Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Q&A with Courtney - November Edition

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Q&A with Courtney - November Edition · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_05: Hi everyone and welcome to Making the Impact, a Dance Competition Podcast.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_05: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and we are here today for this month's episode of QA with Courtney.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_05: I'm here to answer all of your questions about dance competitions.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_05: Shout out to all the listeners out there who have been tuning in and enjoying our first few episodes of the brand new podcast.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_05: It's been an absolute blast making this podcast idea become a reality.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_05: My co-host and producer Leslie has been a huge help to make this podcast get up on its feet and out to all of you.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_05: We also have an amazing podcast manager, Marissa Stanick, who has been helping with a lot of the behind-the-scenes editing and post-production of the pod.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_05: Truly, I couldn't make this happen without the help of these amazing ladies, as well as all of our guests and IDA judges who have joined us so far on this journey.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_05: And of course, a giant thank you to all of you who have been tuning in and listening from day one.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_05: We love hearing from you and we love seeing the reviews and comments come into us about the episodes.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_05: I'm so happy that you're enjoying the content that we're providing and producing for you, and we have a lot more amazing topics coming your way soon on the pod, so be sure to stay subscribed and don't forget our episodes launch every Monday throughout the dance season.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_05: We have had a ton of questions flooding in from all of you listeners and supporters of IDA about all things dance competition.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_05: We have questions coming from dance parents to studio owners.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_05: We've reached Canada and Australia, and we even have some questions coming in through our Instagram.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_05: If you have a question that you want answered by me, send them over now on our website and I'll answer it on the air.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_05: You can check out our show notes after the episode is over and click the link to submit directly from there.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_05: You have the choice to remain completely anonymous if you prefer, or you can share your name, location, and studio and I will give you a shout out.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_05: We especially love when you submit your questions through a voice recording.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_05: We'll play your recording on the air for everyone to hear your fabulous voice.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_05: So be sure to head over to our website now and send over all of your questions.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_05: I cannot wait to hear them.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_05: Alright, let's get right to it.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_05: I'm so excited to answer all of these amazing questions on the podcast episode this month.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_05: And our first question is coming from a dance parent named Lottie from Alberta, Canada.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_05: Their question is, do competition judges actually take the dancer's age into account when adjudicating a category with various ages?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_05: For example, in a category with dancers aged 10 to 12 years old, will they make allowances for a 10-year-old not being at a similar developmental stage than the 12-year-old, or do they choose to reward the best dancer in the category regardless of age?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_05: Similarly, a 13-year-old doesn't have the same maturity as a 16-year-old, but can be placed in the same category.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_05: Is that taken into account?
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you, Lottie, for sending this in all the way from Canada.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_05: Woo! I love that we're reaching all of these amazing places.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_05: So I have a lot to say about this question, and I think that this is also in regards to essentially kind of like the level discussion that we always love and that we, I promise, we'll get to on the podcast.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_05: Don't worry.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_05: This is actually a great question that will lead us into our upcoming episode, which is age range expectations.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_05: So in our upcoming episode, coming right after this, actually, we will have a discussion with a few different dance teachers on the IDA judges panel, and we discuss our expectations for each age range.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_05: So definitely check that episode out because it will answer this question.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_05: But at the moment, I definitely do consider age when I am judging.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_05: So back when I was growing up, and I'm sure you've heard me say this story before, and if you were competing in the 90s and the early 2000s, uh you sh I'm sure you remember this, but levels weren't really a thing yet.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_05: Especially when I was, I think I was maybe my first solo was when I was 10.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_05: And I was in the junior age range at the time because there was no such thing as levels.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_05: It was only based around your age.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_05: And at that time specifically, the age was 12 and under and 13 and over.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_05: So as a 10-year-old, I'm kind of competing against 12-year-olds that I, you know, definitely was not at their level.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_05: And it was hard, of course.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, now that there's levels and everything, and you can base it on what your level is, whether you're beginner, intermediate, or advanced, then we also have the age ranges that separate everything.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, we can't have every age range, age 10, age 11, age 12, age 13.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_05: Sometimes, depending on how many dancers are in the category, they will break it into age categories, but at the same time, everyone's lumped under that, like teen or junior or petite or whatever it is.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_05: So when I'm judging, I do put that into consideration.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_05: I am looking at your age as who is performing and comparing in a sense that you're all under this umbrella of being a junior dancer.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_05: You are between the ages of 10 and 12, if that's what the junior age range category is.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_05: And if the 10-year-old is at a more technical level as doing more advanced steps in comparison to the 12-year-old, then I will kind of score them a little bit higher because that's impressive for a 10-year-old to be able to do.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, it's impressive for all dancers to be able to do.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_05: But in comparison, I do put age into the equation.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not sure if all judges are like that.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_05: Some judges may just look at the category overall.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_05: Another thing to remember is that not all the time do the judges know exactly what age every dancer is.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_05: It really depends on what information that the competition provides us, and depending on their software and things like that, or what's printed in their program that we're following along with, it may or may not have their actual age.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, you might be in the age division 10 to 12, but it won't say that that dancer who's dancing is age 11, if that makes sense.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_05: So I would say that if I do have those tools and it does show me the age, I will put that into consideration when I am judging.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_05: And of course, looking at the overall picture, you know, you're competing in your level and in your age range against maybe two or three other age ranges.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_05: But at the same time, if a younger dancer is doing the same skills as an older dancer within that age range and they are succeeding at them and doing them technically the same or better than the older dancer at the, you know, end of that age bracket, then I will score the younger dancer higher because they're younger.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_05: And that's impressive.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not saying that every dancer needs to be doing crazy tricks, you know, the younger the better, but I do think that it is worth mentioning.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_05: And there are times I know that a lot of people have this question about like, oh, well, how you know, a 13-year-old's not going to be as artistic and mature and advanced as a 15-year-old.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, all dancers are kind of growing at that time and going through different changes in their body and things like that.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_05: So at 13, you're still kind of figuring everything out and you might had a growth spurt overnight and your arms are now super extra long and things like that.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_05: But at the same time, there are definitely dancers who are 13 who are surpassing dancers that might be 15 at the end of that age bracket.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_05: And I will put that into consideration.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_05: So, me as a judge personally, Courtney Ortiz as a judge, I do look at these things, but overall, we do have to remember that we are scoring it in that age bracket.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_05: And sometimes we don't know their age.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_05: So I hope that's helpful and I hope that answers the question.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_05: But I do think that it's an important question to ask.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_05: And like I mentioned, we do have the age range expectations podcast episode coming up very shortly after this episode is launched.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_05: So that will be a perfect episode for everyone to listen to because we're not talking about levels at that point.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_05: We're talking about what we as teachers and judges expect to see when we're watching and judging specific age ranges at competition.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_05: So I think that'll be a helpful, helpful tool for all of you guys to listen to.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you again, Lottie, for asking and sending that question in and on to the next.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_05: Our next question is an audio question coming from Reagan Haley of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_05: She is a studio owner of Reagan Mason Haley Dance Company.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_05: Let's hear what she has to say.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_04: My question is: which kind of routine would you score higher pertaining to the teen and senior age category?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_04: One, a routine that is not technically difficult but is precise and clean.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_04: Or two, a routine that has a high level of difficulty but isn't quite as polished.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_05: This is a very similar question to one of the ones that was asked on our October edition of QA with Courtney.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_05: And that question in the October edition was actually exactly the same except referring to the beginner level.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_05: And this question is now asking about the teen and senior age categories.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_05: So do we want to see something that is sleek and clean with good technique, or do we want to see something that's a little bit more advanced in the choreography and the steps, but might need a little bit of cleaning?
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_05: And based off of what all of our judges had to say last episode with this similar question, I think the same still applies regardless of what level.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_05: Judges always want to see clean, clean, clean dances on stage.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_05: We appreciate when there is a level of difficulty, but we still expect that to be done in a clean and precise, technically proficient way.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_05: So just because you are in the higher age division, the teen and the senior, doesn't necessarily mean that we need to see those crazy advanced tricks.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_05: I would love to see perfection on the stage.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_05: That's of course everyone's goal.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that teachers often feel pressured by their students because the dancers want to do all these fun, cool tricks that they're working on in class.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_05: And sometimes the teachers are like, Yeah, this is great.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_05: We're working towards these.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_05: Like that switch leap looks so close to being perfect, or that scorpion is almost straight, or whatever the trick may be.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_05: And at the same time, the teachers also need to know when to pull it back and say, but this isn't ready for competition yet.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_05: This is great for class, we're still working on this.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe next season, when you get that step or that trick nailed perfectly, we can put it in your dance.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_05: So I think that that it really comes down to consistency and making sure that we as teachers are putting in and showing our student the best on stage for competition.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_05: I love me a clean routine.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_05: I always appreciate when I see that the dancers have drilled this, have cleaned every single detail.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_05: And of course, if there is that advanced difficulty level to it, that's great too.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_05: But we are really focusing on the technique and making sure that the execution of the steps are done safely and properly with the appropriate technique.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_05: So in the end, I don't feel like that we as choreographers and teachers need to feel that we need to like make every step super advanced because we're in the older age division.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_05: I don't think that's true.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, flashy and you know, big huge jumps and big huge kicks and things like that are always fun to watch.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_05: But there's something special about being in that teen and senior level, specifically the senior, when we can kind of step back and take out all the tricks and try to look at that next layer of foundation with the style, the musicality, the execution, the dynamics, things like that.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_05: You can walk around and do absolutely nothing on stage, but have style and a strong presence and mature quality to it.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_05: And that's beautiful to watch than if you're doing trick, trick, trick, trick, trick.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_05: So in the end, I really think that less is always more.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_05: I think that you probably have heard judges say that and teachers say that.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_05: Don't feel like you have to over-chore graph or put in those advanced steps to try to compete with the studio next to you at competition.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_05: Do what works best for your dancers.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_05: If you would rather put a clean, technically clean, solid dance on stage that may not have the crazy tricks in it, that's okay.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_05: We love and support that, and we want to see your best you on stage.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_05: I think it really comes down to that.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_05: So that's my advice to all the teachers and choreographers out there.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you, Reagan, for asking this question.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_05: It's definitely a good one, and I like to discuss it whether it's the beginner level or if it's the teen and seniors as well.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you so much.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_05: On to our next question, which is a really, really great one.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_05: I'm sure you all will be excited to hear my answer to.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_05: This question is coming from one of our Instagram questions.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_05: Yay! This is from Janine underscore G underscore.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_05: And the question is tights or no tights, especially in the teen and senior.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_05: That is the question.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_05: This is definitely the question.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_05: That is the truth.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_05: Everyone wants to know tights or no tights.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_05: The hottest question alongside levels in the dance competition world.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you, um, Janine, for sending this question in via Instagram, which by the way, dancers out there and teachers and listeners, you can submit your questions directly through our Instagram.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_05: Head over to that now and type in your question and we'll answer it.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you for our first Instagram question.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_05: I think this is a really hot topic, obviously.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_05: Tights are no tights.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_05: And, you know, the trend right now in competition land is to wear just a leotard on stage and no tights, which I could not imagine doing when I was the dancer's age.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, even to this day, as a professional dancer, it would take a lot for me to get out on stage with just a leotard on.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not a huge tight fan, like personally as a dancer.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_05: I love feeling just like my bare legs, and I don't really love the feeling of tights when I dance, but sometimes tights are necessary and appropriate.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_05: So we have to know when that is.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_05: There is a an upcoming costume episode that we'll be launching at the top of the new year so we can get prepped and ready for the season.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm sure in that podcast episode, we will definitely talk about this topic.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_05: But for now, to kind of give you a little opinion from me personally about tights or no tights, I think that it really depends.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_05: Honestly, I really think it depends on the dancer, and I think it depends on the costume.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_05: Like I mentioned, it's very popular to wear just a leotard on stage, and I think that all of these leotard costumes are absolutely beautiful.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_05: I'm so inspired by them.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you to the costume designers who are making these beautiful costumes come to life.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that every dancer wants to wear these just only leotards, but sometimes, especially as the where we're sitting on the judging panel, which is usually like on the bottom floor, we're at like feet level with our eyes sometimes.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_05: We kind of sometimes see a little bit too much than we might want to see in just these leotards.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_05: So I would definitely recommend to the dancers out there who are wearing just a leotard, whether it's just like a brief and a bra or just a leotard, I'm speaking no tights right now.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_05: We have to make sure that we have the proper undergarments underneath our costume.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_05: If you know your costume allows that, which I hope that it does, make sure that you have that figured out.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_05: If you need to kind of sew in a liner into the costume and an extra like layer of protection, that's great.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, we don't want our undergarments to pop out from outside of the leotard, so we have to make sure that whatever undergarments we find work.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_05: That specifically also applies, which I, you know, this isn't about tights, but it also applies to our bras as well.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_05: So make sure that our bras are disguised and secured underneath our costume.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_05: But as far as tights, we have to make sure that if we're not wearing them with a leotard specifically, that we use all the butt glue, all the butt tape, all of that, whatever you need to use to make sure that your leotard is not moving off your body.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_05: The reason for this is that the way that our solos and group dances have evolved throughout the few years is that we are going more towards a very like acro heavy style of dance in the competition world these days.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_05: And while a leotard is extremely flattering to go with acro movement at the same time, it can also restrict us from executing our acro movements as confident as we would if we were in a legging or in a tight, because you know, maybe something might slip out and you're trying to do backflip or you're doing an extension to the front.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_05: And, you know, we want to make sure that you're covered and you feel appropriate on stage.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_05: So that's where I'm recommending to all dancers and all moms to please invest in all of the butt glue options that are out there, all of the like I've heard people that use like carpet tape and things to like actually physically tape the costume to your booty and make sure that it's stuck and good so it doesn't move around or shift.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_05: Even me just saying like, go get carpet tape and put that on your body, like that sounds crazy to me.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_05: This is not something that we ever had to deal with when I was growing up because we wore tights most of the time.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_05: And that being said, we towards the end of my time in the competition world, Contemporary was like just making an entrance.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_05: And we at my studio did a lot of modern dance as well.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_05: So we wore booty shorts, which were like the cool thing back in the day.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_05: And booty shorts were less revealing, you know, it you're more covered in a booty short, so it felt okay to just wear, you know, your bare legs and no tights, but we've kind of changed the game with the leotard, and depending on the cut of leotard and how high it is, you know, we want to make sure that everything is secure.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_05: That is that is the main goal.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_05: We want to make sure that you as a dancer feel comfortable and don't follow the trend of wearing a leotard if you feel uncomfortable.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_05: We as judges want you to feel and look your best on stage.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_05: So pick a costume that flatters your body, that you feel confident in, and that you're gonna come and nail your routine in and have your costume not restrict you.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_05: Now let's flip the switch and go back to the tights discussion.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_05: When do we feel like tights is appropriate?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_05: I think that tights are appropriate in jazz routines very often.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not saying all jazz routines, but depending on the style of jazz, I think that it's absolutely appropriate to wear tights.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_05: I've seen a lot of studios who are maybe more like contemporary heavy studios, which is totally fine.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_05: And they try to do other styles of dance, but they're all kind of like linked around like a contemporary vibe or again, totally fine.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_05: And they always wear no tights and maybe kind of the same style leotards all the time.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_05: I think that as studio owners and teachers, it would be a good idea to like take a step back and take a full picture look at all of your dances for the season and see if all the costumes seem similar or not.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_05: I think that bringing variation to the stage is important.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_05: So if you have like a classic jazz routine, but you're putting them in a leotard and no tights, maybe rethink that instead of trying to follow the trend because that's what you like and you know you're trying to stay current, current is great.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_05: But we can also go classic and have on a high-cut leotard with a black fishnet tight or a tan fishnet tight or even a black tight with black jazz shoes.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_05: Those are absolutely options.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that even for our little ones, our little ones like wearing tights too.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_05: Tights are a great thing because it will help accentuate your lines.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_05: So something I always like to mention to some dancers is that let's say that, you know, a dancer is struggling with getting their ankles stretched all the way and their line is incomplete, or they can't get that knee stretched all the way, so in their bat maz, their knee slightly bent, or their garanjites, their back leg is slightly bent, tights are a perfect disguise on stage for that.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_05: You can put a dancer in a black tight with a black jazz shoe and it'll automatically elongate their lines as well as maybe help disguise that length in their knee.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_05: You know, I think that teachers need to think about smart costuming when it comes to making dancers look their best on stage.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_05: So, overall, when it comes to tights, if let's say your costume is riding up and you've tried the butt glue and you've tried the carpet tape and you've tried everything you can and you're in a leotard and you do not feel comfortable, maybe we need to think about putting a tight on.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_05: I say that feel your best, feel comfortable.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_05: You're not gonna get points taken off if you're if you're wearing tights, but we as judges will be distracted if your costume is revealing something that we might not want to see when you're not wearing tights.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_05: You know, we are very, very close to you and we're at a very different angle than what you might think we are.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_05: We're lower, we're at your feet level looking up most of the time.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_05: So we want to just make sure that everything is appropriately covered for the competition stage and that you feel and look your best.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_05: So, teachers and dancers, make the decision on if you are going to wear tights or not.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_05: And if you aren't wearing tights, make sure we get the appropriate things that we need to secure everything in properly.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_05: And if you are wearing tights, that's great.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_05: It's amazing.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_05: One thing I will mention about wearing tights is make sure that you have the appropriate tight for your dances.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_05: So if you are dancing in bare feet or you're wearing your turners, make sure that you have maybe a stirrup tight or a footless tight if you are wearing tights.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_05: However, please, please, please, this is a note to all dancers and teachers never ever ever roll up your convertible tight at your ankle for the competition stage.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_05: It's just a sloppy look.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_05: It does not look clean.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_05: And I understand if that's easy to transition while you're taking class, but you need to make sure that you have full footed tights, stirrup tights, or footless tights, and never roll up and have a bulky ankle in those tights with the convertible ones.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_05: That's just not ideal for the competition stage.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_05: So make sure we're stage ready.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_05: And then speaking of tights, if we're wearing them, make sure there's no holes or runs in your tights.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_05: If you do have a hole or run, make sure that you have a backup pair that you can throw on really quick.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_05: I've heard the trick of clear nail polish helps prevent runs if you do have a little snag.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_05: And if you have a hole in your fishnet tights, you can use um, you can clip off a little bit of the elastic waistband and use that as thread and sew up that hole in your fishnet tight.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_05: It'll give it that elasticity so it doesn't hinder you in your performance.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_05: So those are a few little tips as far as tights.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_05: But overall, wear tights or don't wear tights, but make sure that you look your best on stage and that you feel the most comfortable.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks so much for our Instagram question coming in about the hottest topic ever.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_05: And we have arrived to our final question of this episode, and this is coming from an anonymous submission.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_05: Their question is.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_05: Our dancers are struggling with transitions.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_05: They do not want to fill the space between movements and contemporary, and at the same time, they're rushing through their transitions and jazz and not giving each move its time and attention.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_05: What exercises or activities can we do to help?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_05: This is a great question as so many dancers struggle with transitions.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_05: I see it every day on the competition stage.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_05: We really want to make sure that we're always filling the in-between steps, and they're just as important as the tricks.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_05: I decided to get some answers and help from a lot of the IDA judges on our roster.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_05: So let's hear from our first IDA judge, Jen.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: My dancers actually struggled with the same thing for a long time, and it was suggested to me that I start all of my progressions with only transitions.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_03: So we spend about 10 minutes every single class walking and strutting and scooting and ponying and just working through transitional steps across the floor, even if it's second plie to susu to second plie susu, working through all of that and giving them different arms.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_03: And that has made a huge difference because every single class they're practicing transitions.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_03: And then I can dive back into that when I do choreography or even class combos.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_03: We can say, okay, this is a walk, but you walk across the floor in a stretch.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_03: Every single class you do a jazz walk or a stretch or a jazz run.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_03: And then they can tap into that.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's that same muscle memory that we give them in everything else.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_03: And somehow transitions, we don't have time, and it's hard to find the time.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: But if they can get in the habit of we warm up and then we're going across the floor, we're gonna walk, we're gonna step touch, we're gonna cross touch, stretch, side, stretch, back, stretch, forward, tip walk, passe walk, west side story passes across the floor, then start running across the floor.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_03: All of those things built in together into their warm-up across the floor has really made a billion percent difference in my own dancers.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_06: Hi everyone, it's Amy.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_06: You know, for me, transitions are one of the most important parts of a dance piece.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_06: It really is the glue that holds everything together.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_06: So, what I like to do with my dancers is I like to have them come up with an actual story as to why they are traveling from place to place.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_06: For instance, they could say they are crawling through the swamp to find the rainbow on the other side, or they're running through a field of daisies to meet up with their best friend.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_06: You know, some sort of description so that way they know that this is a big part of this piece.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_06: This is what's tying in those other movement phrases.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_06: Another thing I like to have them do is I like to have them come up with a vocal phrase that sounds like that transitional step.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_06: So for instance, if they are running from one part of the stage to the next, they may say something like dot dot dot dot dot.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_06: Something that's in rhythm and matches what that step is.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_06: So once again, in their brain, every time they do this transition, it's really gonna help trigger that, hey, this is a big part of the piece as well.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_06: And these are also some fun things for them to do in class and help build that transitional work.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_05: You just heard from two IDA judges, Jen and Amy, with some really awesome advice and suggestions on how to work on transitions in the classroom.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_05: I think that working on transitions across the floor is a fantastic idea.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that the main thing is that dancers need to get out of the habit of thinking that transitions are actually transitional steps and making sure that they understand that these are important elements to the routine that connect it all together, just like Amy said.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_05: Let's hear what IDA Judge Jody has to say.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: So with the question of transitions and not wanting to do transitions in contemporary and rushing through them in jazz, yeah, I find this a lot.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: I like to call it like dance connective tissue.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think the emphasis is placed on tricks, and most younger dancers just want to do the tricks and want to shine in those moments as opposed to understanding how important it is to flow through each movement and to keep dancing in between all of that.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: As a teacher, as a masterclass teacher, I find like especially in a jazz class, younger dancers are often surprised by across the floor.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel that it's important to emphasize across the floor in a class so that they can build up those connective tissue movements like pot-barets or triplets, things that can easily be manipulated with turning and just with different directionalities to get them to feel the importance, the the importance of the flow in those movements to get you from trick to trick or from bigger dance aspects to smaller.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_05: Jody very much agrees with our first two ladies, and across the floor transitions is very, very important to focus on, specifically in jazz class.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_05: Like Jodi mentioned, I can't stress how important it is enough to do progressions across the floor.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, of course, tricks and working on the foundation of our tricks and our leaps and our turns and our jumps across the floor in jazz class are important, but we also have to go back to basics and remember that those fundamentals and foundations of simple, easy pot de bureau transitions and directional changes, weight shifts, ball changes, all of those elements are extremely important to help our dancers understand how to transition through steps.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_05: As a teacher who does travel around the country and work with different dancers at different studios and different regions, one thing that I have noticed specifically in my jazz classes when I do go across the floor is that a lot of dancers don't really understand the fundamentals of a simple pot de bureau or a directional change with a back pot de bureau or a pivot turn weight shift and pushing off of our weight.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_05: Simple things like that are being lost in jazz class.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm not really sure why or where that disconnect is happening.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_05: I feel like that maybe the approach in jazz class is more of like a leaps and turns style class as opposed to really working on connecting all of those steps with progressions and getting that muscle memory going for dancers to understand weight transfers and to understand directional changes a little bit more efficiently.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_05: So if we focus on that across the floor in our jazz classes more, I think that that will automatically help dancers understand how to connect the steps better and work on their transitions within their choreography on stage.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_05: We have two final answers from IDA judges.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_05: Let's first hear from IDA Judge Miranda.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: So something that I think works well for all age ranges and all levels when talking about transitions is to articulate it in ways that will make sense to them on a logical or educational standpoint.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I always use the reference, especially in tap and in jazz, when they tend to rush through the transitions and to not really give the attention and the detail that they need.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: I use it in reference to if you were talking with somebody that had really muffled voice and they were talking so fast you didn't understand what they were saying, how it was unclear to hear that.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's kind of the equivalence of them rushing through their transitions to really make sure that everything that they do is being danced clearly and they're articulating and they're enunciating their movement, just so that when people watch their dance for the first time, they can clearly see what they're trying to convey.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um I also think thinking about your dance in terms of a sentence, how a sentence is structured, there's all those little words in between the ands and the ths and the so's and the commas and the periods and all of that.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: Those little details are what make a sentence a full sentence.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of thinking of choppiness or phrasing, you want to think of a good long thought or a complete thought.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that really helps keep my dancers in like a good mind frame of how important those little transitions are.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_02: Hi, this is Melissa from Impact Adjudicators.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_02: I find there are two important components in improving transitions.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_02: The first is asking students to break down every movement into a beginning, middle, and an end.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_02: Then asking students to identify where and how the end of one movement connects to the beginning of the next.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: Once this is identified, I then attribute a movement dynamic for that connection.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: For example, strong, soft, wavy, floaty, smooth, sharp, etc.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_02: Once this has been set, I asked the students to dance through the phrase, showing the beginning, the middle, and the end of every step, and a clear movement dynamic to connect each step.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_02: For example, if we were performing a shiny turn into a chassis step, the beginning of the movement would be the preparation of the shiny turn, the middle would be the rotation, and the end would be the movement out of the rotation into the chassis step.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_02: And is that where I would attribute the movement dynamic.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_02: I find that this exercise helps improve transitions the most.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_05: You just heard from IDA judges Miranda and Melissa about transitions, and they had some really awesome, helpful tools and tips to use in the classroom that will help your students better understand how to transition properly.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you so much to all of the IDA judges who chimed in and helped us answer this final question on the podcast episode.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_05: I hope that you all enjoyed this month's episode of QA with Courtney.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_05: And if you did, head over to our Apple Podcast page now and leave us a fabulous review.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_05: We would love to hear your thoughts.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_05: Don't forget, if you have a question that you want answered live on the podcast, send it over to us now.
• 31:11
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• 31:21
  SPEAKER_05: Head to our website now and send us your questions for next month's episode at www.impactdance adjudicators.com slash podcast.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_05: Not only do we staff pre-screen judges to competitions at Impact Dance Adjudicators, we also provide an exciting and unique service to dancers and teachers.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_05: IDA Online Judges Critiques are a perfect way to have an in-demand judge view and critique your dance before you hit the stage this season.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_05: It's super easy to send us your video.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_05: Just record your dance in the studio or send us over a video from competition directly on our website.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_05: You can include specific requests on what you want us to look for, like technique improvements, performance quality, transitions, and more to make the service completely personalized to you.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_05: You also have the option to add additional feedback to your critique, which is one of our best-selling services.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_05: Your judge will not only provide a standard critique similar to what you receive at competition, but they will go back through from beginning to end and elaborate in even more detail for an extra 10 to 15 minutes post-critique.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_05: Within 72 hours, you will have your brand new critique back to you with detailed feedback to work on in rehearsal.
• 32:20
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• 32:23
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• 32:28
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• 32:30
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• 32:32
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• 32:34
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• 32:43
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• 32:47
  SPEAKER_05: We can't wait to see your dance.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_05: We have some awesome topics coming your way soon on the podcast like age range expectations, boys in dance, technique, and interviews with competition owners.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_05: Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify, and tune in every Monday throughout the dance season for new episodes.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks so much for joining me for this month's episode of QA with Courtney on Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_05: Until next time, keep dancing.