accolades are long term, they're not in the short term.
14:22
SPEAKER_01: So I would encourage her to to look at the why.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: Why are we here and what is the goal, and then train accordingly and know that if your goal is long term, you're not necessarily gonna have short-term rewards, and that's okay.
14:34
SPEAKER_01: You just keep your focus.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes, yes, all of it, Jen.
14:39
SPEAKER_02: So good, so good, like always.
14:42
SPEAKER_02: I absolutely agree.
14:44
SPEAKER_02: I I really think that we put so much pressure in this industry.
14:48
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, it's the competition industry.
14:51
SPEAKER_02: There's competition for a reason, but I can understand how it can be discouraging for some dancers who might see the same dancer always winning or that never never having that be you.
15:03
SPEAKER_02: And it is it is hard to handle because we do put so much pressure on I better win first place, or I better get a scholarship at convention.
15:12
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes it just needs to be focused on, like you said, Jen, like what's the where's the why?
15:17
SPEAKER_02: What's the why?
15:18
SPEAKER_02: Why are you doing this?
15:18
SPEAKER_02: Why are you here?
15:19
SPEAKER_02: Do you enjoy dancing?
15:21
SPEAKER_02: Do you want to do this in your future?
15:23
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's a lot of people always talk about, well, 5% of actual competitive dancers will actually go on to be professional dancers.
15:32
SPEAKER_02: And while that's true, I mean it can be true.
15:35
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if it's that, if that's the right statistic.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: But I think that there's always the option.
15:42
SPEAKER_02: And I know so many dancers that I work with in the professional industry, like you said, Jen, who was the back left corner dancer.
15:50
SPEAKER_02: And that's okay.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: Because you you are here showing, like you said, perfect proof that I can do it.
15:58
SPEAKER_02: I made it.
15:59
SPEAKER_02: I was a back left corner dancer and maybe wasn't the star at my studio, but I have had a successful career in so many different avenues of the professional world behind the table, on the show, on the stage, traveling the world as a judge.
16:13
SPEAKER_02: There's so many opportunities.
16:14
SPEAKER_02: And it's just a matter of, do you want it?
16:17
SPEAKER_02: Because yeah, you might have to work a little bit extra harder than some others that might have that natural ability.
16:23
SPEAKER_02: But if you really love it and this is what you want, then you really just have to put your mind to it and don't let the awards get in the way.
16:30
SPEAKER_02: Because sometimes they can get in the way.
16:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
16:32
SPEAKER_01: And I think too, for a dancer like that, what if we didn't treat it as I have to get the like my goal is the platinum?
16:41
SPEAKER_01: If she's been, who knows, let's say it's a gold, high gold, platinum, right?
16:45
SPEAKER_01: And she's been golding and she says, Oh, my gold is a my goal is a platinum.
16:50
SPEAKER_01: What if the goal was a high goal?
16:52
SPEAKER_01: What if the goal was two points higher than last time?
16:55
SPEAKER_01: What if the goal was something like yes, you maybe you have that unreachable, like, I just want that one, whatever.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: But maybe we set some short term, like, I want to share that I have, I want to share on stage that I have worked on this thing, and then I want to know that that paid off.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: So the late wonderful Greg Russell used to always say about tap dance, it's a share, not a compare.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: So what if we treated competition as a share?
17:21
SPEAKER_01: And hey, that person that went before me, I talk about this a lot with my students, especially the ones who are like, I'm gonna do a tap solo, even though I know tap salos don't always win.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: And that is always a conversation we have.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it's not understood, or whatever.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: So, what if we just go and try to share?
17:35
SPEAKER_01: And then you have this category of dancers who are like, You were great.
17:38
SPEAKER_01: Oh, you were great.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: You did that thing was cool.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about it.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: And it becomes this like communal thing instead of well, she was really good.
17:46
SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't know if I can do that now, or that girl after me was really great.
17:50
SPEAKER_01: Now I have to watch the next seven dances to see.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: What if we just shared?
17:54
SPEAKER_01: What if we just did it?
17:55
SPEAKER_01: This is what I'm doing, this is what I worked on, and maybe my jazz hand is a work in progress, and Courtney's jazz hand is perfect.
18:03
SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna watch her and cheer for her because what she's doing is so great, and then we're sharing what we work with, and that changes the whole the whole internal monologue for the dancer, which changes how they perform, which changes how we view them as judges, and it just becomes this pure wonderful thing.
18:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
18:19
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I love that.
18:20
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
18:21
SPEAKER_02: And as you're sitting here saying those things, I feel like that a lot of our listeners, this is today.
18:27
SPEAKER_02: We're recording this on Tuesday, February 1st.
18:30
SPEAKER_02: And our next episode that's launching this Thursday is called Winning versus Losing.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: And it's an it's a it's a good one.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: It's I think that this kind of goes hand in hand with what what are those goals for you individually, which we had an episode last season as well called uh competitive mindset.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I remember.
18:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I think that this dancer could really benefit from hearing some of those perspectives and approaching it in that way because it's really not always about winning, and it's it also important to lose sometimes as well.
19:02
SPEAKER_02: So we really go into that in our upcoming episode, which I can't wait for everyone to listen to.
19:07
SPEAKER_02: So tune into that.
19:08
SPEAKER_02: And thank you, Jen.
19:10
SPEAKER_02: What a great, what great advice for this anonymous dance parent.
19:13
SPEAKER_02: So hopefully that was helpful.
19:15
SPEAKER_02: Anonymous dance parent.
19:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: We have another question that actually came in to our comments on the live stream.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: So I would love to put, oh, Ashley says the competitive mindset episode was one of my favorites.
19:29
SPEAKER_02: Love that, Ashley.
19:30
SPEAKER_02: So glad you enjoyed it.
19:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was a great one from season two.
19:34
SPEAKER_02: I would love to throw this question up.
19:36
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna fill the screen a lot, but this is coming from April in our live stream.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: So you can read it as well.
19:42
SPEAKER_02: It says, My question is, how should my dancer deal physically and mentally with a big growth spur?
19:49
SPEAKER_02: For reference, since August, she has grown four inches and gained about 25 pounds.
19:53
SPEAKER_02: She is healthy and strong, but is now struggling with what used to be basic skills like balance and strength.
20:00
SPEAKER_02: She is struggling mentally with the fact that she can no longer throw a skill that she was doing without thinking just a few months ago.
20:06
SPEAKER_02: I'm encouraging her to just concentrate on the basics, but I would love your input on how to.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: Yep, that's a real that is a real life thing.
20:15
SPEAKER_01: And I think it's important, right?
20:17
SPEAKER_01: Because it's important, A, for dancers to be educated about their bodies, and it's not a bad thing.
20:21
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna grow.
20:22
SPEAKER_01: And when you grow taller, you're gaining mass.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: It is just actual.
20:26
SPEAKER_01: And your body is not going to grow out of proportion with itself, it's always going to balance itself out.
20:32
SPEAKER_01: But that also means that you may have to retrain to find where the balance lives because maybe it maybe it shifted a little bit.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: And I think, especially as I coach, I coach so many like middle school, late elementary aged kids, right?
20:46
SPEAKER_01: And we get a costume in November and it doesn't fit in January, and then that triple pirouette is a single, and now we're just gonna hold the pasta because you know what?
20:54
SPEAKER_01: Here we are.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: So I think it's not a bad thing, and it's a super important for the dancer to be educated about this is normal.
21:01
SPEAKER_01: It happens to all of us.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: It happened to me when my body changed from the age of 22 to 24.
21:06
SPEAKER_01: It's a it's a thing, and it will happen whether you're getting taller or whatever.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: So making sure that they have a healthy mindset about that and understanding the dynamic of okay, as things shift, maybe we're gaining uh different shapes or different curvatures, or your legs are getting longer, your arms are getting longer, or maybe your body is just evening out at this point.
21:27
SPEAKER_01: There's going to be that point, and it's going to be for everyone.
21:30
SPEAKER_01: And at the end of the day, it's how you work through it.
21:33
SPEAKER_01: So I would suggest going, I know it stinks, but like say it's that triple parallelette, going back to maybe we need to widen the prep.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: Maybe we need to attack that arm a little bit differently because now the arm is longer.
21:47
SPEAKER_01: So it's going to get there slower.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: And really going back to like some good strength training and some good resistance training.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: Not super weight bearing, but muscle building in almost a PT sense.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: That your brain can be like, oh, right, right.
22:03
SPEAKER_01: My leg is heavier because my leg is longer.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: Here we go.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: Now we can know how to do this.
22:07
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's where Pilates training, yoga training outside of the studio can really help balance out dancers.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: 10 out of 10 suggests all of these things.
22:16
SPEAKER_01: And I think just knowing that that's okay.
22:19
SPEAKER_01: I I have this conversation a lot with parents of, well, Susie didn't move into ballet three, and why are you holding her back in ballet two?
22:27
SPEAKER_01: No one's holding Susie back into ballet two, but Susie has a brand new body, so we gotta like rework on that a little bit and get those plies back in.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I would, I would A, have like a nice mental health talk about it all, which is gonna be really weird and awkward for everyone involved, but it doesn't have to be.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: And then maybe consider that extra outside of the studio, Pilates Yoga.
22:49
SPEAKER_01: Get like a level one, like have her maybe start assisting if there's that opportunity at her studio with like baby ballet.
22:56
SPEAKER_01: That way her body can kind of get that back, and then she's demonstrating really basic content that has to be very sound, and that's gonna kind of retrain.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: Oh, right, my Tondu now does go farther because my leg is longer, or um, what does it mean to engage my core now that the middle of my body is doing different things, or or my the front of my body has gotten really heavy.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: So, how do I we're working on this so much with my students right now?
23:22
SPEAKER_01: How do I roll my shoulders back without feeling like I'm sticking my chest for it?
23:25
SPEAKER_01: Like, how do I actually engage that and finding those muscles?
23:29
SPEAKER_01: And that can only be found through some back to basics.
23:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I completely agree.
23:35
SPEAKER_02: Every single dancer is going to go through this different in different ways because I know for me from personal experience, I'm only 5'2.
23:44
SPEAKER_02: That's where I stopped growing.
23:45
SPEAKER_02: Yay! I know 30s.
23:47
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
23:48
SPEAKER_02: For my my dancers who become these beautiful rocket six, five, eleven, you know, height, you have a lot more growing to do from when you are eight to when you are 15.
24:02
SPEAKER_02: And that's going to be an entirely different experience as to how they navigate that.
24:07
SPEAKER_02: They might be growing, you know, three inches each year, or they might wake up one day and just be six inches taller.
24:14
SPEAKER_02: I mean, how our body develops and when dancers are going through puberty and things like that, it's just a huge change.
24:22
SPEAKER_02: And it mentally, physically, and emotionally, there's a lot of things going on.
24:26
SPEAKER_02: And not only are we like teenagers at that time, but then also like we're trying to train.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: And it kind of feels like we're going backwards sometimes when we're navigating a brand new body that just happened overnight.
24:39
SPEAKER_02: And I actually, as a judge, I can notice when a dancer has like just had this giant growth spur, and I can just tell they're still navigating.
24:48
SPEAKER_02: And that is okay.
24:49
SPEAKER_02: We are training dancers.
24:51
SPEAKER_02: We don't have to be professional level dancers yet.
24:54
SPEAKER_02: This is children's dance training.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: So I think that the important thing for your dancer to remember, April, is that every single dancer is going to go through this.
25:03
SPEAKER_02: Maybe she is one of the first dancers in her class that's growing quicker than others or something.
25:08
SPEAKER_02: But everyone's going to be feeling that exact same struggle.
25:11
SPEAKER_02: And it's, and it's tough to navigate.
25:13
SPEAKER_02: It is.
25:14
SPEAKER_02: But like I know my transition from being 10 to 13, I grew like barely any.
25:20
SPEAKER_02: So it was a little easier for me to navigate.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: I feel for the dancers that really grow, you know?
25:26
SPEAKER_02: Because I can only imagine that that was probably that much harder for them to feel comfortable in this new body.
25:32
SPEAKER_02: But back to basics, I mean, we say it all the time, and it's it's just great advice.
25:37
SPEAKER_02: It's always good to go back to basics, even if you are an 18-year-old dancer that's about to graduate.
25:42
SPEAKER_02: Like, go back to basics, take a level one ballet class.
25:45
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be valuable.
25:46
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, Jen, love the recommendation of going and doing yoga or Pilates.
25:50
SPEAKER_02: Core strengthening is such a big, big thing.
25:54
SPEAKER_02: And I mainly also see like the disconnect of when dancers go through growth spurts with their arms to their back and just feel like noodle arms where they don't know like how to control the length of them all of a sudden.
26:07
SPEAKER_02: Because we focus so much on the lower half of our body with flexibility, like our back bends and our leg extensions.
26:13
SPEAKER_02: But sometimes we've we have a little bit of a disconnect from the support of our arms from our back.
26:17
SPEAKER_02: And that also comes stems from our core.
26:19
SPEAKER_02: So the advice to go take Pilates classes or even just like go on YouTube, pop open it on your computer, and like do a 30-minute session in your room before bed.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: Like strengthening is so, so crucial for dancers, especially while they're growing.
26:34
SPEAKER_02: So that would be my my biggest advice is for her to just know that every dancer goes through that moment.
26:41
SPEAKER_02: So don't get discouraged.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: And those skills will come back.
26:45
SPEAKER_02: Don't worry.
26:46
SPEAKER_02: Because if the technique and the foundation is there, it's just a matter of just getting a little bit more comfortable in this new body that you're growing into, and that's okay.
26:54
SPEAKER_01: I would encourage her to.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: I have some students that are just really open about all things, and and one grew super tall, super fast, and she'll come in and be like, feeling a little giraffey today, and and baby giraffe syndrome, right?
27:08
SPEAKER_01: And and I have another one that's like, Miss Jen, I'm working on Marbia, or Miss Jen, Sharkweep, can't turn.
27:14
SPEAKER_01: Like, and they'll just like say it on their way in, and like, okay, so you're holding a passe, you're not gonna do a bama ever, and you need to, you know, we're just gonna give you the look, like, are you mad?
27:25
SPEAKER_01: So even if there's opening that channel with her teacher and saying, like, hey, and and I always say too, like, if they're over eight, they can talk to their teachers themselves.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: They're a full-grown adult in other countries, so they're gonna be fine.
27:37
SPEAKER_01: Have her go to her teacher and just say, Hey, can I talk to you for a second?
27:40
SPEAKER_01: I'm growing, I'm sure you've noticed I'm growing really fast and trying to figure it out.
27:43
SPEAKER_01: Would you mind when we do pirouettes if I work on holding my pasta in relevae?
27:47
SPEAKER_01: Would you mind if I kind of take myself to some basics just so I can find my balance?
27:51
SPEAKER_01: If she has that awareness already, like give her that empowerment to go and say, I think this is what I need.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: And then that may also help her teach her navigate as well.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: Totally.
28:01
SPEAKER_02: And as you were chatting, Jen, one of our members that's viewing, said Emily, has said that yoga with Adrian on YouTube is their favorite at-home yoga.
28:11
SPEAKER_02: So for anybody that is interested in seeing what that's about, go to YouTube, type in yoga with Adrian, do a little session.
28:18
SPEAKER_02: I think I've actually done some of her stuff during the pandemic because you know we were all trapped inside for forever, and I was like, I need yoga in my life.
28:26
SPEAKER_02: And then I just Google it and she's the first one that comes up and she was great.
28:30
SPEAKER_02: So thank you, Emily, for that recommendation.
28:32
SPEAKER_02: Hope that was helpful, April.
28:35
SPEAKER_02: And we have a few more questions coming in from our chat.
28:39
SPEAKER_02: And April says, Thank you, ladies.
28:41
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate your input, ideas, and encouragement for her so much.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: Yay, you're so welcome.
28:47
SPEAKER_02: All right, we have another question in our chat coming from Is it Andrea?
28:51
SPEAKER_02: Andrea, I don't want to say it wrong, but this says, My daughter has been dancing for 11 years, and dance truly is her passion.
28:59
SPEAKER_02: She is a senior and we have been looking at colleges and dance teams.
29:02
SPEAKER_02: Any tips on how she can stand out at college dance team auditions?
29:07
SPEAKER_02: Ooh.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: Ooh, I loved this.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: I think if we're looking from a physical perspective, if she feels good, she looks good.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: So don't force her into wearing something that she doesn't feel like a million dollars in.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't have to be something that costs a million dollars.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: Maybe she has a favorite red sports bra in her closet.
29:22
SPEAKER_01: Do it.
29:23
SPEAKER_01: Like be comfortable, feel good, put your face on, get your hair out of your face.
29:28
SPEAKER_01: It's something that I talk with my dancers about a lot at one of the students that I teach at, we require them to wear the hair in a bun for class.
29:34
SPEAKER_01: So they always dance her to hair in a bun.
29:37
SPEAKER_01: So this is not the time to put their hair in a ponytail, right?
29:39
SPEAKER_01: Like that throws everything off.
29:41
SPEAKER_01: So let her be where she's comfortable and where she feels great and and so pretty and so confident.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: And then after that, the work is done.
29:49
SPEAKER_01: Like she's done the work in class.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: So if we're nailing pirouettes in class and we are nailing the skills and we love to dance and and this is the thing, then the right doors are gonna open when they're gonna open.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: One of my studio owners last night told a bunch of one of our kids just came out from convention and said, I just get so nervous to improv.
30:08
SPEAKER_01: And she said, Babe, four walls is four walls.
30:11
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter where you put them.
30:12
SPEAKER_01: And so I think if you think of it that way, no matter where that audition is, that's your studio.
30:16
SPEAKER_01: Four walls is four walls, and you just do what you do, and they will love it.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: And if it's not the right thing for them, it will be the right thing for someone else.
30:25
SPEAKER_01: So that is my advice.
30:27
SPEAKER_02: Great advice.
30:29
SPEAKER_02: And I will say that we've had actually a lot of interest in future dance team style episodes because a lot of dancers uh who are in the competitive dance world do choose to go into the dance team route instead of pursuing like a BFA in college, which I think is awesome.
30:47
SPEAKER_02: And there are many, many, many studios around the country who are preparing dancers for that dance team life at college.
30:55
SPEAKER_02: So I think that we are gonna probably put a dance team episode on to season four, everybody, just so you're getting prepped for that.
31:01
SPEAKER_02: Yay! I will say I'm a little bit distant from the dance team world.
31:06
SPEAKER_02: So I don't have much experience to talk on that.
31:08
SPEAKER_02: And when we do that episode, I will we will have some really educated, experienced dance team guests to be joining us.
31:15
SPEAKER_02: But I think that no matter what, this is an audition.
31:18
SPEAKER_02: And I have tons of experience on auditioning, even if it's not for dance teams.
31:23
SPEAKER_02: So, like Jen said, it's important to know how to look the part for what you're auditioning for.
31:29
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure that if this dancer is interested in doing dance team at college, that they've already looked up the colleges that they want to go to.
31:35
SPEAKER_02: Maybe they admire the dance teams that they're that they're going to audition for.
31:40
SPEAKER_02: Look at how they what they're wearing and know how to walk into the audition already ready.
31:46
SPEAKER_02: I think it will probably be like a full face with hair, however feels comfortable for you, like you said, Jen, and whatever you feel the most confident in.
31:55
SPEAKER_02: Don't feel like it has to be a two-piece if you don't want it to be a two-piece, because at the end of the day, they want to see how you're dancing.
32:01
SPEAKER_02: And something that I do know that's really big in the dance team world are those darn turns in second.
32:07
SPEAKER_02: And we all love those turns in second.
32:09
SPEAKER_02: We were just talking about them in our Facebook group.
32:12
SPEAKER_02: So I would say drill those turn sequences like crazy leading up to them because I have a strong feeling that that will probably be included in at in at some point.
32:21
SPEAKER_02: Maybe multiple cuts might happen, but I'm sure a turn sequence will be involved in that audition process.
32:27
SPEAKER_02: So make sure you can stick it, land it, finish it strong.
32:31
SPEAKER_02: A lot of times at competition dance, we see turns in second all the time, but then dancers don't ever finish them.
32:37
SPEAKER_02: And it's all about the precision in college dance.
32:40
SPEAKER_02: You may have a solo at competition, but now it's time to be on a team and dance with the team.
32:45
SPEAKER_02: And if you are the one dancer that's account late, if you are the one dancer that didn't do a triple out of the turn sequence and did a double, you're probably not gonna get onto the team because it's really about consistency and teamwork and precision.
32:59
SPEAKER_01: So on that note, Courtney, I would say go look up the look up their last season competition.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: Like if they did UDA or NBA or or whichever, pick your pick your dance competition and watch their turn sequence, and then I'd learn it because they're not looking for new new skill.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: They're looking for that skill to blend in with that team because they're gonna take what four or five, maybe max new people to fit in with those girls who already have that skill.
33:26
SPEAKER_01: So I would go look at that and say, okay, they want kip-ups, the whole team did kip ups, I have to have a kip-up.
33:32
SPEAKER_01: They want a head spring, whole spring, whole team did a headspring, I have to have a headspring.
33:36
SPEAKER_01: They want four second turns into a float, into two second turns, into a float, into a tilt jump, into a second turn, into a backflip, and straddle jump.
33:43
SPEAKER_01: Like that's what they want.
33:44
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna do it.
33:45
SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna do it on the right and the left, right?
33:47
SPEAKER_01: Because they want you to blend with their current team.
33:49
SPEAKER_01: So go see what the skill set is and walk into the audition.
33:52
SPEAKER_01: And if it's not in your audition, then I would throw that in my improv and I would say, I know your turn sequence.
33:58
SPEAKER_01: Right.
33:59
SPEAKER_01: Look at me go.
34:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you've done you're screaming at then I have done my research.
34:04
SPEAKER_02: I have done my homework.
34:05
SPEAKER_02: That is part of auditioning.
34:07
SPEAKER_02: And I'm sure we're I'm sure that there this dancer is doing research before she selects what college she's going to, obviously.
34:14
SPEAKER_02: But that's even more.
34:15
SPEAKER_02: It's not just, oh, they're a great dance team.
34:17
SPEAKER_02: It's, oh, I know their turn sequences.
34:20
SPEAKER_02: I know what they expect from me.
34:22
SPEAKER_02: And that's such great advice to just know what skills that like this this dance team might love an axle jump or love a Ronversay fan jump.
34:31
SPEAKER_02: And it's in every one of their dances.
34:33
SPEAKER_02: And that's just what the choreographer loves.
34:35
SPEAKER_02: Then you better make sure that those are picture perfect because they probably will be in the audition.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: So I think that's wonderful advice.
34:42
SPEAKER_02: Do the homework, do the research, study that dance team before you go.
34:46
SPEAKER_02: And because of that, when you're applying for different dance teams at different colleges, the that homework's going to going to be different.
34:52
SPEAKER_02: And your approach for that audition needs to be different for each one to cater to the strengths of those dance teams.
34:58
SPEAKER_02: So you can really, that is going to be how you stand out.
35:01
SPEAKER_02: Cause like you said, Jen, you've done everything.
35:03
SPEAKER_02: You've already done the technique, you've done the performance at competition.
35:07
SPEAKER_02: You're ready.
35:08
SPEAKER_02: Now we just have to bring it.
35:09
SPEAKER_02: Now we have to just go in there and own it.
35:12
SPEAKER_02: I love it.
35:12
SPEAKER_02: And I'm excited for our dance team episode because I'm excited to learn more about that world.
35:16
SPEAKER_02: I just, I didn't get to go to college and I went when I did, it was a conservatory.
35:21
SPEAKER_02: So I didn't even get to know that that was even an option for dancers to go onto the dance team.
35:27
SPEAKER_02: So I can't wait to learn more about that.
35:29
SPEAKER_02: And I hope that that was helpful.
35:30
SPEAKER_02: Andrea Andrea, she says, Thank you, ladies.
35:33
SPEAKER_02: Your advice helps a lot.
35:34
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for tuning in and asking a question.
35:37
SPEAKER_02: Yay.
35:38
SPEAKER_02: All right, we have another one that I think you're gonna like, Jen.
35:40
SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to uh throw this one up here.
35:43
SPEAKER_02: It's coming from Tiffany.
35:44
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
35:45
SPEAKER_02: And she says, our current studio doesn't offer tap at the level my dan my daughter is currently at.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: She is quite advanced for 13.
35:53
SPEAKER_02: We just moved to a new state, but she loves her new studio.
35:57
SPEAKER_02: But it's freaking out that she might be going backwards in tap as that is her favorite.
36:02
SPEAKER_02: My question is, should I have her just take master classes and privates, or should I have her take just a tap class at a different studio?
36:10
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for any input you can give.
36:12
SPEAKER_01: Ooh, I love this.
36:14
SPEAKER_01: Um, so I actually teach, I have a student that drives about an hour and a half down to Orlando to take um, I set her solo, and they're gonna come down like once a month just to take top class because she's in the same situation.
36:26
SPEAKER_01: As in her studio, they don't have a TAP teacher.
36:28
SPEAKER_01: So she's not getting regular class.
36:29
SPEAKER_01: So she'll send me a video, I'll give her things to work on with the teacher that's there.
36:33
SPEAKER_01: I'll give her the drill.
36:34
SPEAKER_01: And then she's coming, she's just making the drive once a month or every other month, whenever they can make it happen.
36:40
SPEAKER_01: So I think that's an option.
36:42
SPEAKER_01: I my theory as a teacher is I will not do that unless I talk directly to the student's teacher.
36:48
SPEAKER_01: So me and her current teacher had a conversation, like, hey, is this okay?
36:51
SPEAKER_01: I'm happy to give you the things that I'm working on so that she can continue to progress and do this as kind of uh in tandem, because that communication between teachers is so important.
37:04
SPEAKER_01: You don't want a teacher to feel threatened or or like the student is gonna hop ship or anything.
37:09
SPEAKER_01: So I would say first maybe have a conversation with your current teacher of hey, she really were nervous about going backwards in tap.
37:16
SPEAKER_01: There is a tap teacher up, you know, a couple of cities away.
37:19
SPEAKER_01: We don't really cross paths with the studio, I don't want to ruffle any feathers.
37:23
SPEAKER_01: We can keep it on the download.
37:24
SPEAKER_01: Is it possible for her to go take tap class there?
37:27
SPEAKER_01: Or can we bring that it's can we get in touch with that teacher and bring them in maybe once a month to do a more advanced tap class for her?
37:34
SPEAKER_01: Is that okay?
37:35
SPEAKER_01: And get that okay first things first, like make sure that everything there is purposehetic.
37:39
SPEAKER_01: Second, I would set up a tap board or a studio space.
37:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, mine is in my garage in your house where you have a board, and then you can go on get operation tap.
37:51
SPEAKER_01: Like go get optap premium, pay the 10 bucks a month, and it's unlimited class, and then you're just getting Anthony Miragerado and you're getting Iodeli and you're getting Mike Minery, and you're getting those great tap classes.
38:02
SPEAKER_01: I know there's a couple teachers that have different things.
38:05
SPEAKER_01: I think Kaylin Gray has one, bring tap to the people that might be student accessible, also, where you can just have combos for yourself.
38:13
SPEAKER_01: So I would say explored those options also.
38:15
SPEAKER_01: If your teacher is like, no, we don't share back and forth with other studios that maybe that's been a problem in the past or whatever.
38:22
SPEAKER_01: Okay, no problem.
38:23
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna then go ahead and get on operation tap.
38:27
SPEAKER_01: And can we get half an hour of studio space a week?
38:30
SPEAKER_01: And that will be her advanced class and just rent studio space and have that be a dedicated this is your tap class.
38:36
SPEAKER_01: And maybe it'll be tough for a little while for her to figure out how to learn online.
38:39
SPEAKER_01: But remember, you can pause and go back.
38:41
SPEAKER_01: You can go.
38:42
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I took screen recorded live Instagram class the other day from Michelle Dorren from two years ago from quarantine, right?
38:49
SPEAKER_01: Just because I I had it, so why not?
38:51
SPEAKER_01: Why aren't we doing it?
38:53
SPEAKER_01: So using that time and dedicating it to tap dance is great, and then you can invest the money that maybe would go into private lessons or extra classes in the festivals and look into like woodshed and look into Riff and look into Jacob's Pillow tap program and look into Chloe and Maud do so much great work with tap festivals that are just centric to tap dance.
39:13
SPEAKER_01: And then you go in and you take all your videos, you bring it all back, and you have a whole nother year's worth of content to work on.
39:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that would be my it's hard because it's hard to find a good tap teacher, and tap is like math, literally, it's the same part of your brain.
39:27
SPEAKER_01: So if you have a bad math teacher, you're gonna hate math.
39:29
SPEAKER_01: And if you have a tap teacher that maybe is a great tap teacher but doesn't explain it the way that you need it, you're gonna hate to tap dance.
39:36
SPEAKER_01: So finding someone she a gels with that B, her studio gels with, or just creating space for those online classes is gonna be key.
39:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, fabulous advice and so many great resources that you shared, which we will definitely be sure to link in the show notes for all of our listeners who might want to take advantage of those resources.
39:56
SPEAKER_02: But I totally agree.
39:57
SPEAKER_02: I think that it would be a good idea to have the conversation with the tap teacher and the studio owner to just let everybody know and be on the same page as to like what this dancer's expectations are and what they are hoping to achieve out of tap class, but also for their future.
40:15
SPEAKER_02: And I I would probably say if the tap teacher is great at the studio, even though this dancer might be more advanced than the others that they're taking tap with, I don't see why privates wouldn't be beneficial if the tap teacher is at the level, you know, it's it's a hard situation to navigate if without all of the information, because if the tap teacher isn't as advanced or as strong or as knowledgeable as prev the previous tap teacher from your other studio, then if you don't feel like that they're going to be able to provide what you think as far as training, then there's lots of resources and could be helpful to find due to privates with another teacher that's known in the area or whatever.
40:56
SPEAKER_02: But I think the conversation, like you said, Jen, is the most important and to have that.
41:00
SPEAKER_02: Training is training.
41:01
SPEAKER_02: So many dancers train, you know, in other ways outside of their studio.
41:05
SPEAKER_02: Of course, we don't want to step on anybody's toes, but if that's what your dancer loves and if that's what your dancer wants to do, then going out and seeking those uh teachers and seeking those private lessons and putting that additional time into their training is only going to help them.
41:19
SPEAKER_02: So I'm sure that the studio will be absolutely understanding and excited that you want to continue your tap training even more.
41:28
SPEAKER_02: But I think privates with the current teacher and then staying in the regular top class, it'll be also really great motivation for the other dancers to kind of get to your level if this dancer is, you know, a few a few years beyond what they're at as far as technical skills.
41:44
SPEAKER_01: So I'll also say with tap dance, as as you were talking, Horton, I was thinking about this style doesn't equal skill.
41:51
SPEAKER_01: So I inherited the tap program that I now run.
41:54
SPEAKER_01: I inherited from another teacher whose style was completely different from what I teach.
41:58
SPEAKER_01: And they were very classically trained and they're great, but they were classically trained, very lifted, very arm heavy, time step heavy.
42:08
SPEAKER_01: And then I came in and I was like, This is how you do a groove, and you know, I need you to bend your knees.
42:11
SPEAKER_01: Can you touch your knees?
42:12
SPEAKER_01: No, all right, we need to get lower and they were all like we don't know how to do that.
42:16
SPEAKER_01: So I had a lot of parents that first year was really hard for me because they were like, She's already better than that, she already knows how to do a shuffle.
42:23
SPEAKER_01: She does, but she doesn't know the way that I need her to know it.
42:27
SPEAKER_01: Like we now have the technique, it's like contemporary improv coming out of straight ballet.
42:32
SPEAKER_01: You have the technique now.
42:33
SPEAKER_01: We have to break it down a little bit, and sometimes that means taking a step back.
42:37
SPEAKER_01: And for so many of those dancers, it was well, I'm in the highest level top class.
42:41
SPEAKER_01: Well, now you're not, because now we have to backtrack and make sure that we are in a coachable for style because you were the highest level of that style, but of this style, now we have to go back and just do the work again.
42:55
SPEAKER_01: So that would be my it's another like if you don't have all the information, but the teacher may come back and say, actually, she's doing really well in class, and I have a lot of ways that I'm challenging her.
43:04
SPEAKER_01: And at that point, you have to say, Okay, so we're not working on wings, but the clarity of the paddle is really getting broken down, and the wing, it's like doing a second turn.
43:14
SPEAKER_01: The wing isn't super important right now, but the clarity behind the paddle is.
43:18
SPEAKER_01: And that was, I mean, I spent a year doing paddles with my kids, and now they're incredible and are so articulate.
43:25
SPEAKER_01: But getting getting everyone to understand that we needed to go back to paddles versus paradiddles and shuffle step heels for a year was a big, and now we're just like zooming.
43:35
SPEAKER_01: Now we're flying, we're doing great.
43:37
SPEAKER_01: So also consider that.
43:39
SPEAKER_02: Back to basics, y'all.
43:41
SPEAKER_02: We say it all the time.
43:43
SPEAKER_02: Oh wait, all the time.
43:45
SPEAKER_02: And that example that you just shared, the paddle versus paradiddle, that is two two basic steps, two different levels of difficulty that require certain certain understanding of how to utilize your ankle, your shoe, and That is a perfect example for tap back to basics, can be applied in all genres, everybody.
44:07
SPEAKER_02: I think we think so much about jazz and the Alisa concerns and oh, I need to get my switch till and like whatever.
44:13
SPEAKER_02: And it's like, well, can you even do a single pirouette before you're trying to do all of the concerns?
44:17
SPEAKER_02: I don't think you can.
44:18
SPEAKER_02: You haven't showed me in this dance that you can do a clean prep single land.
44:23
SPEAKER_02: And now we're attempting to do Alistair Concerns.
44:26
SPEAKER_02: So it's the same thing applies.
44:28
SPEAKER_02: So many times when I see top dancers hit the stage and they're doing things beyond their level, because I I think a lot of the misconception for a lot of teachers is that we think that it needs to be fast and it needs to be trick-heavy, so work-heavy to win.
44:43
SPEAKER_02: And we say it all the time on the podcast.
44:45
SPEAKER_02: If you've been listening since season one, you've heard us say it like less is more, back to basics.
44:50
SPEAKER_02: We just want a clean routine, show off what you're not what you're working on, but what you're succeeding at, what you can do.
44:56
SPEAKER_02: And that's a great point.
44:58
SPEAKER_01: If you ask my little juniors and my minis, if you go into class, say, what do we know about tap dance?
45:03
SPEAKER_01: And they'll say, speed is a trick.
45:05
SPEAKER_01: Going fast is just a trick.
45:07
SPEAKER_01: And that is like I we drill it so hard.
45:10
SPEAKER_01: Fast is a trick.
45:11
SPEAKER_01: Okay, do we have to go fast?
45:12
SPEAKER_01: No, fast is a trick.
45:14
SPEAKER_01: How do we dance on tempo?
45:15
SPEAKER_01: Like they'll tell you on tempo.
45:17
SPEAKER_01: What is our tempo?
45:18
SPEAKER_01: They'll count it out, they'll clap it out for you, they'll figure it out.
45:20
SPEAKER_01: They're they're a dream.
45:21
SPEAKER_01: I love them.
45:22
SPEAKER_01: But it took us three years, so you know.
45:24
SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
45:25
SPEAKER_02: It's hard to be patient with progress.
45:28
SPEAKER_02: A lot of a lot of people just want to keep charging ahead.
45:31
SPEAKER_02: Well, I need I need more.
45:33
SPEAKER_02: Well, I I should be doing this by this age, and I need more.
45:36
SPEAKER_02: But it just everyone's different, and we just have to just trust our teachers and know that they're giving us the tools to get to that next level.
45:46
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, if it takes three years, it takes three years.
45:48
SPEAKER_02: If you need to spend a whole year on paddles, you spend a whole year on paddles.
45:50
SPEAKER_02: That's what it is.
45:51
SPEAKER_02: I'm still working on paddles.
45:53
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
45:55
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
45:56
SPEAKER_02: Which, by the way, there should always be a metronome in every tap class in existence out there.
46:00
SPEAKER_02: So everybody start utilizing that.
46:03
SPEAKER_01: And if you're a teacher and you need one, just Google the word metronome and one pops up.
46:07
SPEAKER_02: Love it.
46:08
SPEAKER_02: Love it.
46:08
SPEAKER_02: Well, I hope that was helpful, Tiffany.
46:11
SPEAKER_02: And I hope that your dancer keeps loving tap.
46:15
SPEAKER_02: Perfect question for the tap queen gem.
46:18
SPEAKER_02: I have another question that was previously submitted that I'd love to share because this one's actually coming from a dance teacher.
46:24
SPEAKER_02: I feel like that a lot of our questions may have been from dance parents so far in this episode.
46:29
SPEAKER_02: But this question is coming from a dance teacher named Ashley in Idaho.
46:34
SPEAKER_02: And they said, best competition program class structure in a studio.
46:41
SPEAKER_02: What classes do you require them to take?
46:44
SPEAKER_02: How many hours of ballet or turns and leaps or genre-specific classes, etc.?
46:50
SPEAKER_02: I am the competition program director at my studio, and we are talking about shifting, and this has been a conversation.
46:56
SPEAKER_01: Takes a drink of water.
46:58
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
46:58
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
46:58
SPEAKER_01: So here's the deal.
47:00
SPEAKER_01: And I'll tell you, I teach at two very different studios.
47:02
SPEAKER_01: One, the kids are there like three days a week, and they are so happy with that they don't wish to be there anymore.
47:07
SPEAKER_01: They they are the happiest little eggs.
47:09
SPEAKER_01: The other studio, those kids are there six or seven days a week, depending on their booking work on Broadway.
47:15
SPEAKER_01: So they're very different places.
47:18
SPEAKER_01: And I will tell you the the consistency between both is you must take taps.
47:23
SPEAKER_01: You must take ballet, you must take jazz.
47:26
SPEAKER_01: That is, and both studios are multiple ballet classes.
47:30
SPEAKER_01: Both studios, you have to take tap.
47:31
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to like it, but you have to take it.
47:34
SPEAKER_01: And if there is a situation where the dancer we have a couple that they will absolutely not take tap, well then you have to take, in addition to your two ballet, you have to take an extra ballet and an acro class.
47:45
SPEAKER_01: So we replace it with something else.
47:47
SPEAKER_01: So in my more recreational studio, the dancers that are the oldest and they're the most, they dance six to seven hours a week.
47:53
SPEAKER_01: They take ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical or modern.
47:56
SPEAKER_01: I prefer them to take modern, but that's hard when you're a teenager sometimes.
48:00
SPEAKER_01: So they can take lyrical.
48:02
SPEAKER_01: And then they get to choose two optional classes.
48:05
SPEAKER_01: So they can say, Okay, I want to take hip hop and acro, they can say, I want to take hip-hop in an extra tap class, they can say, I want to take jumps and turns, and then we divided our technique into for our teenagers, jazz technique, they're split, not based on dance level, but based on body.
48:23
SPEAKER_01: So if they have tight hamstrings and we can't do our splits or we can't touch our toes yet, they're in a technique class together.
48:31
SPEAKER_01: And if they are gumby-esque and they're, you know, leg in the air and and tilty and all of that, they're in a different technique class altogether.
48:39
SPEAKER_01: So that they can work on specific skills without getting injured.
48:43
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
48:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we that was a new thing we did this year, and it's been incredible, super huge because my gumby girls and guys are getting strength, and my tight girls and guys are getting flexibility.
48:56
SPEAKER_01: So, and then they have one big jazz class altogether.
48:59
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
49:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so then the other students teach out, they have strength and conditioning, they take tap, they take lyrical, they take jazz, they take jazz technique, they take contemporary, yep.
49:11
SPEAKER_01: They contemporary ballet variation situation, they take point on Saturday mornings, so they kind of span the genre.
49:18
SPEAKER_01: What I will tell this teacher is it really depends on what your goals are, and you don't want to come in too hard, too strong.
49:24
SPEAKER_01: So if this is the first time you're requiring class to be on team and you already have an established team, four ballet classes might be a lot, but maybe you require one ballet class, and then you have a technique class and like a warm-up class.
49:39
SPEAKER_01: So your technique class functions as ballet bar number two, your warm-up class functions as your strength and conditioning, and then you just have tap and jazz.
49:47
SPEAKER_01: So now you've built in ballet, but we're not saying, well, this year we're changing everything, and then the kids freak out in a beat up the whole time.
49:54
SPEAKER_01: So you have to kind of be strategic, but ballet, tap, jazz, ballet for technique, jazz for technique, and tap so that they will learn how to count music.
50:02
SPEAKER_01: They're never gonna count music well if they don't take a tap class.
50:04
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to be good, you just have to learn how to count.
50:07
SPEAKER_01: That's it.
50:08
SPEAKER_02: Yes, tell the world gen garafa.
50:11
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
50:12
SPEAKER_02: I agree a thousand percent.
50:14
SPEAKER_02: I think that those are the three crucial styles that every dancer needs to be taking.
50:21
SPEAKER_02: And ballet tap jazz, ballet, tap, jazz.
50:23
SPEAKER_02: You've been hearing it your whole life.
50:25
SPEAKER_02: That's usually where you start.
50:27
SPEAKER_02: You start with maybe a combo class with a tap jazz combo or a jazz ballet combo.
50:33
SPEAKER_02: We started it when we're young.
50:34
SPEAKER_02: Why aren't we continuing that on as we progress through our training?
50:37
SPEAKER_02: And it needs to be there.
50:39
SPEAKER_02: Tap is not an elective.
50:42
SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry, it is not an elective in dance training.
50:45
SPEAKER_02: I cannot tell you how important it is to take tap class as a dancer, regardless if you are going to pursue dance or not.
50:54
SPEAKER_02: It is helpful for all styles of dance.
50:56
SPEAKER_02: If you aren't understanding why you're not scoring as high as you could in the contemporary category, your musicality is probably off and that it and it's probably because you don't take tap because you focus so much on contemporary.
51:08
SPEAKER_01: You know what's funny?
51:09
SPEAKER_01: We had a contemporary choreographer come down and from the northeast, and she was setting a piece and I put my hand and said, Hey, Anjana, I'm a tap teacher.
51:17
SPEAKER_01: And she said, I just want you to know I can tell who takes tap in this room.
51:21
SPEAKER_03: Mm-hmm.
51:21
SPEAKER_01: I can tell.
51:22
SPEAKER_01: And I guessed, and I was right on every single one.
51:25
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
51:26
SPEAKER_02: So it's we can tell.
51:28
SPEAKER_02: I asked the question probably every time I teach.
51:31
SPEAKER_02: I say, who takes tap in this room?
51:34
SPEAKER_02: And like two percent of people raise their hand.
51:37
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it depends on your studio, obviously.
51:39
SPEAKER_02: A lot of people don't take tap.
51:41
SPEAKER_02: And I think that it that would be that is crucial, especially, and we're talking right now about competitive studio programs, by the way.
51:50
SPEAKER_02: So we're like, we're not really talking about recreational, although I think it's extremely beneficial for recreational dancers to take tap as well.
51:57
SPEAKER_02: Sure.
51:58
SPEAKER_02: But we are talking about all if you go to a competition, you should have a tap class on your schedule.
52:04
SPEAKER_02: If you have three solos, replace a solo with a tap class.
52:08
SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry.
52:09
SPEAKER_02: Like that's what needs to be happening more in our industry because the lack of understanding of music, tempo, timing, musicality, I can't stress it enough.
52:18
SPEAKER_02: I say it on every critique.
52:19
SPEAKER_02: Dancers just charge ahead.
52:21
SPEAKER_02: All we care about is tricks.
52:22
SPEAKER_02: We don't care about the style, we don't care about the understanding of dancing to our music.
52:26
SPEAKER_02: I shouldn't be able to put on any song and have it be the same dance.
52:29
SPEAKER_02: The dance is choreographed to the music.
52:31
SPEAKER_02: And it really, it really starts from from the top.
52:34
SPEAKER_02: It really starts from the teachers having having to make tap fun and make sure, like you said, it doesn't have to be our favorite class.
52:43
SPEAKER_02: You know, it doesn't have to be a super advanced class either.
52:46
SPEAKER_02: Like you said before, finding tap teachers is hard.
52:49
SPEAKER_02: It is.
52:58
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
52:59
SPEAKER_02: I can't stress the importance of that.
53:01
SPEAKER_02: The other thing that I uh I like to mention is that I personally feel that if there's not enough time at your studio to take a ton, a ton, a ton of classes, that we should we have to have a jazz class that isn't just tricks and turns.
53:16
SPEAKER_02: Tricks and turns can't is not jazz.
53:18
SPEAKER_02: They're two different things.
53:20
SPEAKER_02: I see a lot of uh schedules that involve a a leaps and turns class or a strength and conditioning class.
53:26
SPEAKER_02: Those are great electives, but the required class should be at least an hour and 15 or an hour and a half of jazz class with a proper warm up with progressions across the floor, and then maybe we can work on some fun like musicality moments in the center or work on our turns in second or something like that.
53:42
SPEAKER_02: But the style is is gone because we're putting the emphasis so much on tricks when we have tricks and turns.
53:48
SPEAKER_02: Those tricks and turns can be incorporated into the jazz class, but the jazz class needs to exist at the studio.
53:54
SPEAKER_01: Jazz class has to set the technique that makes the tricks and turns easy.
53:58
SPEAKER_01: So you can ask for this teacher, and this is and this is how I do it.
54:03
SPEAKER_01: I teach an hour and a half jazz class every Wednesday.
54:05
SPEAKER_01: It's right after my advanced cap class.
54:07
SPEAKER_01: Um and they come in, we have a step warm-up, and three girls are responsible for each section of the warmup.
54:12
SPEAKER_01: So they lead their own warmup so that I can go around and and hands-on fix them.
54:16
SPEAKER_01: I live in Florida.
54:18
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, we're back.
54:19
SPEAKER_01: Um go back and like do the thing.
54:22
SPEAKER_01: But then it always is from the corner and we walk in a straight line.
54:26
SPEAKER_01: We walk backwards, we strut forwards, we strut sideways, we strut the other side, we strut backwards, we do potabrays across the floor, we do crossball change across the floor, we do uh triplet walks across the floor, we do we just do all of this basic, basic transitional movement.
54:41
SPEAKER_01: This all came from Tommy Alexander.
54:42
SPEAKER_01: I like to reference my people when they give me stuff.
54:45
SPEAKER_01: Transitional movement across the floor, getting into like running and squat jumps, and it just transitions itself into botmaz and leaps.
54:52
SPEAKER_01: But all of the walking, we never have class where we don't walk first.
54:56
SPEAKER_01: And now my teenagers are starting to dance in heels and we're getting into like Fossy style in Broadway, and so they'll put their heels on for walking across the floor, and that's how we're training them in heels and training a releve.
55:07
SPEAKER_01: We do crossball change, crossball change, hold your pure hold your prep.
55:10
SPEAKER_01: These kids can do six and seven turns, and we hold our hold our coffee is the first thing we do.
55:15
SPEAKER_01: Um and that takes 45 minutes of class is warm-up and not across the floor, and then we get into whatever else we feel like getting into that day.
55:22
SPEAKER_01: So transitional movement, always 100%.
55:26
SPEAKER_01: You win trophies on transitional movement.
55:28
SPEAKER_01: You don't win trophies on tricks.
55:30
SPEAKER_02: I'll say it.
55:30
SPEAKER_02: I'll say it again.
55:32
SPEAKER_02: I can't wait to make that a post and a quote from Jen Garafa on the QA.
55:37
SPEAKER_01: Oh yes, yes, so good.
55:40
SPEAKER_01: You've made trophies on transitions.
55:42
SPEAKER_01: That's it.
55:42
SPEAKER_01: You want to win trophies, you have to have good transitions.
55:45
SPEAKER_01: And that's it.
55:46
SPEAKER_01: Your tricks, you could have a whole dance.
55:48
SPEAKER_01: I had a whole soloist that didn't have a single Batma in her dance.
55:52
SPEAKER_01: It was all transitional movement, and she was a high score every single, every single time.
55:57
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
55:58
SPEAKER_01: Transitions, transitions, basics, transitions, cleanliness is next to godliness.
56:03
SPEAKER_02: There it is.
56:03
SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes.
56:05
SPEAKER_02: I think that we need to put into the brainstorming for next season because as as our season progresses, then we start coming up with more topics.
56:12
SPEAKER_02: We always keep saying, like, gosh, how are we gonna keep this podcast going?
56:16
SPEAKER_02: Like, haven't we talked about everything?
56:17
SPEAKER_02: Are we ever are we gonna have enough topics to keep talking in season four and five in the future?
56:21
SPEAKER_02: Yes, we will.
56:22
SPEAKER_02: There are there are so many things to talk about.
56:24
SPEAKER_02: Let's do a transitions episode and let's do a back to basics episode because those are two things we talked about a lot in this episode of our QA, and I think that we can elaborate even more in a full episode for those.
56:37
SPEAKER_02: Put me on the list, coach.
56:39
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
56:40
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
56:41
SPEAKER_02: Well, Jen, it's three o'clock now.
56:43
SPEAKER_02: So do you need to jet?
56:44
SPEAKER_02: Do you need to head to the studio?
56:46
SPEAKER_01: Um, I do actually have to head to the studio.
56:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
56:48
SPEAKER_02: Okay, I I will take this final question from one of our listeners on my own, but I want you to jet because you have studio life to get to.
56:56
SPEAKER_02: And everybody that is tuning in, thank you so much.
56:59
SPEAKER_02: And please give it up for Miss Jen Garafa sharing all the wisdom and advice.
57:03
SPEAKER_02: She is so fabulous, and I'm so happy that you were able to do this episode with us.
57:07
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me.
57:09
SPEAKER_01: That was a blast.
57:10
unknown: Yay.
57:11
SPEAKER_02: All right, have a great night of teaching, Jen.
57:13
SPEAKER_02: So good to see you.
57:14
SPEAKER_02: Great chatting with you.
57:16
SPEAKER_02: Bye.
57:17
SPEAKER_02: All right, everybody.
57:18
SPEAKER_02: So Jen is gone, sad about it, and I'm going to answer this final question from I don't want to say your name wrong.
57:27
SPEAKER_03: Hmm.
57:27
SPEAKER_02: But here you are, Miss Thing.
57:29
SPEAKER_02: And you have said, I have grown up as a competitive dancer and I'm in my senior year.
57:34
SPEAKER_02: My overall technique is strong, but I have gotten critiques recently about needing to make my dancing look more human.
57:41
SPEAKER_02: How can I learn to find the happy medium between being a clean, polished dancer and being one who is raw and can dance outside the box?
57:49
SPEAKER_02: I am so passionate about dance and want to be sure that I'm doing things now that will set me up for success in the professional world.
57:55
SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
57:56
SPEAKER_02: Love this question.
57:58
SPEAKER_02: So that's why I have I had to answer it before we sign off for our QA episode.
58:03
SPEAKER_02: And this is exciting to hear from a dancer.
58:06
SPEAKER_02: So we've had dance teachers and have questions.
58:09
SPEAKER_02: We've had aspiring pro, which I hope that you listened to our latest episode, which was about becoming a professional dancer and expectations and hearing from experiences of actual pros in the industry and what it's like to just kind of get an idea as to what you will be walking into.
58:26
SPEAKER_02: But I think what's really important for our senior level dancers, our advanced senior level dancers, especially ones that are hoping to pursue this.
58:33
SPEAKER_02: Number one, versatility is so important as a dancer, regardless of your if you pursue this or not into the real world, but definitely if you're going to pursue this into the real world.
58:43
SPEAKER_02: And I have a feeling that I remember you possibly from our virtual competition.
58:48
SPEAKER_02: So I think that you are uh very versatile, which I love seeing.
58:52
SPEAKER_02: But I will say that when we get to that senior level, there's a very special maturity that comes with with a lot of dancers.
59:00
SPEAKER_02: 17, 18 years old when you when you get that level.
59:03
SPEAKER_02: And I really am looking to see that in your movement quality, in your choices, in your risk taking.
59:09
SPEAKER_02: I feel like that you've worked so hard by that point on your technique.
59:13
SPEAKER_02: And now it's time to trust the technique and just dance.
59:18
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's probably where that human make my dancing look more human is what the judges are referencing, where maybe you're a perfectionist and you're really, really thinking about prepping into that pirouette, or you're really thinking about how many rotations am I going to do, or how high is my leg in my jete.
59:37
SPEAKER_02: And things like that, I think that we just have to get get out of our head and just trust the technique and take those risks.
59:44
SPEAKER_02: Like when we get to the senior level, I want to see the preparations disguised.
59:49
SPEAKER_02: I don't, I'm not look as a judge in the senior advanced level, I'm not looking to see that strong, clean preparation.
59:56
SPEAKER_02: I will take it if that's what the choreography is.
59:58
SPEAKER_02: Great.
59:59
SPEAKER_02: But do I necessarily need it?
1:00:01
SPEAKER_02: No, because I want you as a dancer to be taking the risks.
1:00:04
SPEAKER_02: And that's really where the technique is being trusted that I can nail this triple firouette regardless of what my preparation is because my technique is so strong.
1:00:12
SPEAKER_02: You've worked so hard to get to this point.
1:00:14
SPEAKER_02: Now just trust it and let it go.
1:00:17
SPEAKER_02: Take those risks, dance bigger, dance wider, reach further.
1:00:21
SPEAKER_02: Those types of things, I think if you incorporate that a little bit more throughout your movement, it might help you become a little bit more authentic and have it feel less about the steps and more of just about letting it out on the floor and dancing.
1:00:34
SPEAKER_02: And that's what we are, we are human.
1:00:36
SPEAKER_02: That's what we are going to do.
1:00:37
SPEAKER_02: We just want to get out there and dance.
1:00:39
SPEAKER_02: And that's your moment.
1:00:40
SPEAKER_02: When we're when we're going up through the ages, I am looking for those basics that we talked about so much in this episode.
1:00:47
SPEAKER_02: The clean transitions, the proper technique, and the ins and outs of things.
1:00:51
SPEAKER_02: But now I want you to kind of throw that away a little bit and not make your dancing sloppy, but trust that technique's going to guide you through this dance to make it into some something more artistic, something more real and authentic, I think is what the human aspect of that comment from the judge m may mean.
1:01:09
SPEAKER_02: So I hope that's helpful advice.
1:01:12
SPEAKER_02: And thank you for asking this question.
1:01:15
SPEAKER_02: Jangarov is gone.
1:01:16
SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, she was so great.
1:01:18
SPEAKER_02: And what a great episode, everybody.
1:01:20
SPEAKER_02: I hope that if you've been tuning in from the beginning, you've enjoyed the feedback and the advice that we've given you.
1:01:25
SPEAKER_02: And thank you to everyone who has shared a question in the comments or has just said hi in the comments.
1:01:31
SPEAKER_02: And speaking of saying hi, like I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, if you chimed in into the comments, we added you to a list to be considered for a giveaway.
1:01:42
SPEAKER_02: And we are hosting an upcoming virtual competition at IDA.
1:01:46
SPEAKER_02: If you have joined us in the past for IDA's virtual competition, we're bringing it back and we're changing it up a little bit.
1:01:53
SPEAKER_02: Which we are now doing, one judge is doing a standard critique and an additional feedback critique.
1:01:59
SPEAKER_02: So that means you'll get around 15 to 20 minutes possibly of feedback right from your judge.
1:02:05
SPEAKER_02: And our goal with this virtual is to have it really be a training tool and also allow you to see exactly where those points were deducted in a new broken down score sheet.
1:02:14
SPEAKER_02: So we're changing things up a little bit.
1:02:16
SPEAKER_02: It's going to be really, really fun.
1:02:18
SPEAKER_02: We can't wait for things to launch on February 15th.
1:02:20
SPEAKER_02: Registration will open and it'll we will accept rolling submissions all the way till April 30th.
1:02:25
SPEAKER_02: So you have the entire dance season, pretty much the competition season, to send in your solo.
1:02:30
SPEAKER_02: Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this episode and tuning in on Facebook Live or in our Facebook community.
1:02:37
SPEAKER_02: Such a blast, and we love doing the QA's for you all.
1:02:41
SPEAKER_02: If you have questions for future QA's that you'd like to send our way, head to our website Institute Those Now or shoot us an email at podcast at Impact The Institutecators.com.
1:02:49
SPEAKER_02: And we will be back in April for our final QA with Courtney episode of season three.
1:02:55
SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for tuning in, everybody.
1:02:56
SPEAKER_02: Have a great rest of your day, and we'll see you next week for our next episode on the podcast.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_02: Until then, keep dancing.
1:03:04
SPEAKER_02: Bye.