Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Keeping the Artistry in Competitive Dance - Creating Choreography That Stands Out

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Keeping the Artistry in Competitive Dance - Creating Choreography That Stands Out · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_04: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_04: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_04: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_04: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_04: In the competitive dance landscape of today, we see impeccable technique, flawless execution, and tricks beyond belief.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_04: But sometimes choreography can lack artistry or look like a replica of something we've seen before, all in service of a first place win.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_04: Today on Making the Impact, we're talking about ways to infuse more artistry into competitive dance choreography, from classroom suggestions to choreography tips.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Dance World, welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I'm here with my co-host, Leslie Mueller.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_04: Hello, Courtney.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_04: Happy Podcast Day to you.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yay! Happy Podcast Day, another great day in Podcast Land.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we have a really great episode in store for everyone today.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, we are talking all about artistry and keeping it alive in today's competitive dance scene.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can't wait to dive into this chat.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be a really good one.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: So, teachers, I hope you're listening.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Choreographers, I hope you're listening.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Parents, dancers, artistry matters, y'all.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna dissect that today on this week's episode.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_04: But before we jump into our episode, if you are at an IDA-sponsored, IDA affiliated competition, um, be on the lookout for who wins the Making the Impact Judges Choice Awards.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_04: We give them out one per competition during the competition season at IDA affiliated comps.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_04: And we're so excited to share the winner.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we are coming to us from Streets Dance Convention in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Congrats to the Dance Factory in New Iberia, Louisiana for their small group Death Wish.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_04: Exciting.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_04: Congratulations to those dancers.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we look forward to awarding more throughout this season.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, if you are the recipient of a Making the Impact Award this season at an IDA affiliated competition, on the back of your plaque will be a QR code that you can scan, and then we'll be able to give you a shout out right here on a future episode of the pod.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_04: And of course, we can't forget our wonderful sponsors.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_04: So let's tell you about them.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: Dance studio owners and dance teachers, this is your invitation to lead smarter, not harder.
• 2:39
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• 2:45
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• 2:54
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• 3:02
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• 3:06
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• 3:12
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• 3:16
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• 3:24
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• 3:38
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• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's the letters DOS with the numbers 26 impact for$100 off.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: Click the link in our show notes to register now.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: And we hope to connect with you this summer in New York City at the Dance One Summit.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: And that is keeping the artistry alive in competitive dance choreography.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm sure that many of us have seen some stunning, gorgeous, artistic dances that have hit the stage.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I have to admit that I have too.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: Sitting in the judge's seat, there are some dances that absolutely blow my mind that sometimes I feel like I'm watching a professional dance company.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's how above and beyond they are with artistry and intention and performance quality and technique and all of those layers that we look for, especially while we're judging.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes there's artistry that is lacking and oftentimes missing in a lot of our dances.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe one of the questions that we can tackle is is artistry even necessary for every single dance that hits the competition stage?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: Or is it more about just displaying our skills for fun and not about telling the story and not about the intention?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Or when does the artistry need to be put into competition dances at a certain point in a dancers training, at a certain age in a dancers training?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many layers to this conversation.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: But I can't wait to dive in with two brand new guests who are joining us here on Making the Impact.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: The first guest that I'm excited to meet right here, right now, and welcome to the podcast is the fun fact that they came up with a topic.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: They pitched this topic to Making the Impact.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: They wanted to be a guest and talk about this right here, right now.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: So Leslie and I said, let's bring him on and see what he has to say about this wonderful subject today, right here, right now.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm thrilled to welcome Giovanni Allen to the podcast.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Gio.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, hello.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me today, y'all.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: Now, how did you discover our podcast?
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'm curious.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: It was through Streets, and I think it was one of our awards that we were selected.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: So you won the Making the Impact Award?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: And my my current studio manager, she was like, You need to do this.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm part of the podcast.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I think just being a part of this company, I think this was her second year that she was a part of the team.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And she just thought that, you know, what I had to offer needed to be talked about.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought that was something that I I'd explore.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: So cool.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: I said, you know what?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the right time that we can like come together.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think the timing worked out.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm I'm happy that you guys so serendipitous.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's always who's your company manager?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Christine Anderson.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: Is she like a podcast fan?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh she might be in our Facebook group and a diary.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, she is.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: A shout out to Christine.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: We love that.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: And congrats on winning our Making the Impact Award.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's something so special that we do with, you know, it's sponsored by the podcast and we give it out at all of our IDA affiliated competitions.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: I know our other guest who is here is an IDA judge and has given it out as well.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just something special that we add to the mix of the comps and um, and then like that, just organically, now you know about a podcast and look at you.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: You're sitting right here right now.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Little full circle moment.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Gio, if you could share with everyone out there in Podcast Land more about you, where you're based, where you grew up, your early dance training, any career credits, and where you're at now, what you're working on.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the old rundown, huh?
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, right now I'm based in Richardson, Texas.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the company I direct is Groundworks Dance Company.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is our eighth season.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And just a little bit about my about myself.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: I feel, let's start from when I, you know, I was born and raised in New York and we lived in the projects.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so my grandmother, who was also in the arts, just put all of the kids in like art, like facets and different things because she felt like I guess me as a only male in the family, she needed me off the streets.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So she put me in all of these art like classes and danced stuck.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I stayed in acting, did a little uh dancing, then I was in, I had my music.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so went to a performing arts high school, and then after that, went to CalArts, and then in between that, you know, we're talking about training at Alvinelli, Jacob's Pillow, little things like that to who what shaped me.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then I came back to New York, did a season with Radio City Christ Christmas Spectacular, which was eye-opening and my first real dance gig, you know, right out of college.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: So it was something that ultimately catapulted me in a place where I was like, okay, I'm here now.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's next?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I auditioned for a few more shows.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but then a uh friend told me to come to Dallas to teach for the summer.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Snowball effect, things are different here.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: And teaching and choreographing became a new, you know, essence for me besides dancing.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a a shift, but it has grown to be one of my you know deepest passions.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: So teaching and choreographing just snowballed into the opportunity of me having a company.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: And from working with all the studios, it kind of clicked of the things that I felt like what we needed instead of what we needed for stage and competition.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: So that was where Groundworks was born.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we had to build something new.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so here I am, still rocking, still kicking, still growing, still sharing.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_04: Eight seasons.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_04: Congratulations.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's a great idea.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: So you're near Dallas area in Texas.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Dallas has some talented studios and students.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I really do feel, especially I've been judging there for many years now, the artistry level is pretty darn high, I'd say, in Dallas, Texas, and uh in many um pockets of Texas in general.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: So it it does exist, and it's also probably existing more, thanks to you.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: So appreciate what you're doing for the Texas dance community.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: And uh thanks for joining us here on the pod.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you so much.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: All right, our next special guest who is joining us is an IDA judge.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: And fun fact, she's been on our roster for a few years at this point, but and people have probably learned this from listening to the podcast.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes I don't personally ever know or get to meet some of the IDA judges that join our roster besides screening them and making sure that they are vetted and exceptional quality judges, which I know this person is, but now I finally get to sit here and get to meet them and learn more about them even more.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to welcome IDA judge and dance educator and performer Brittany Sprung.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Brittany.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for having me.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_05: Courtney, I'm actually gonna be in New York next week.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_05: So if you want to grab coffee or something, we could like actually meet in person.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god, please, let's make it happen.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, thank you for having me.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_05: I'm super excited to be here.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_05: Super happy and honored to be part of the IDA family.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_05: And I have given out the Making the Impact Award a couple times.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_05: Not a couple times, a handful of times.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_05: So I know like what I can imagine your piece looked like, Geo.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_05: And yeah, I'm excited to learn more about you and your thoughts too.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yay! Thank you.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Brittany, same type of deal.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: If you could share a little bit more about you with the world.
• 11:28
  unknown: Yeah.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I started dancing when I was three, kind of similar in the sense that to Geo, that like my mom wanted to get me into activities.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_05: Um, my cousins were dancing who were a little bit older than me.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_05: So she kind of just put me in with my cousins and then it just stuck.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_05: And I really loved it.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_05: I was at a really small studio.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_05: I grew up in a really small town.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_05: We don't have any traffic lights, like, we don't even have a high school.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_05: What?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_05: So grew up in a really small town.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_05: Studio started competing, and then the studio shut down.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_05: And I was like, I still want to compete, I still want to do this.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I was like six or seven, I think.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_05: And so my mom and a couple other moms at the dance studio found some studios that were an hour from where we lived.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_05: And there wasn't really anything else at that time.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, we're talking early 90s, so there wasn't really anything else that had exploded in the dance competitive world yet in that area of um New York State.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, my mom and my dad both started driving me an hour to the studio.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_05: You know, when it first started, I was taking one day a week.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_05: So all my classes were on Saturday, pack it in.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_05: And then as I got older, competition day, and then like taking my three to four to five ballet classes so I could be on point.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_05: And by the time I graduated, I was at the studio probably six days a week, I think.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, it was crazy.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_05: I think back and I'm like, I struggle to get myself to the gym sometimes, and it's five five minutes away now.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_05: Like, how did I do that?
• 12:56
  unknown: Right.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_05: So, yeah, so that's how I started.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and then I, when I was in high school, had the opportunity to go to the All-American Chair and Dance Pro Bowl competition, which was in Hawaii, and the headliner was the Backstreet Boys, Dream Street, which was dream.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_05: Like I was like, that was that was my boy band.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_05: So I was competing and I was part of the group that was gonna be performing on the field.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_05: And then they had professional dancers who were actually dancing with the Backstreet Boys, and they auditioned those of us who were competing that were in high school.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_05: Um, they allowed us to audition and they were gonna pick seven of us to be with the professional dancers.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_05: I got chosen, which was amazing, incredible.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, this is amazing! Like, wow, I'm on the stage with professional dancers behind the backstreet boys.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_05: Like, this is crazy.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_05: What?
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_05: So that was the moment that I was like, this is what I wanted to do.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_05: I got to see these professional dancers doing their thing.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, like was it so exciting to be there with the Baxter Boys 100%?
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_05: But I very distinctly remembered that it wasn't about that.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_05: It was about seeing these professional dancers do this thing that they cared so much about.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_05: And that's what like just launched me.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, okay, great, I'm gonna go to school for dance.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_05: I went to the University of Buffalo.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_05: They have a really diverse program.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_05: I took tap, jazz, ballet, modern, like geohearing you talk.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_05: I'm like, oh my gosh, all the different things you've done.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_05: I'm like, oh, I've also like trained in a lot of different things too.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_05: And I forget that.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_05: Like I am so in awe when I hear other people talk, and I forget that I also like did a lot of those things.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_05: And then right out of college, I um auditioned for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_05: I went and I did a couple contracts with them.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: You loved Royal.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_05: Yep.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_05: Love, love Royal.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_05: And what's really interesting, kind of like a full circle moment for me, was when I stepped into that studio with Royal on my first contract.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_05: I saw the rehearsal directors and what they were doing, and I was like, ah, long-term, long-term dream goal.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_05: Like that's the job I want to have.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_05: I want to be able to like reset work.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_05: Like choreographing for me sometimes feels kind of sticky, and I kind of struggle to get creative because I'm a real technician.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_05: I took a lot of ballet classes and I'm a very technical uh dancer.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_05: But I was like, I would love to reset work.
• 15:14
  unknown: Yeah.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_05: And so fast forward, I did a lot of different things, theme parks, other cruise ships.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_05: I got into Ariel and Circus.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and then I started working with this company called On the Fly Productions, and they do a lot of aerial for Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines now.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_05: They did a lot of stuff with some theme parks, a family-owned business.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_05: They're amazing.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_05: And they were like, hey, we need some aerial rehearsal directors to work with Royal Caribbean.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_05: Cool.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_05: And full circle moment, I was like, oh my gosh, like the thing that I thought about seven, eight, ten years ago.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_05: Like, I'm here and I'm able to like reset these works.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_05: So um, yeah, that's that's been my journey.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_05: And my current big project is um working with two of my friends who uh sing and play piano and also dance and also do aerial.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_05: And we have um a little trio group called Piano in the Sky.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_05: And it's uh an aerial piano.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_05: It's like the the frame of a piano.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_05: And so we've been building a show around that.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm super excited to talk about this conversation because my brain is like judging competitions right now, but also we're building a show that's three people.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_05: It's hard to build a full-length show with just three people.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_05: So wow, like the the idea of artistry and how you like have an impact on the audience is like the forefront of my brain right now.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_05: So cool.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, perfect.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_04: We have two perfect guests, Courtney.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_04: This is just like yay.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I have to ask because Leslie and I, I don't know if you if you knew this, Brittany, but Leslie and I met on Royal Caribbean.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: One thousand years ago.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: A thousand years ago.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: We were roommates and castmates.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: So what ships did you work on?
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_05: I was on the serenade for two contracts with Royal.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: Nice.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_05: Cool.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_05: What about you both?
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_05: Vision.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_05: Vision and then Voyager for me.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_05: We probably have a lot of the same ritual friends.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm sure.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_05: I'm sure.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Small dance world, everybody.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, y'all, thanks for sharing, and let's jump in and chat about artistry at competition.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_04: All right, all right.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_04: Well, here we go.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_04: So this is a big conversation, and I guarantee you we were we're going to stop and be like, but there's still more, because there's always more.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_04: So we're gonna do what we can today.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_04: But I think, I mean, this is a huge question, but this is why we have these conversations is to ask huge questions.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_04: What does artistry mean to you as an individual?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_05: I think for me, artistry means I know, you know, making the impact is the award, but I'm gonna use that phrase because I think it's so true, like having an impact on the audience.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_05: When I was like thinking about being on this podcast, I thought about Maya Angelo's quote of you, you uh people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they won't forget how you made them feel.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_05: And that I think is artistry to me.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_05: Like how you make me feel, how you bring me into your world and your whatever you're feeling, whatever your story is, whatever the lyrics of the song are, the way you bring me into that, I think is that that I walk away with how I felt from that because dance is a time-bound art.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_05: Once it's gone, it's gone.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_05: Now we have video and we can like go back and watch it, sure.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_05: But in the moment, it's time-bound and you don't get to just like, wait, let me look one more time at it.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_05: It's already done and the music's over.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_05: And I might not remember the steps, the skills, the choreography.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_05: I might not even remember like what the costume looked like.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_05: By the time I'm done with 500 routines at the end of the weekend, I might not remember how that costume looked, but I remember how that made me feel.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm even thinking about the last weekend I was out with IDA this past weekend.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_05: Um, the routine that I gave the Making the Impact award to.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_05: Like I'm still thinking about that routine and just like the way that the dancers just like flowed together and like had this passion.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_05: You could like just see the passion.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_05: I don't remember what the dance is, I don't remember what the song is, but I know how they made me feel.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_05: And now I'm like what five, five days out from that competition.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_05: So that that's what I think artistry is to me.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Love that.
• 19:30
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• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, when it's just a solo, you know, they have to create this entire display, you know.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember uh my professor in college, um Colin Connor, who was actually a dancer on the Lamone company.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the first time I'm being introduced to like vast amount of works for like MFA pieces and like teachers, my first my first year.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm just like blown away.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we had like a fan, like a light bar, like the way he was putting these things together.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, each of the dancers had like long phrase work.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, coming from where I understood how to go deeper with you know the material back, you know.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: In high school leading up to college, I felt like I had a good grasp of storytelling.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: But maybe the longevity felt maybe manufactured because I was pushing through just for the sake of it being like a six-minute solo, you know.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so I remember him distinctly telling me that, you know, it's not about holding on to one thing.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, as you're doing this movement and as you're doing this phrase in this solo, there are always nooks and crannies like throughout the piece that didn't change.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think he was replicating like just the human condition, meaning that we're not like one thing the entire time or the entire day or 30 minutes.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we change all the time.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so he was able to like plant that that that seed in me that you know, this beginning doesn't have to be what this is in the middle, and it doesn't have to be how it ends.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: And because in my mind, that age, I was also a perfectionist.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I was also just trying to execute to the best of my ability.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I knew how to tap into that because you know, when you really love dance, you know how to let it take control.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so you have that relationship.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I think when he planted that seed, I then knew that there was way more story work to do.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think that then when I look back at when I was inspired at Alvinelli, and you get like Cinnamon, and you know, you see the male dancers.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's the physicality, yes, it's the lines, yes, it's like the vigorous like visceral movement, but they're all telling that story, baby.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they're all in that that, you know, kind of like that connection for me, that light bulb for me, I feel like that is the true artistry, that the essence of everything at the very bottom, you know, the the thing that keeps everything like afloat amongst all of what you are doing.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that's technical, that's anything that can be seen as being technical, there's still an essence that is wrapped around, you know, and so there's an intention behind it that like always that undercurrent of intention runs through everything that I think when I think of artistry, that's what I think of as intention and something that you both said that I think is so important for especially those perfectionists, which I think sounds like all of us are technical, highly technical, like really care about the nitty-gritty, getting it right, that it will never, ever, ever be the exact same thing as it was yesterday.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_04: That piece that you saw has an has a life of its own.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_04: That yes, it's got the intention is always there.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_04: It can also evolve, but the technique is always there, but there's always going to be something different every time you watch it.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_04: And that's why some of these canonical works never get old.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's like you will always want to watch an Alvin Ailey piece, always, because it's not stale.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_04: There's always something that changes with the times.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, things come back around with culture and with per you know, politics and everything that happens that drives us to create art.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_04: And that's what I think of when I think of artistry.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: I also think I was trying to sit here and while I was listening to y'all like think of anything else that comes to mind.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I I like the approach often coming from the dancer side, but I also think that it's equally responsible of the choreographer creating that artistry for the dancers to execute.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes I've seen it many times at comp.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: I've seen a dance that has amazing choreography that's poorly executed.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: The artistic uh qualities are there in the artistry component for choreography creation.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: But dancers aren't at the technical level to achieve it.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: They don't, they haven't really discussed the intention, even if it was given to them, even if the choreographer knows the intention.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe that's a missing link in the rehearsal process, in the execution process that is not going to allow that dance to reach its full artistry potential because there's things in its way that whoever is controlling the rehearsal or construction of the dance.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: Other ways around, I've seen like amazing artistry executed flawlessly to a level of almost professional quality on stage of competition.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that with when it comes to choreographers, I I feel like artistry is kind of risk-taking, stepping out of the box, uh, having a unique quality flavor, something that feels innovative, that maybe could feel like you've seen it before, but spun in its own way.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: Something that you can really pinpoint and say, oh, that's that choreographers.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think that that feels artistic to me, um, to have a voice of your own as a choreographer versus just repeating uh trends or feeling influenced too heavily influenced from others, because we are all influenced from one another and inspiration can be found in so many ways in dance.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: We watch others, we're inspired, we create.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: But you want to have a distinct separation.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and maybe if it is a launching off point for you when you see somebody else's work, uh that it inspires you, it influences you, but you're still kind of creating your own new world, uh, your own innovation and new way of thinking when creating that piece.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's where the artistry aspect comes in.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's a very much heavily based in the creation process because it is art.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's really personal too.
• 27:17
  unknown: Yeah.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_05: And I think something you said, Courtney, about um like, you know, the intention and like it could be spoken about.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_05: I think also sometimes I think about, you know, I see it at competition and I think about it when I'm choreographing or how the dancer understands what that intention is.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_05: And are they are like, are they at a place in their life where they can understand it, right?
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_05: Like a four-year-old is not gonna understand the under like the like a romantic relationship type of intention, right?
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_05: Of maybe like a a slow lyrical song that's talking about love.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_05: But a 14-year-old might, because they might be in a place in their life where they have but had their heart broken.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that comes into play too, is like sharing the intention, but also helping your dancer understand what that means.
• 28:04
  unknown: Right.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, and making sure that you are aware of development, you know, and like maturity.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, that's why we we oftentimes don't like there will be pieces that are just outside of the realm of some of these students' ability to comprehend what they're even dancing about.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_04: And that's when it's like, even if the artistry was there, if the if the understanding and the like personalization of the movement isn't on the same level as the child's development, then it just doesn't, it does doesn't land, you know.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: And with that, I feel like that there, I could be wrong on this assumption, but I feel like that a lot of people associate artistry with maturity and thinking that you have to be a mature person to handle artistry, which then sometimes means that we're pushing artistry and the maturity of artistry onto dancers who are too young to handle that sometimes, depending how it's created and choreographed.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think that young dancers absolutely can be artistic.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes what I see given to them is too mature for their artistry ability and level where they're doing the best they can with what is expected.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: But this would be better suited for a 15 or 16 year old who has that maturity to back it up.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: So finding the art, finding ways to allow young dancers to be artistic and and provide them with choreography that is still artistic and artistry driven without giving them themes or intentions that are kind of gonna go over their head because then it's just not gonna read as well as it could.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it does take it's it is like a collaboration of really understanding your dancer, under you know, being the professional, being the adult in the scenario.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: Many things we've talked about on the podcast.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_04: Gio, I'm curious since you run a company, how old are your students?
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_04: And how does how does the the artistry like sort of collaboration work?
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_04: And you do a lot of solo work with your students, right?
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: So their ages from 10 to 17.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: And personally, we train all together.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: There are only a few 10-year-olds, so it's about like three of them.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I we just believe that having them together does push them um in terms of like constantly looking up and seeing like the older ones be there.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: And we have a very like family-based, so like no one is ever like, oh, why is so-and-so in this class?
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't exist here because it shouldn't.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I get it, certain you know, studios will have them in levels, but this has worked for us.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so when we do get to solo work, I guess that given pull when it comes to them understanding and what I'm giving them, I personally know that I have to meet them where they are physically first.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: Because you know, my thing is, you know, the solo can always grow through the season, you know that, right?
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like it doesn't have to be like packaged, this is it.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when that's why I'm also very particular on bringing in just outside choreographers, because if they don't have a relationship or we haven't been, it's very hard to like, you know, because then you're just cleaning and then then you're like putting in your intentions what you think the choreographer wants if they don't have a you know a good time, you know, relationship.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, but but that's just besides when I do it, there's definitely conversations.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I think that it has come to a point where you know, I really have to break down the concept of the human, you know, condition of like why we're reaching.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: There's a reason behind this.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I'm reaching towards the sun, and then let's just say, for instance, they're reaching and you know, they're just like it's it's kind of dead.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yep.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: We then have to go through where is the reach coming from.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: Then once that is explained from the back, through the elbow, through the and then they're lengthening through, then I have to attach an a feeling.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: So you really want this, this, this is it right here.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: Hold that sucker in.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a it's a game of like really like a mental like back and forth to get them to have these like tiny light bulbs, and it may take a longer time to choreograph, but that's not the case here when it's on you know it's in-house.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: So you can take all the time you want.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I do have the benefit of that.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we can break it down in sessions.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: Others can manage the whole, you know, this, the, the three and a half hour block, or you know, whatever is assigned for them.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: But I think there's a lot of like meeting them.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then we can challenge them, you know, after I've seen how it's playing out in the phrase work, let's just say halfway through, I then know no, we can turn this up now.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: Right, you know, and then like I said, throughout the season, we can always keep building on it because me personally, they know everything is ever changing.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, there shouldn't be a solo that we perfect and then just keep it there, you know, because my goal for them is to get them to master their own solo.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I want them to feel as if they are so comfortable with the choreography that now we can start being like, Well, what do you want?
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want here?
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_00: What feels good right here?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: But we for me, I know that we have to get the choreography and the understanding of that at the base, and then we can build on what comes alive, you know, once they're starting, you know.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that process that you've created with your students.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that I would like to encourage anyone listening to like be that hands-on, be that collaborative, be that uh communicative with your dancers.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like that that we're I've heard of studios just cranking out.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, there's a lot of set it and forget it.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_04: Just set it and learn it, I'm done.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_04: The end.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: Did you rehearse it yourself?
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not reviewing your critiques with you.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: You go listen at home.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like there is no teacher collaboration.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like I paid this person money and and now it's yours.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, yeah, but you're also a training child.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're a child.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: You are a training dancer, you're not a pro yet.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: If this is a pro, yeah, sure.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: You pay it up, you finesse it.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know how to make it into the art that it needs to be.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes kids need to be guided a little bit more.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the point of training.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's the point of the solo.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's to allow them to explore, to allow them to grow, not just I want to win a trophy on stage.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_01: Because even you just talking about like the reach, I'm thinking about how amazing it is when I see a believable reach on stage, way and I care about that so much more.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_04: It's like oh, I believe there's something over there that you want.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, like it's something, and I see it, you see it, great.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I want that.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's I think if we can transport the audience just for a moment, we've got something, you know.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, if we can tell them, oh wow, okay, you know, not even give them a reason to look down.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I tell them.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, right, grab them.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like they want to, and the thing is I try to tell them they the judges want you to like give them all of you, you know.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think with some of my students, it's a lot of cracking open like a lot of their like hearts, because in this day and age, you know, they see so many dancers that are like great and phenomenal that if they don't possess that, then it's like, well, I'm scared of messing up.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: I know if I don't do this, I'm gonna get a whatever, you know, um, high goal adjudication.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: So you're working with that level of fear and anxiety in some way of like, if I don't do this, if I don't do that.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so getting them to a calm place where they feel secure and confident in what they put out, I think is ultimately like all you really want from a you know a dancer to, you know, have a solo and get a chance to perform it on a competition stage.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: They have to be the most comfortable on stage.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's just we're adding the parent dynamic to the mix too, because it's not just what the dancer fear feels feels they need.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_01: There's that parent in their ear or the parent in the studio's ear saying, Oh, well, I saw that their competitor who got first place do this and they did it in this.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_01: Why isn't that in my kid's solo and the pressure of the parent?
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because especially when it's the solo aspect, it's like they're the parents feel more in control to be able to request versus when it's the studio group, they're trusting the teachers to do what's best for the students and there's less collaboration or response from the parent.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: So uh a lot of pressure.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and it's to do what's right.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_04: Speaking of that pressure, I'm curious with Brittany, you've been out recently.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_04: I've not been out yet.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: My next, my first weekend is in a few weeks, but currently this season and even in the past few years, maybe we can talk about some of the common trends in competitive dance specifically that are kind of starting to dilute the artistry.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_04: It's like at one point somebody saw somebody just shake their body violently.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_04: And then everybody all of a sudden is in contemporary shaking their body violently to make a point.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_04: Like, is that artistry?
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_04: Was that something why why are these things sort of taking off?
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_04: And what is starting to, you know, make it feel like it's not artistic anymore.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that goes to kind of something we talked about earlier in like duplicating versus being inspired.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_05: And I think it's exactly to that last point of like, you know, I, oh, I see someone winning with this thing, with this trick, with this solo, with this type of choreography.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_05: And I think it's taking a moment, whether you're a parent, whether you're a dancer, whether you're a teacher, studio owner, director, judge, taking a moment to step back and say, why?
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_05: Why did that particular person win with that thing?
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_05: And why did it work for them?
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that's a lot of what we're saying right now is being focused on the individual.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_05: It's not a copy paste, right?
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_05: Like every single dancer that anyone has in their studio, in their group, in their um piece, um, every single dancer is different because we have different personalities.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_05: We've come from different backgrounds.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_05: Everyone's gonna move in a different way.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_05: I have really short legs, so I'm gonna move different than somebody who has really long legs, right?
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_05: Like I'm gonna have to move in a different way.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that's where those trends we're seeing, we're seeing somebody do something that maybe is different, we've never seen before.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_05: I'm like, oh, I want to do that.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_05: But I think the question to ask is how do I take that and turn it into my own thing?
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_05: Like get inspired, sure, right?
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_05: Like I saw this group use these like roly chairs, and I'm like, oh wow, that's like really cool.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_05: They use these roly chairs and like use them to change their formations and they like slid them across the stage.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm like, that is so cool.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_05: I don't think I could create a piece like that.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_05: However, oh, I have a roly chair in my office.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_05: Like, I wonder if I could like do something with my rolly chair that's like my own, right?
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_05: Like, what would it mean to me?
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_05: Because the roly chair meant something to that choreographer and it meant something to those dancers, and they understood the intention of the choreographer.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_05: And that's a really, really beautiful piece and artistic.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_05: And now, like, how can I take that inspiration and like maybe it's not my roly chair?
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe it's actually like a stool instead or something.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_05: Like, oh, I've been trying to like do something with a prop.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_05: And so now I'm like looking around, like, okay, well, that was an office chair.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_05: So what do I have in my office that I could use that's different?
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_05: And like using the inspiration in that way rather than saying, I want to do a rolly chair dance, right?
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_05: And I think this move and I'm gonna add that move to my dance.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_05: And you know, we've seen it with the knee drops, we've seen it with the scorpions and the headstand, like no hands, and like the headstands into bridges.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm I'm an acro person.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_05: And sometimes I see those things and I see them executed in not a technical way that and it like makes me concerned because I'm like, that's not safe.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_05: Like, we're trying to do this trick that requires a lot more control and technique than what you're showing me.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_05: And now I'm concerned for your safety, but we want to put it in there because we have a super flexible back and like somebody else won with it.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_05: And I think there's also an aspect of like, if you if you do really want to put a trick like that in, if you do really want to put some back layout, back tuck, side aerial, scorpion, any of those things that we see as like really trendy technical tricks put in to try to bump up our score because someone won with it, that's fine.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_05: If you want to put that in there, great.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_05: Now, how are you transitioning in and out of it that makes it look different?
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_05: Or how are you like flexing your foot in a different way, or you know, like taking the transition into it a different way that just like makes it different than that that last person you saw?
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that's that's where the inspiration comes in.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_05: That's where like the the duplicate versus being inspired by it.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_05: I think that's how I see it.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_05: And yeah.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:51
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• 40:57
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• 42:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's a big conversation.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, you know, because some people are gonna be like, oh well, now I can't do a role-their dance, like and you're gonna think that I stole this role-their dance.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_01: You know, everyone starts getting super defensive on those things, but it's like it's very, very clear when certain things are a duplicate where we're towing that line too much, or is truly an inspiration, like a nod to it, uh oh, it this sparked something in me, but I took it in a whole new place.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_04: Or I just sprinkled it in once.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_04: It's like maybe there's a dance with a rolly chair that rolls across once and that's it.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_04: Like, yeah, yeah, great.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't know, it's it's it's interesting to really as someone who lives in this world, and I've been in this world my whole entire lifetime to see how much one singular competitive dance can inspire and influence because it won at a national level at a very highly respected competition that everyone follows on social media and thinks is the end-all be-all, how that one dance or one dancer or one piece of choreography can influence an entire country of what to do next season.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think is very interesting and to me not artistic at all.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like that, yes, it is yes, is it inspiration?
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: And now are you flipping it in your own way?
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, but like really you couldn't have thought of this yourself.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why are we doing practically like even down to uh the costuming?
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just like, wait, so I know where you got.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: That I saw that on Instagram like five years ago, and now you're doing that same type of thing.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not just like the stereotypical costume with bedazzles or whatever.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's something very unique that was artistic when it was presented the first time.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_01: And now it's trickled down, down, down, down, down to now looking like a replica of what we originally knew.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so it's interesting layers here.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_05: You know what's also interesting that I just thought of, Courtney, when you said that is like when I was in college, I took creative movement was like the kind of like foundation before we actually took choreography classes.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_05: And I almost feel like there is something that could be maybe a million-dollar idea here.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know, but maybe like there could be something in all of these training programs and certification programs that like teaches, quote unquote, teaches how to like be creative and use those things.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_05: Because in my creative movement class, I mean, we were handed like a scarf and it was like, okay, go create a 30-minute or a 30-second um piece with this scarf, and you can never get off the floor with your back.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_05: And you're like, what?
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_05: Like you, you, you create those things.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_05: It makes you, yeah, yeah.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_05: And I think like maybe that's something in, you know, like when this per particular piece was presented, it was super artistic and creative and innovative.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_05: And now how do we as choreographers, educators, um, performers, all of us look at that and say, like, okay, let me just have that like vision in my mind and like what did I love about that?
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_05: What moved me about that?
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_05: What was interesting about that?
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, it was interesting because I've never seen it before.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_05: Well, now how can I create something that I've never seen before myself?
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_05: Like really digging into the why of why I want to try to replicate it or duplicate it, or the if I think I'm inspired by it, but I'm not actually inspired by it, and I'm just trying to like create the same thing over again, like really digging into like my own self-awareness of why.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_05: Why was why did that stand out to me?
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_05: So I think I don't know, maybe there's something in there.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe somebody wants to like start creating some kind of creative movement choreography program.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty cool.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, I really like that because this year I added a acting for dancers, and it's like a little 30 minutes at the end on after our movement invention class that we have here because what's it called?
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_01: Movement what movement invention invention tell us more about that too.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know more about both of them.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the acting for dancers kind of came upon like uh I knew that all of my alumni should say they were like graduating.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: So this year is our first like fresh, fresh team.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_00: The the this is like the third year for those who are new.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone else is like new.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_00: So this is our first like fresh, fresh team.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, with students coming from other studios, you know, you just really you just never know what you're gonna get in terms of like what's deep down.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they show up for you because you're a new studio and you're like wanting to be like, I want to be a part of the team, I'm a hard worker.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_00: But then once you get into the classroom and you start really working with them, you notice that they lack a bit of words or more of like a shell of like the dancer they want to be.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like the the nook and everything in there have not been like nourished enough for them to understand like the weight of like what they're actually doing here.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so we do have that um that class to bring a little bit more of their their their aura out, if I could say that.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like open up that right here and and you know, and speak.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so like their last project was they had to memorize a monologue, any favorite one, and present it and in front of you know the class.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it had to be no less than a minute and 30 seconds.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: So this was like a task.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I had my little ones for my little ones, they did uh 45 seconds to a minute, but even then they went for the minute.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so they they were meeting the bar there.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's just watching them just like breathe before they started their monologues.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: I was just like, listen, the fact that we've cracked this y'all, you have to understand how much like easier this is gonna be when you step on stage and don't have to talk.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, and so a lot of people activate our faces as well because you know, what we've gotten, you know, from our recent competition, which was our first one out the gate, that they just wanna be able to see our eyes, they want to be able to like enjoy our like full intention, they can tell that it's there, but they want to feel it, they want more connection.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so those would the the other class of movement invention is really just breaking down like the options, laying out the most massive toolbox and go, let's see how many things we can put in here for that you can utilize for your solo work and your group work because there's always options, you know.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I think of that as like the the fail-safe to forgetting things on stage.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_04: 100%.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's the parachute, it's the it's the plan B.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_04: That didn't work.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_04: What's we're what are we pivoting to?
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, because we get a lot of students that are like, oh, I messed up, and then you get the and so I think that it's part of like the the mental soothing game that like everything is right, everything is you know, is right as well.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_04: I can get out of this problem, I can problem solve.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, yes, I think I think both of what you guys are saying and like that creative movement idea is is so excellent, but it also it's like, you know, the three of us at least, Courtney, you went to college for like a minute, but we we learned that in college in choreography class.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_04: It was like, here's the parameters around which that you're gonna create something.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_04: And it makes it makes your brain work in different ways.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_04: And so I have a feeling that like there's not a lot of that conversation happening in studios where you have the opportunity to take a look at somebody's work and then question it and say, why was that interesting to me?
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_04: Why did you like that?
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_04: Why did that make you smile?
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_04: Why did that make you feel uncomfortable?
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_04: All we're doing is saying, run the dance, clap for your friends, point out one thing they did wrong.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's like those are all helpful things.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_04: And of course we do need to do them.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_04: But, you know, I think we we had a conversation recently about another topic that this came up too of like kids don't get opportunities to process and talk about dance because they're just doing it, doing it, doing it, doing it.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's why it's important to like, if you have the opportunity, go see your local high school's production of rent or whatever, or maybe not rent.
• 50:31
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Matilda.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_04: You know, go rent rent junior, which is also.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I mean, have give give more opportunities for that exploration because that is going to help create artistry within those dancers.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_04: Because if all you're doing is just making them regurgitate something, and which is what I think happens a lot because we're pressed for time and we need to put it on the schedule.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_04: And everybody paid for 14 private lessons in two weeks.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_04: And like, how do we get it all in?
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_04: And you have to have that time to explore and to allow the voice, like you said, Geo, to come out to be authentic because that way it's gonna reflect in what they're given to produce on stage.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like Brittany said, the I think that personally, I think that some people are just afraid to like tell their own story like authentically.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think that like I hate to think that like any anyone's incapable of like producing like really good work.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_00: I just think that people are just like maybe not afraid.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what the word really is, but it they have a wall up where they think that their idea cannot be followed through.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: And if you think that your students can't put together something that you produced, then like you said, Courtney, it's about bridging that that gap.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_00: Then you gotta do a little extra work if you wanna, you know, and if it's not perfect, then okay.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you gotta attempt it.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and you do.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_00: And half the time, if you follow through with that unique idea, two out of three, those judges are gonna be like, oh, that's interesting.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_04: I see you're going to say right.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_04: It's in the bones are in there.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_05: You know what's also really interesting about what you just said, Gio, is I think like, like there is maybe like a fear, like I'm scared to like maybe do something wrong, mess up it not be good.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_05: If I go back to like my six-year-old, seven-year-old self, there's no way I could ever imagine I would be sitting here speaking about my opinion on this because I was like a rule follower.
• 52:22
  SPEAKER_05: I have to do this, I have to do that.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_05: I I can't do this because like I might mess up.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_05: And in my whole life, but also just like my dance life too.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, oh, this is what it should look like.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_05: I I have to do it correctly.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_05: And somewhere along the way, maybe bits and pieces incrementally, I was able to find my voice.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_05: And the fact that I'm able to say here and like speak my opinion on it, like is the same thing, right?
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_05: Like, try it, see what happens.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_05: What's the worst that can happen?
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_05: You don't get double platinum high score, triple diamond whatever at competition.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_05: And you take those critiques and you listen to what the judges say, and you say, Oh, that's an interesting point.
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_05: I didn't think about that.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, let's rework.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_05: It's living, it's breathing.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_05: Like, it's only February, it's only March, right?
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_05: Like, let's see what else we can do by June, by nationals, by July.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_05: So I think it's like, that's that's what I, as I go into competitions and judge, like that's my intention is to like at the beginning of the season say, like, I know you've got so much time this season to like continue developing this.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_05: So here are some things to think about.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_05: So I think that like, yeah, it's about I I would love to see people like expressing their opinions and expressing their thoughts in a vulnerable way.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_05: But I also think like there is something that maybe those of us who do feel like we can express it can help those people, like encourage them and like be the leader to be like, ah, you know what, I tried something, I messed up, and like nothing bad happened.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_05: And I've learned some things from it.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I I think what what you said is really valid, Britt.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like that also I was thinking about, you know, the toolbox that you have created in your in your class, Geo, where not every dance teacher, dance choreographer, dancer has been lucky enough to even learn about something like their toolbox of collection of options.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then that makes me fall back on thinking maybe there can't be artistry for some because they've never been given artistry before.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_01: They've never felt the artistry before based on who passed the knowledge down to them.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_01: Where did they train?
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_01: What access did they have?
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they don't know how to be artistic, unfortunately.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_01: And that's just what it is, you know?
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I I feel like that then those people become the followers.
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_01: Then those people become voices.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have their unique voice yet.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_01: They haven't discovered that yet.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_01: And they and they're too afraid, very similar to what you were just saying, Brittany.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_01: They're too afraid to go there and dig and deep and find it because it's gonna take time.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, well, and it's not gonna be for everyone.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_04: You know, art being artistic doesn't mean people are always going to like what you produce.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_04: And that's a thing you have to live with too.
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, there's and I'll I'll talk about this movie till the day I die.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_04: I hated it so much.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_04: It's called Tree of Life.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_04: I saw it like 15 years ago.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_04: And it was one of these very art house, you know, very heady movies.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_04: I hate, I hated it, it made me so uncomfortable.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_04: But I remember that visceral feeling, and I was like, well, they did it.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_04: They achieved something, like they they did it.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_04: And I feel that way about some dance too.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, even if it's not for me, they they affected me.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_04: And that is the goal.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_04: Whether it's I love, I love this, I won an award, or I hate this.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_04: If you made me feel something, you did your job.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we talked about that at the very start.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_01: The feel.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like you gotta feel, you gotta feel something.
• 55:48
  SPEAKER_01: And even them them making it memorable.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think that every single piece of art needs to be completely memorable, but I I do feel there was a there was a point recently I was judging.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_01: Someone sitting in the front rows on their phone, they didn't want to watch what was on that stage.
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_01: They weren't captivated by what was on that stage.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_01: It shouldn't matter if you know dance or not.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_01: If you are bringing a clear intention, a purpose, a story, if you know how to command a room, especially if you're a soloist, you have it even harder to dig deep, to find that artistry to inform an entire audience to watch you.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_01: That is a very, very hard job to do.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can see people on their phones in the audience, you haven't done that yet.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it that's okay.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta you gotta dig deep and keep exploring.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_01: How do what do I need to shift?
• 56:35
  SPEAKER_01: What do I need to do that's different?
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes is it the dancer or is it the choreographer?
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_01: I don't I I don't know.
• 56:41
  SPEAKER_01: It depends.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think it I think it really comes down to that perfect harmony.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_01: Because, like you were saying, Tio, there's a lot of times like you you're really going in in different approaches with your choreography rehearsals and and uh drilling rehearsals with your students, talking about more than just this the execution of your skills.
• 57:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, okay, well, why are you reaching there?
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_01: Why are you looking there?
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_01: What is the reason behind it?
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_01: That is missing for so many dancers.
• 57:07
  SPEAKER_01: That isn't even being offered to so many dancers.
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe that artistry isn't even being given to them.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, I don't know, my teacher told me to reach here, so I'm gonna reach here.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there should always be a reason behind it, and the teacher needs to express that and the choreographer needs to relay that.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's like that's why it's a big collaborative effort more than people think.
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_01: It shouldn't just be about let me get this choreography to you and good luck.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you guys nail your triple pirouette.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's so much more to a an artistic piece of choreography when I'm watching that moves me.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_04: And then I mean I think you mentioned about like even little little kids, you know, you can still have artistry with young dancers.
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_04: It just, it's that same conversation, but at their level.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's you are my sunshine and you love your mom.
• 57:52
  SPEAKER_04: Like that's the intention, that's the story, that's what these, you know, dancers should be portraying.
• 57:57
  SPEAKER_04: And you can tell whether it's just, you know, point glissad, point glissad, or if it's like, here's something that means something, you know.
• 58:05
  SPEAKER_04: And that's I I think too that it it is hard to think about like artistry with seven-year-olds, but I think it's it it is real.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_04: You just have to bring it down to a manageable level, just like you do everything else with kids, or hopefully you do.
• 58:21
  SPEAKER_01: Have y'all ever seen or rewarded a dance at competition that did not have any tricks inside of the dance choreographically?
• 58:32
  SPEAKER_01: Have you ever seen that?
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_01: Have you ever seen those types of pieces succeed?
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_01: I would anything come to mind off the top of your head.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'm curious to know if artistry has ever won for our listeners who seem to think that every trick under the sun is the only way to win at a competition.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_05: 100%.
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_05: Like, I'm like nodding, like, yes, absolutely.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_05: I think to a lot of the things that Gio talked about earlier in the podcast, um, it is layered.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_05: So there's still a technical element there.
• 59:04
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I think I would be lying if I said that technique didn't matter.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_05: But as far as tricks and skills go, I have absolutely given, I uh I know for a fact, maybe I don't remember what year this was, but I gave a soloist like a 99 out of a hundred.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_05: And I said, they they didn't do a single siderial, they didn't, they did, I think maybe one leap.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_05: I think I saw a single pirouette in the senior level, and it was because they did display their technique.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_05: Leap was beautiful line, pirouette, nice and controlled, but we're not talking 17,000 Alistacone turns into a knee drop roll to a scorpion, right?
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_05: Like they were moving in a way that felt like I was seeing their soul.
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_05: And that was what was so important.
• 59:59
  SPEAKER_05: And the funny thing about this is when that dancer got up there to take their award, I actually think the dancer also won choreography um in that segment.
• 1:00:08
  SPEAKER_05: And, you know, they say, like, oh, who was your choreographer?
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_05: And she was like, I am.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_05: And she was a senior in high school, she choreographed her own routine.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that goes back to a lot of things you're saying, Gio, is like the voice, right?
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_05: Like sometimes, and honestly, like when I started choreographing my own stuff in college, I realized that I had a very like specific style, and that style was allowing me to speak my voice.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_05: And when I in the past have taught, going back to like the the little kids or like the under seven group, when I taught three to five-year-olds, and you know, we're doing like a combo class and we're doing like free dance, freeze dance, whatever it is, right?
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_05: Like it probably from the outside looks really silly.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_05: Like a parent, why am I spending money for my kid to like run around with scarves and like do this freeze dance thing?
• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_05: But I know 100% that that is allowing them to speak their voice.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_05: And if we continue to allow moments like that, maybe the seven to nine year old, the seven to ten-year-old, even into the teens, right?
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_05: If we still give them that space, because that starts to fall off as they get older.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_05: We don't do the free dance improv stuff as much.
• 1:01:23
  SPEAKER_05: And I think if we continue to allow them to do that, it will allow them to still like maintain their style or develop their style or their style changes and it allows them to voice their opinion or voice their style in that way.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_05: And so yeah, I think I think it's really interesting to see like that dance was choreographed by a senior in high school, and she did just a couple very not simple, basic, but like simple basic skills, right?
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_05: And it wasn't anything crazy.
• 1:01:51
  SPEAKER_05: And she won choreography and I gave her a 99.
• 1:01:53
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know what the other judges gave her, but yeah.
• 1:01:57
  SPEAKER_01: Says a lot.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think personal stories always wins.
• 1:02:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's me.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd say it doesn't have to happen to you in something that you want to share, but I think that like ultimately it's about passing down stories, you know, in any capacity.
• 1:02:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think that that's that's why I don't like to think that like no one's incapable.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like I know you are.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, you know, let's let's follow through teachers and directors.
• 1:02:20
  SPEAKER_00: We got it.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_04: Cause like like I think Brittany said earlier, everybody's an individual.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_04: We have all come from somewhere, we've all been through something.
• 1:02:27
  SPEAKER_04: And even if your life has been peachy keen, that is also a story.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_04: You know, that is also something to share.
• 1:02:32
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, I think I'm I'm so excited to see this season and and hopefully find some of those, you know, gems of pieces, like you said, Britney, of like, my God, that was a senior.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_04: And I love it when that happens when you ask that question, because that's happened to me too.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_04: Where you're just like your mind is blown because you're like, you know who you are.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_04: I don't even know who I am.
• 1:02:53
  SPEAKER_04: Who like you know who you are, and that is a beautiful thing.
• 1:02:56
  SPEAKER_04: And it's it feels rare and it shouldn't be rare.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's important to find that voice as a dancer, as a creator, as a choreographer.
• 1:03:05
  SPEAKER_01: Some people are pressured into doing different roles at a studio that they might have not signed up for or ever thought they'd create for, or whatever it is.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_01: And and you got to push yourself to find that creation creation process a little bit faster than maybe you would have wanted to.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe it got thrown into your lap and you're like, here I go, I'm gonna try to become a choreographer all of a sudden.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know, my I don't know how yet, but I'm gonna figure it out.
• 1:03:28
  SPEAKER_01: And you learn as you go.
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_01: But one of the final things I was gonna mention is just the fact that like even for choreographers who are interested in like expanding their voice and like making sure that their voice is resonating with the right individuals and making people feel what you want it to feel.
• 1:03:42
  SPEAKER_01: And and maybe let's say that their their students or their dancers or their subjects aren't really at the level to achieve that artistry just yet in the execution portion.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_01: The unfortunate part about how our industry is is uh set up is that sometimes choreographers want feedback too.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_01: They want to know if it's working, if it's not, how are they going to grow to become artistic choreographers if they are never being told this is working or this isn't working, or hey, why don't you expand this or why don't you do this exercise?
• 1:04:10
  SPEAKER_01: But there's no way to educate the choreographers once you get to that position uh because it's all about the dancers.
• 1:04:16
  SPEAKER_01: And this is competitive dance for youth, I get it.
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I wish there was more ways, ways of like collaborative choreography feedback to really like sculpt and help mold newer, fresher choreographers that want that education.
• 1:04:29
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, MFA programs, uh BFA programs have this as well.
• 1:04:33
  SPEAKER_01: But there's a lot of people that don't have access to that, a lot of people that can't go to school, and also even after that, maybe continuing education of that.
• 1:04:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh because I think that like we're all inspired by one another, and it's really exciting to see that people's voices being discovered.
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_01: And these kids these days are so talented.
• 1:04:52
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, them they're creating their own pieces half the time.
• 1:04:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's so exciting to see kids doing that.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_01: I could never at my age.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but even just allowing opportunities for your students to explore like that, not just in improv, but even creation, whether it hits the stage or not, perform it at recital, have a little showcase in the studio, like you know, guiding them in in those ways, I think is really beneficial to help create the artistic voice of our future.
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I love this chat.
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I I feel like there's so much more that we could continue to talk about, but it is a really important one.
• 1:05:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad that you picked this uh topic, Dio.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_01: It was a great one.
• 1:05:29
  SPEAKER_00: No, it was it was it looks like we already went through a whole hour.
• 1:05:33
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna find out, don't worry.
• 1:05:38
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm I was I'm excited.
• 1:05:40
  SPEAKER_00: We had this conversation and it definitely flowed.
• 1:05:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um I'm just inspired, inspired that I got some different perspectives.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it was really nice to hear what you had to say, Brittany.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, same.
• 1:05:51
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_01: Well, y'all, like we said, we could be here all day, we could chat dance all day, but sadly, we have to wrap up this amazing chat.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to thank you and Brittany for joining us on this episode.
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_01: You guys were rock stars, you killed it.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for that.
• 1:06:07
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, thank you.
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, but if you listen to Making an Impact, then you probably know that we always have our guests who lead us out with a final thought.
• 1:06:15
  SPEAKER_01: So if there's anything that you haven't said on this episode that you want to get out there to leave with the world about artistry and choreography, artistry on the competitive stage, speaking to whoever you want, dancers, studio owners, teachers, other choreographers, your own students, whoever you'd like to chat with.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_01: Final thoughts.
• 1:06:32
  SPEAKER_01: Ready, set go.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_00: Dare to discover more.
• 1:06:35
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like dare to, you know, unclose the layers that kind of like bind us to like because we need to show up for these events.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that we need to kind of break that wall down and truly make it a more performative space and and not allow those restrictions of score score scores and and critiques to and critiques are beneficial, but then when we don't get the right ones, I feel like then there's like a little bit of misdirection.
• 1:07:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd say in the studio for my choreographers and teachers and directors, let's let's keep digging, let's keep doing the work, let's keep meeting our students, let's keep bridging the gap of understanding their bodies and understanding the whys behind and give try to give them a little bit more of an experience in that daily class than getting that that thing perfect.
• 1:07:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think that sometimes it may take two or three classes for you to feel like it's very successful, you know, then the light bulbs start coming on.
• 1:07:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I just think that is just about doing the work consistently.
• 1:07:44
  SPEAKER_05: I think for me it's it's similar to what Gio's saying with the why.
• 1:07:49
  SPEAKER_05: Why why are why am I creating this piece?
• 1:07:52
  SPEAKER_05: Why am I reaching?
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_05: Why am I doing this and thinking about how you want to make people feel?
• 1:08:00
  SPEAKER_05: How do you want people to feel walking away from this?
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_05: What do you want them to take away?
• 1:08:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode all about keeping the artistry alive in competitive dance.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_01: Stay connected with our guests on Instagram.
• 1:08:16
  SPEAKER_01: You can find Brittany at BSprung514 and Giovanni at Giovanni C Allen.
• 1:08:24
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• 1:08:30
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• 1:08:36
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• 1:08:45
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• 1:08:52
  SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check out IDA affiliated competition Uproar Dance Competition.
• 1:08:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uproar Dance Competition and Convention is an exciting, high-energy dance experience built on decades of experience within competition dance.
• 1:09:05
  SPEAKER_01: They're transforming the way dance competitions are done by bringing the performance to life with state-of-the-art production.
• 1:09:12
  SPEAKER_01: They believe the weekend experience matters far more than the trophy.
• 1:09:16
  SPEAKER_01: Their conventions offer educational opportunities with top industry professionals, while their competition provides an encouraging environment, scholarship opportunities, and regional recognition.
• 1:09:27
  SPEAKER_01: Their mission is to create a space where dancers grow, studios unite, and the love of dance takes over.
• 1:09:33
  SPEAKER_01: Roar with Uproar in 2026 in Kansas City, Des Moines, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix.
• 1:09:40
  SPEAKER_01: Learn more about Uproar Dance Competitions and Conventions on their website at danceuproar.com and register now for an upcoming event.
• 1:09:50
  SPEAKER_04: Coming up in the next few weeks, look forward to an IDA competition feature with Elevation on Tour, the transition from studio dance to dance team, and a throwback episode all about dance teams.