Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Guest Choreography

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Guest Choreography · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_04: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table of a dance competition?
0:11
SPEAKER_04: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_04: This is making the impact of the dance competition project.
0:16
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.
0:23
SPEAKER_04: One of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of a dancer is learning from new choreographers.
0:28
SPEAKER_04: It takes us out of our comfort zone, challenges us to work in different ways, and exposes us to unique points of view.
0:34
SPEAKER_04: But how do you know you're ready to work with someone new and often without much time in the studio?
0:38
SPEAKER_04: Is bringing a guest choreographer in always a great idea?
0:42
SPEAKER_04: This week on Making the Impact, we take a look at the benefits and potential challenges that arise with using guest choreographers for competition.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: Hey everybody, it's Courtney Ortiz, and welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
0:55
SPEAKER_01: I'm here, of course, with my co-host Leslie Mueller.
0:59
SPEAKER_01: Good morning, afternoon, or evening, depending on when you're listening.
1:02
SPEAKER_01: It's morning for us over here in Podcast Land, and we are talking about guest choreography today.
1:08
SPEAKER_01: It's going to be a really fantastic discussion, and we have two fabulous new guests who are brand new to the pod that we're going to introduce to you all very shortly.
1:17
SPEAKER_01: But before we do, we want to let all of you listeners know a little bit about what's going on in IDA land.
1:23
SPEAKER_01: It's been a really busy season right now, and we've been hard at work prepping and gearing up for the next competition season that's coming up so soon.
1:31
SPEAKER_01: But in the meantime, we have launched a virtual competition, which we did back during the pandemic in March, April, May, June.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: We ran our virtual comp and we decided to, you know, bring it back for the fall.
1:44
SPEAKER_01: So here we are in virtual competition world again.
1:47
SPEAKER_01: Our IDA's virtual competition is now open and accepting registration.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: So definitely go check it out on our website.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: It's super fun.
1:56
SPEAKER_01: You'll get critiques from three fabulous IDA judges as well as an additional feedback critique, which is different than what you get at competition.
2:03
SPEAKER_01: One of our judges will actually pause and start and stop your dance and give you even more feedback than you get at a regular comp.
2:10
SPEAKER_01: So that's what kind of makes our event a little bit more unique than others out there.
2:15
SPEAKER_01: And we also host a top 20 challenge where all of the top 20 dancers in each age division recompete on a live stream for a brand new set of judges to determine their overall rankings.
2:24
SPEAKER_01: You can win cash prizes if you're in the top three.
2:27
SPEAKER_01: And there's even sponsored awards from so many fabulous sponsors that's eligible for all contestants in the event.
2:33
SPEAKER_01: So we have some really great things going on.
2:35
SPEAKER_01: Registration is open until December 1st.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: So definitely go check that out now.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: Some great things that have happened this season is we have some fabulous sponsors that have joined on to Making the Impact podcast.
2:46
SPEAKER_01: So let's uh Leslie tell you a little bit about one of our new sponsors.
2:51
SPEAKER_04: We are so excited to have Jake Nothing as a new sponsor for Making the Impact.
2:55
SPEAKER_04: And Jake Nothing is geared towards studio owners.
2:57
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3:00
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3:01
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3:04
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3:08
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3:13
SPEAKER_04: Their team of designers will work with you to come up with a perfect look.
3:16
SPEAKER_04: Have Jake Nothing create the perfect team gear just for you and your dancers.
3:20
SPEAKER_04: Head on over to Jake Nothing.com and click on custom to get started.
3:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Jake Nothing, for sponsoring this episode.
3:26
SPEAKER_01: And definitely go check out their awesome team gear for competition season.
3:30
SPEAKER_01: All right, y'all.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: Well, it's time to meet our guests and dive into this fabulous discussion about guest choreography.
3:37
SPEAKER_01: We have two brand new guests to the podcast that I can't wait to get to know even more.
3:41
SPEAKER_01: And I'd first love to introduce one of the fabulous IDA judges, Brandon Cornet.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: Hello, hello.
3:49
SPEAKER_00: Hello, so excited to be here.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: Yay, we're so happy to have you.
3:54
SPEAKER_01: Brandon and I go way back.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: So far back.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: I've it's the memories are so good.
4:01
SPEAKER_01: Actually, you know what's really funny?
4:03
SPEAKER_01: I was at my parents' house a few months ago and I was look rummaging through my stuff at home, and I came across our Petrushka like postcard, like a like the ad for the show.
4:15
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, and it had all of our names on the back of it.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, oh my god, it's 2009 or something.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: You must send that to me the next time you're you're I have a photo home.
4:25
SPEAKER_00: Okay, please, yeah, when this is over.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm dying.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, I love that so much.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: Brandon and I met way back when, when we were just young and fresh in New York City.
4:36
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
4:36
SPEAKER_01: And we did a fabulous show for the New York Musical Theater Festival together.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: And uh then we've stayed friends ever since.
4:43
SPEAKER_01: And Brandon's joined the IDA roster and judge I I work for his business, and then he works for my business, and it's really fabulous.
4:51
SPEAKER_01: So, Brandon, please feel free to give a little bit of rundown about who you are, where you're from, your credits, and what you're up to now.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
5:01
SPEAKER_00: I love, I love our relationship because not only between Dance Device Lab and IDA is that it's it's artist supporting artists.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: We are we are professional on stage, offstage partners and friends, and I and I love that so much.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: And I love that of the dance community.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, my name is Brandon Cornet.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: I grew up uh just outside of Detroit, Michigan, and I went to I'm a self-yeah, there's a lot of Michigan on the podcast today, but I I will describe myself as a studio kid.
5:30
SPEAKER_00: I grew up doing conventions and competitions.
5:32
SPEAKER_00: I then uh moved to New York and got my uh BFA from Juilliard.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm a proud IDA judge, and I have not left New York City since coming here for college.
5:44
SPEAKER_00: So I've dabbled in both commercial concert dance, musical theater dance, and currently I'm a dancer with the Mark Morris Dance Group.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: And I'm also the executive artistic director of Dance Device Lab, which is a company I started about five, four or five years ago.
6:01
SPEAKER_00: Don't quote me on the numbers right now, about four, about four years ago.
6:05
SPEAKER_00: And Dance Device Lab is a service that produces in-studio events.
6:11
SPEAKER_00: We produce in-studio conventions and workshops and our uniquely developed adjudication showcase, which is an in-studio alternative to a competition where we will provide feedback, class, and a rehearsal period to actually implement our critiques and work on your dances with our adjudicators.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: We've launched new virtual programs and we also pair studios with guest choreographers.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: So I'm super excited to talk about the myriad of ways that studios can work with guest choreographers and teachers.
6:43
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for having me.
6:44
SPEAKER_01: Of course.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for joining us on the pod.
6:47
SPEAKER_01: All right, and our next guest is also brand new to the pod.
6:51
SPEAKER_01: And this guest is not an IDA judge, however, she is a studio owner, and we are connected through IDA's virtual competition this season, which is so exciting that we've reached so many different dancers and teachers and studio owners across the world.
7:08
SPEAKER_01: So we are really excited to bring on Ryan Taylor.
7:12
SPEAKER_01: Hi.
7:13
SPEAKER_02: Hi, thank you guys for having me today.
7:15
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for being here.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for your support.
7:18
SPEAKER_01: And we're so excited to have a studio owner perspective on this discussion about guest choreography.
7:23
SPEAKER_01: So, Ryan, please feel free to share with all of the listeners out there a little bit about who you are, where you're based, a little bit about your studio, and any other things you want to share.
7:33
SPEAKER_01: All right.
7:34
SPEAKER_02: Well, hello to all the lovely listeners.
7:36
SPEAKER_02: My name is uh Ryan Taylor.
7:38
SPEAKER_02: I am just joined the Dirty Dirty Dirty Club.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: Hey, welcome.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: So loving that moment right now.
7:47
SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm from Detroit, Michigan, so it's nice to have a Michigan native on here for my first time.
7:53
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
7:54
SPEAKER_02: So excited for that because we get to reconnect or connect and create some new relationships here.
7:59
SPEAKER_02: I started dancing at three, the typical dance story.
8:03
SPEAKER_02: Grew up as a studio kid, ended up changing studios into my sophomore year of high school, really became more in-depth with like jazz and ballet.
8:12
SPEAKER_02: Um, I started off as a tap kid, was on Star Search with Arsenio Hall in 2001.
8:17
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
8:18
SPEAKER_02: As a tapper, very vintage.
8:20
SPEAKER_02: The kids have no idea who that is.
8:23
SPEAKER_02: We'll take that as like, you know, my own heads.
8:26
SPEAKER_02: They don't know who Arsenio Hall is.
8:27
SPEAKER_02: And Star Search.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: You know, that's the place where Beyonce was found.
8:31
SPEAKER_02: Justin Timberlake, you know, try to give some relevancy for the young ones out there listening.
8:36
SPEAKER_02: Um, so I did that.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: And when I changed studios, it really gave me a new eye on technique and ballet and how important ballet is and how important jazz is and all the other styles.
8:47
SPEAKER_02: Since my main focus growing up was tap.
8:49
SPEAKER_02: Um, I ended up going to college, Mary Grove College, a private institute here in Michigan, really heavy in ballet.
8:54
SPEAKER_02: That's where I kind of fell in love with ballet.
8:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then from there, I went to work for different dance competitions, ended up being an MC and announcer for one, which I'm still currently doing here and there, a little dabble here and there.
9:07
SPEAKER_02: And about six years ago, I decided, you know, I've been dancer all my life.
9:11
SPEAKER_02: I love teaching.
9:11
SPEAKER_02: I love kids.
9:12
SPEAKER_02: Why not do this on my own?
9:14
SPEAKER_02: And I started Power Dance Company in West Bloomfield, Michigan in 2015.
9:18
SPEAKER_02: And we've been growing ever since.
9:21
SPEAKER_02: My mission is to provide students more intense level training and prepare them for commercial, collegiate, and dance team auditions.
9:28
SPEAKER_02: So our studio isn't like a normal studio.
9:31
SPEAKER_02: We only accept up to 50 children and they train 15 hours a week, three ballet classes, two jazz technique classes, modern contemporary conditioning, hip hop, plus all of their competitive rehearsals.
9:44
SPEAKER_02: So we do a lot of training.
9:46
SPEAKER_02: I'm super competitive.
9:48
SPEAKER_02: I love competing.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: I grew up in that, but I also have a younger brother.
9:51
SPEAKER_02: His name is JJ Dixon Bay.
9:53
SPEAKER_02: He was on So You Think You Can Dance a couple seasons ago.
9:56
SPEAKER_02: And so he provides kind of the commercial life and brings all of the commercial knowledge to the kids.
10:02
SPEAKER_02: While I bring the competitive and the college kind of background, so we have a lot of experience in bringing in guests.
10:08
SPEAKER_02: JJ is normally one of our biggest guests that come in from LA.
10:12
SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to talk about this topic from the studio owner perspective with you guys today.
10:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
10:17
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
10:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
10:18
SPEAKER_01: I think this couldn't be a better panel because Brandon, you cast, you know, teachers to studios and help find their guest choreographers.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: And then Ryan, you work with the guest choreographers in as a studio owner.
10:32
SPEAKER_01: You bring them to you and your dancers experience that.
10:35
SPEAKER_01: It's going to be a really awesome discussion.
10:37
SPEAKER_01: So I can't wait to dive right into it.
10:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for joining you guys.
10:41
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
10:42
SPEAKER_04: Let's do it.
10:43
SPEAKER_04: Let's do it.
10:44
SPEAKER_04: Very excited.
10:44
SPEAKER_04: All right.
10:45
SPEAKER_04: Well, let's just go ahead then since we are we are already there.
10:48
SPEAKER_04: I want to know just like spitballing ideas and thoughts and feelings.
10:52
SPEAKER_04: What are your thoughts on guest choreography just generally go?
10:56
SPEAKER_02: I think it's great for me personally because how I structure my studio, the kids work with me all the time.
11:05
SPEAKER_02: They see me and my staff every single day.
11:07
SPEAKER_02: And as a working dancer, we know that's not reality.
11:10
SPEAKER_02: We know reality is you're gonna have to meet different choreographers, adapt to different styles.
11:15
SPEAKER_02: You only have so many hours to work with this person.
11:18
SPEAKER_02: So for me, it's nice to bring in a guest for only eight hours and kind of put the pressure on the kids to say, All right, make or break, I'm not in the room.
11:28
SPEAKER_02: I can't help.
11:29
SPEAKER_02: You gotta do what you do.
11:30
SPEAKER_02: I always tell them, good luck, make good choices.
11:32
SPEAKER_02: Can I close the door and just leave it be because in real life, that's just what it is.
11:38
SPEAKER_02: And it's kind of like being thrown to the wolves and being as young as nine, because I don't let younger than nines work with guests because they're still trying to learn and they, you know, they're kind of all over the place.
11:49
SPEAKER_02: Attention span isn't quite there yet.
11:51
SPEAKER_02: So by the young age of nine, they kind of get that experience of working with different people and being able to understand if I don't put my best foot forward now, it's not it's gonna determine where I am, where I stand.
12:01
SPEAKER_02: Ms.
12:01
SPEAKER_02: Ryan's not in here.
12:02
SPEAKER_02: So maybe her, the people that she'll go to the most, you know, I now have a chance to stand out because this is somebody that's never seen me before.
12:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, this is my opportunity to really step up and kind of showcase my talent.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: And I think it's giving my kids a lot of confidence.
12:17
SPEAKER_02: At first it was rough.
12:18
SPEAKER_02: They really didn't know what to expect.
12:20
SPEAKER_02: They were kind of nervous.
12:21
SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, I did with studio moms, which are the greatest.
12:26
SPEAKER_02: Wink wink.
12:27
SPEAKER_02: So that that kind of adds to the the stress of it all.
12:31
SPEAKER_02: But over the years, the kids have understood like, listen, if I want a great spot, if I want to be seen, if I want to be used, if I want to be remembered, then I have to put my best foot forward with somebody that's just meeting me for the first time.
12:44
SPEAKER_02: So I think it's great.
12:45
SPEAKER_02: I love it.
12:46
SPEAKER_00: I love I love that ride.
12:48
SPEAKER_00: I think that's so important and interesting that you only let your dancers do it above the age of nine.
12:54
SPEAKER_00: I think that is really imperative because, like you said, it is a special thing, you know, it is it is a unique experience and to have that sort of maturity and to be able to grow with that.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: But I I mean, I also the the flip of it is I also love that you start them so young.
13:09
SPEAKER_00: Also, I like I think nine is a really great like barrier for that or age limit because they they are used to the experience and and they are used to I I find that that bringing in guest choreographers for your team or your show or your studio, it creates artistic variety.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: You it it perpetuates versatility within your dancers.
13:30
SPEAKER_00: You know, if I'm gonna create a musical theater number, that's very different than Ryan's musical theater number or Leslie's musical theater number or contemporary.
13:38
SPEAKER_00: We could go down the stylistic train.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: It also is a challenge, you know.
13:43
SPEAKER_00: It it is like you were saying, Ryan, it is an opportunity for dancers to learn and grow in an expedited way.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: Think about expedited great word.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
13:53
SPEAKER_00: Think about think about when you are it's sort of like a I I really love describing training as being in a in a like a slow cooker or a crock pot.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: But now we have an instant pot.
14:05
SPEAKER_00: So I think the microwave.
14:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the microwave, yeah, exactly.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: Not that I'm not uh in support of the slow cooker trading, because I think that is imperative, but there is something about bringing a guest in that is a short period of time, that is a sort of challenge, that is it also is an introduction to the real world.
14:28
SPEAKER_00: I think these are experiences that you have, whether you're a dancer, whether you're not a dancer, whether you're working in an office, you are going to be learning how to communicate with strangers, with different people.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: And I really love when studios bring a guest in and create a whole program around what it means to be professional.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: You know, what does it mean to be students that's respectful with a guest that is challenged, that we have we don't speak the same language, that comfortability isn't there.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: And how can we use that to be a whole rounded education experience and not just someone coming in and making a three-minute dance and three hours and leaving, but it's a whole, it's a whole experience because you are working with children, you know.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: So we gotta make a well-rounded program for that.
15:12
SPEAKER_02: And too, I think for me too, I try to explain to the kids that they are a representation of me and the brand.
15:19
SPEAKER_02: So, in order for us to keep these relationships and continue, you know, bringing these big name people in, like JJ, for example, he's my brother.
15:29
SPEAKER_02: So he's technically not a guest, but we treat him as such because he doesn't live in Michigan, he doesn't see them or train them weekly.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: He comes in for, I mean, because he comes home to see his mama and his sister.
15:41
SPEAKER_02: So six weeks, you know.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: So we get him for six weeks of time, which is amazing in his schedule as he's a working dancer right now.
15:49
SPEAKER_02: But compared to like one of my friends, Kyle Multer, he's my best friend.
15:53
SPEAKER_02: We grew up competing together, him and his wife owned Hydra Dance Company in Michigan.
15:57
SPEAKER_02: We're two hours away, but he still comes in and sets a piece for us, and we treat him, even though he's family, we we call ourselves sister studios, you know.
16:05
SPEAKER_02: It's a staple to bring him in every year, but he's treated as such with the same respect and with the same energy as compared to new a new person we brought in was Lisa Curatello from Expressions in Indiana, and they never got a chance to work with her before.
16:19
SPEAKER_02: And I told them, listen, you put in what you want to get out.
16:23
SPEAKER_02: If you want a great spot, if you wanna, if you want to create a relationship with her or beyond this, because you never know when you'll see her again.
16:32
SPEAKER_02: And and and it could be that, oh, I remember that kid, she really didn't do what she needed to do in my rehearsal versus oh, I remember her, she's reliable, you can count on her, she's gonna show up every single time.
16:43
SPEAKER_02: So it's those lessons in the guest choreography that I like the most, just not only as a dancer, but as a studio owner, because I create the bond with the choreographer.
16:52
SPEAKER_02: We start to bring them in more and more to give more knowledge, to have more time.
16:57
SPEAKER_02: Because at first, you know, it's rough coming into a new space, not knowing anybody, not knowing the kids.
17:01
SPEAKER_02: It's like, all right, let me do my job, get my check, make sure it looks good and I'm out.
17:06
SPEAKER_02: But if the product looks good and the choreographer's like, oh, this is amazing.
17:10
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, I'm excited.
17:12
SPEAKER_02: I'm ready to go back.
17:13
SPEAKER_02: I got new ideas.
17:14
SPEAKER_02: They come back hungry and eager to give the kids more because they were respectful enough and put forth the effort and the ending product was probably more than they expected it to be.
17:23
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: That's that's a really great point, Ryan.
17:26
SPEAKER_00: I, you know, that that is how I that was the seed to create Dance Device Lab was I was working with a studio in a rural part of Michigan up north, and they hadn't worked with a contemporary choreographer or teacher ever.
17:41
SPEAKER_00: And someone recommended me to come in and set a dance just to do it.
17:45
SPEAKER_00: And I was home and I was like, sure.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: And throughout the years, I developed a relationship with the studio.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: I went back and did one dance, and then I did the two, and then we did a three-day workshop.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and we and I would I joked and I said to the studio owner around year five or six of our annual events, I was said, we kind of made a little summer intensive here.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: We kind of made and to me that was that was an ed, that was educational programming.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: And as a guest choreographer, you know, the first year I didn't know the dancers.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: So, like you were saying, I came in, I I did what I thought, I saw a video, I did what I thought was gonna be appropriate.
18:21
SPEAKER_00: And then you you learn and you grow with them, and as you come back, you can accumulate upon that experience.
18:27
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and it and that really embeds itself into your program because a guest choreographer may come in for a weekend, but those dancers are infused with that artistic style for a whole season.
18:38
SPEAKER_00: So that is it's an it's an investment in training, truly.
18:42
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: These are such great points.
18:44
SPEAKER_01: I love how this has already started.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: And I know we took off running.
18:47
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
18:48
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
18:50
SPEAKER_01: I mean, yeah, I I agree with with everything that you guys said.
18:53
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm kind of curious to kind of hear your perspective, Leslie, on on what you think about guest choreography.
18:59
SPEAKER_04: So what I wanted to say, I was like just sitting back.
19:03
SPEAKER_04: So I was like, they're just gonna, it's amazing.
19:04
SPEAKER_04: I just want to listen.
19:05
SPEAKER_04: But Ryan brought up something that I think is really important for our students who are listening to think about is that a lot of times a guest choreographer comes in, you know, sure, sometimes your teacher, your studio owner is gonna say, Well, I always bring up Sally.
19:19
SPEAKER_04: Sally's my Sally's my guy.
19:21
SPEAKER_04: Sally is the one you're gonna want to count on.
19:23
SPEAKER_04: She's the one that we put in the middle.
19:24
SPEAKER_04: They're gonna tell them a lot of the times.
19:26
SPEAKER_04: But I think it's smarter to not studio owners, teachers, because then you will have so and so else who steps up and you know, is the one that's ignored or is the one that's put in the back who who really, you know, believes she should be up front.
19:39
SPEAKER_04: And some somebody's gonna see that.
19:41
SPEAKER_04: And so I think it's really important to know that as a student, a lot of times this is your chance.
19:47
SPEAKER_04: If you have somebody brand new setting choreography on you, and it's not Miss Ryan who's setting choreography all the time, who knows that you know, she's gonna put me in the corner or whatever.
19:55
SPEAKER_04: You know, there's there's an opportunity here for you to make a name for yourself for with this choreographer.
20:01
SPEAKER_04: And like you said, Ryan, you know, when they come back the next year, that teacher's either gonna remember Sally as the girl who stepped up or Sally as the girl who hung back.
20:09
SPEAKER_04: And so you know this is a chance for you to really, you know, just show up and and be your best self and do your best because you just never know like what may happen with that.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: It allows them to have a cleaner slate, you know.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: If you're already putting those ideas in in my head when I come in, that's gonna be a thing that I'm thinking about in my spacing.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: And it and it that that takes away a little bit of creativity.
20:31
SPEAKER_02: The authenticity.
20:32
SPEAKER_02: That's what I was just about to say.
20:34
SPEAKER_02: I don't wanna, I'm not the studio owner, even with my staff, I'm not like in their classroom like doing this, like stirring the pot or like you know, trying to override what they they're doing.
20:45
SPEAKER_02: Because if that's the case, I shouldn't have hired them in the first place.
20:48
SPEAKER_02: And then I should just do a break.
20:50
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
20:50
SPEAKER_02: Like, let I hired you for a reason.
20:53
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna let you do your thing.
20:54
SPEAKER_02: And then the plus side on guest choreography is once they're gone, y'all left with me.
21:00
SPEAKER_04: Right.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: So now, no matter, I don't care if he puts you there.
21:03
SPEAKER_02: You gotta earn your spot to stay there because now I know you.
21:07
SPEAKER_02: I know what you're gonna do.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: I know your habits.
21:10
SPEAKER_02: I know you're gonna be like that's another thing.
21:16
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's like, okay, so you stepped up for those eight hours.
21:19
SPEAKER_02: Now step up for the next 10 months.
21:21
SPEAKER_02: And you wanna keep that spot, sister girl.
21:24
SPEAKER_02: You better keep it how you did in those eight hours.
21:26
SPEAKER_04: And why haven't you been doing this for the past two years, Sally?
21:32
SPEAKER_02: Where was this for me?
21:35
SPEAKER_00: Teaching moment that that it is can there is consistency and there is a new level of expectation, and that is how growth happens.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, yeah.
21:44
SPEAKER_02: No, because I'm I'm real quick.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: Ask my kids, I always tell them, all right, you learn it like we do our season auditions in June.
21:51
SPEAKER_02: They learn everything from solos to production between July and August.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: So you got eight weeks to learn it all.
21:58
SPEAKER_02: And then in September.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: They have 30-minute rehearsals for each routine, and I clean them from the top all the way down to the bottom.
22:05
SPEAKER_02: So I say, okay, you got September to December to mess up, to act crazy, to forget the corrections, the changes.
22:13
SPEAKER_02: Come January when we come back from Christmas break.
22:15
SPEAKER_02: Because at that point, it's the eight-week countdown before we get on stage.
22:19
SPEAKER_02: If you don't have it, sis, you're chopped.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: You learned it in August.
22:27
SPEAKER_02: Listen, it's gonna be so funny when my kids here just pop and I'm like, they're gonna be like, yeah, I gotta change them here.
22:34
SPEAKER_02: They're gonna be like exactly.
22:38
SPEAKER_02: And I tell my parents that because in college, no one's gonna care.
22:43
SPEAKER_02: You gotta have it.
22:44
SPEAKER_02: When you go to school, when you go to these dance teams, Ohio State is really popular in our area.
22:49
SPEAKER_02: That's like the the newest UDA dance team that has been like on top.
22:53
SPEAKER_02: And a dance team is really big in the Midwest.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: And those turn sections and acrobatics and flips are all like spot on.
23:02
SPEAKER_02: And girl, if you can't do it, what do you think is gonna happen?
23:05
SPEAKER_02: She's not gonna look at you and say, Oh, you got two more weeks.
23:09
SPEAKER_02: No, girl, the showtime is now.
23:11
SPEAKER_02: So if you don't have it, whether the choreographer puts you in that section or not, you had this allotted amount of time to figure it out and fix it and get it.
23:18
SPEAKER_02: And if you don't have it, it's a good one.
23:22
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
23:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:23
SPEAKER_00: Incredible introduction to the professional world in a safe, nurturing environment where they still have you.
23:30
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
23:31
SPEAKER_02: And then I always tell them, like, you know, especially my seniors, live in these moments because once you leave this building, there's gonna be no other experience like this.
23:39
SPEAKER_02: No one's gonna give you the lesson and say, This is why I pulled you.
23:43
SPEAKER_02: And I want you to work for it and I want you to think about A, B, C, D, E, so that way you can fix it.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: And maybe if you show me something, we'll get it back there.
23:52
SPEAKER_02: But when you go out in the real world, once you're tried, that's it.
23:55
SPEAKER_02: You're your chopped.
23:57
SPEAKER_02: There's no, you know, two ways around it.
23:59
SPEAKER_02: So having the guests come in, you know, to kind of go back to that point, it gives them the initiative to learn quick, pick up details, work on dynamics, work on performance, because that's one thing I stress to the choreographers.
24:12
SPEAKER_02: Make them perform because I feel like that's where we struggle.
24:15
SPEAKER_02: You know, we're good with technique, we're great with whatever.
24:18
SPEAKER_02: But when it comes down to putting a little seasoning on top, we kind of lack that a little bit.
24:23
SPEAKER_02: So I'm like, make them perform, show, make them show you the vision you want to see so you can know that okay, I'm trusting this to you, and it's gonna look just like that, you know, or better by the time I see the piece.
24:35
SPEAKER_02: So I think, you know, giving this quick eight hours to learn it, and then the expectation of you better keep what you had back in August, now in January, it really does prepare them for when you go to any type of audition, whether it's college, commercial, dance team, anything, even an interview, even like real life.
24:54
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it just prepares you for life in general, just to be ready all the time.
24:59
SPEAKER_02: If you, you know, you ain't gotta get ready if you stay with me.
25:02
SPEAKER_00: Ooh, I like that.
25:02
SPEAKER_00: I love I I love the idea of incorporating the performance into the creation process during it, because I didn't fully aware of it in the musical theater world until I started doing associate choreographer work, where actors and musical theater performers, if they're working on a show, they will full character.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: So if you're working on 16 bars of music, which is like 20 seconds, that they they get that five, six, seven, eight, and it is full out character, and then then piano stops, and then they they're done.
25:34
SPEAKER_00: It's like it's it's acting, it's really it's a part of the process, but it is imperative.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: And they do that from the second that material is learned or taught.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: And I didn't understand the scope of that until I was on the other side of the table of that, where that can electrify the room, and I love that you would incorporate that into your your guest choreography initiatives at your studio.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: It's so imperative.
25:56
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, thank you.
25:57
SPEAKER_02: We got to.
25:58
SPEAKER_02: I mean, they gotta learn it.
25:59
SPEAKER_02: And I like even by reading um some of the latest quotes from the IDA judges, like, you know, performance starts in rehearsal, it don't start when you like walk out, you hear your name.
26:12
SPEAKER_02: Up next is entry number 11.
26:13
SPEAKER_02: You know, you don't start the performance as you're walking out on the stage.
26:17
SPEAKER_02: It started back in August when in the like in the I call it the skins and bones of choreography, learning the skeleton.
26:24
SPEAKER_02: You know, we have the base of it, that's what we learn in August, and it's your job to add the muscles and the tendons and the skin and the hair.
26:32
SPEAKER_02: It's your job to finish the skeleton and performance gotta be a part of that.
26:38
SPEAKER_02: The guests gotta see that.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's sometimes I do will allow out and guest choreographs.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: I don't do it often just because I like being at home, I like being in my home space with my kids.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: But when I go out, that's the first thing I'm looking for, especially because I get hired for jazz a lot and I love very sassy diva.
26:54
SPEAKER_02: Give me all of the personality, give me all of that.
26:57
SPEAKER_02: Because growing up, I necessarily wasn't a technical kid, but I was gonna give you a show.
27:01
SPEAKER_02: So I kind of relate to, I relate to those kids that maybe don't have like their leg to their face or is not doing like quads or five pirouettes, but is really giving me the persona or the energy of the music, you know.
27:15
SPEAKER_02: So I look for that first.
27:16
SPEAKER_02: So I always try to tell my guests, especially now that they're getting more comfortable, you see her for five years, don't slack on her, still make her give what's expected.
27:27
SPEAKER_02: Just because her leg is to her face, don't mean anything.
27:29
SPEAKER_02: Anybody can do that nowadays.
27:31
SPEAKER_02: Now it it now it needs to have meaning or substance or attention behind it.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: Why is that leg up there?
27:37
SPEAKER_02: What's the purpose for it?
27:38
SPEAKER_02: So I, you know, I'm it like I want them to understand that, you know, because going to college is different than competition because collegiate dance provides more of a story, more storytelling through your body, through your dance, more, not as much fall change, Padre, fan kick, more movement through your body to create a story to where competitive dance in this day and age, right now, it's all tricks and legs, and everybody has to do all of this and do that.
28:07
SPEAKER_02: And it's kind of losing the essence of dance and the storytelling.
28:12
SPEAKER_02: So this year in particular, since we lost the six months, that was my biggest thing.
28:17
SPEAKER_02: Okay, we gotta get back to where we were six months ago, and that's kind of what we were working on performance through choreography, not just in the face, but really feeling it in the mind, body, and the soul.
28:27
SPEAKER_02: So I told my choreographers this year your pieces need to be very um thought-provoking.
28:32
SPEAKER_02: Give us, give me something to challenge me that's gonna challenge them.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: So, as far as like choreography telling the story, storylines, especially because I'm not doing a lot of partnering and lifting because of COVID.
28:44
SPEAKER_02: I'm doing more visual formations, popcorn ripples, different things like that.
28:49
SPEAKER_02: Tell me the story.
28:50
SPEAKER_02: I want to be conveyed by emotion and story now.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: So that was the biggest kind of staple I gave some of my guests this year.
28:57
SPEAKER_02: I didn't bring in a lot because of COVID, but my brother did 90% of them this year.
29:02
SPEAKER_02: And we brought back a few guest pieces from last season.
29:05
SPEAKER_02: And those had kind of thought-provoking stories.
29:07
SPEAKER_02: So I'm glad we were able to keep them and bring them back.
29:09
SPEAKER_02: But I basically told my brother, like, listen, give us something that's gonna challenge them artistically this year.
29:15
SPEAKER_02: Because that's what I feel is lacking a little bit is the artistic interpretation of music and movement and choreography, and yeah, trying to push us in a different way versus technique and legs and turns, push us kind of more creatively this year.
29:38
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30:14
SPEAKER_01: And now back to the show.
30:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I think this is also great.
30:24
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm kind of interested to hear your perspectives on this because I feel like that this discussion so far, and if people are listening and trying to figure out like who are we actually talking about when we're talking about like these types of studios and these types of dancers that have guest choreography coming to them, I immediately uh thinking that these are advanced dancers that we're speaking about.
30:47
SPEAKER_01: These are in probably the higher level at the competition.
30:50
SPEAKER_01: And I'm curious to hear your guys' perspective because I know for me as a guest choreographer, I don't feel like that an intermediate, and this might seem sound mean, which it's not supposed to, but I don't feel like an intermediate level dancer or group is ready for a guest choreographer yet, because there's still some things that we're working on.
31:14
SPEAKER_01: And unless my style is so different than what your teachers are giving you, where you want to challenge them in a new way artistically, then I don't feel like they need a guest choreographer.
31:26
SPEAKER_01: And that's just me.
31:27
SPEAKER_01: I feel like advanced dancers, absolutely, like we've c we've discussed, they need that experience.
31:33
SPEAKER_01: They need to learn how to do this quickly.
31:36
SPEAKER_01: Whereas an intermediate level dancer who already doesn't train as hard or as much in the studio is might feel extremely overwhelmed in a setting when you have to learn something in six hours, eight hours for a group routine, where the guest choreographers coming in with a different expectation potentially if they thought that these dancers were at a different level.
31:56
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's probably one of the challenges, you know, as we've all said, we've guest choreographed somewhere.
32:01
SPEAKER_01: Even if you do know the dancers a little bit, you know, all that we really get on RN as the choreographer is the teacher telling you, well, this is this is how many dancers, this is how old they are, this is their level, this is who can do some tricks, you know, here's a video of their dance from last year.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: That's all you have.
32:17
SPEAKER_01: And like, yes, we we do have a limited amount of time where, like you said, Brandon, we have that like clean slate where we can essentially like audition who we like or who stands out to us in the room.
32:27
SPEAKER_01: But like I'm a kind of choreographer that needs to come with some material prepped.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
32:33
SPEAKER_01: Because I'm stressed about the time limits that I already have with them.
32:37
SPEAKER_01: I only have a few hours with them.
32:39
SPEAKER_01: So I'm like, all right, so this is all like I have all the information in my head and I'm gonna come with some stuff prepped.
32:45
SPEAKER_01: But if they aren't advanced enough to get what I've done, what I've done, then I feel like it's just kind of, you know, a way exactly.
32:54
SPEAKER_01: So like I personally feel, and I'm curious to hear your guys' perspective, you know, intermediate level studios.
33:01
SPEAKER_01: I think that your teachers in the studio can probably achieve uh the versatility and style and different quality of dances with in-house choreography.
33:12
SPEAKER_01: And guest choreography should be primarily used for advanced level dancers who are wanting to step to the next level and are maybe potentially hoping to pursue dance.
33:23
SPEAKER_01: What are your guys' thoughts?
33:24
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I don't know.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not saying that as an intermediate level you can't have a guest, I'm not saying that, but I also feel like that you have to be at a certain level to be able to achieve guest choreography.
33:35
SPEAKER_04: I think it comes down to really knowing your own kids and knowing what you want them to get out of it.
33:41
SPEAKER_04: Because if you want them to just have a new experience, because maybe that group of kids is really over you or over their teacher, or something is not just meshing, you know, that's a gift or or it's a reward.
33:54
SPEAKER_04: So, you know, you guys have done so well the past couple of years.
33:56
SPEAKER_04: Like, here's this new cool person for something fun to do to do this year.
34:01
SPEAKER_04: You know, I think if it's I don't know that I would go into it with that level of dancer or studio expecting it to change my world.
34:08
SPEAKER_04: You know, I don't I don't think that that's an expectation you should have to say, okay, well, we have this guest choreographer, and now all of a sudden we're gonna win a top.
34:15
SPEAKER_04: We're gonna be amazing.
34:16
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I don't know that that's the reason to do this if you're that level.
34:20
SPEAKER_02: I agree with Courtney though, because I think some people think that that's the ticket to winning.
34:28
SPEAKER_02: And it's really not.
34:29
SPEAKER_02: Like, I know for me in particular, how I do it, like you said, my more advanced level children, they get those opportunities.
34:38
SPEAKER_02: Now, granted, my intermediate kids, they still get put under the same pressure of learning routines in an allotted amount of time, but it's either myself or it's another staff member, or it may be a more local teacher, like Kyle from Haja, because we know each other.
34:55
SPEAKER_02: That's like I said, my best friend.
34:57
SPEAKER_02: So that may be on that level, but when I'm bringing people from like LA or Texas or Florida or you know, Indiana, did those things like that, then I leave that to my more advanced level dancers.
35:11
SPEAKER_02: But I still give my intermediate kids kind of the same attention as far as you have the same expectation.
35:19
SPEAKER_02: You gotta learn it in this amount of time, whether it's with me or whoever, the expectation is still the same.
35:24
SPEAKER_02: And then, like Leslie said, after two years or three years, okay, I'm starting to see you understand the how the process works with me.
35:34
SPEAKER_02: Let's try you with somebody else, or those specific dancers that I think, okay, your age bracket isn't ready, but I'm gonna invite you to come do this piece this season to see how you handle it and how well you work in that environment.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: I'll do that too.
35:52
SPEAKER_02: So it really does depend on the kids.
35:54
SPEAKER_02: But I have been in scenarios where people are like, okay, here's a list.
35:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna rank them, which I hate this best to worst.
36:02
SPEAKER_02: Okay, cute.
36:03
SPEAKER_02: But then I get there and the list is completely in the world.
36:06
SPEAKER_02: Really?
36:07
SPEAKER_03: It's like these right, right.
36:09
SPEAKER_02: So now I'm like, oh, so you probably shouldn't have did this because now I came in with some predetermined formations with these particular dancers under the assumption, okay, they can do ABCDE when really it was your bottom six that are better than your top six, in my opinion.
36:27
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
36:28
SPEAKER_02: So it does pose a little issue, and I think studio owners must know what your studio is.
36:35
SPEAKER_02: Somebody said that to me one time and it really stuck out to me.
36:38
SPEAKER_02: You can't be a competitive studio or an elite studio that wants to travel and have guests and do all of this if you're recreational minded.
36:48
SPEAKER_02: And I was like, damn, that makes sense.
36:52
SPEAKER_02: Because every studio isn't equipped to handle guest choreography, and that's okay.
36:58
SPEAKER_02: It's okay.
36:59
SPEAKER_02: And I think some people think that in order to win or in order to do, you know, greatness at competition, you have to have guest choreography.
37:07
SPEAKER_02: When in actuality, sometimes my pieces that I choreographed beat my guest choreography pieces that we spent$3,500 on.
37:15
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
37:16
SPEAKER_02: So at that point, it really is in the eye of the beholder of the three people on the panel.
37:21
SPEAKER_02: But guest choreography shouldn't make or break.
37:23
SPEAKER_02: It's about the kids, it's about the quality of training, the quality of, you know, execution, intention, because my kids can do a single turn, but it's all how they do it.
37:32
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
37:33
SPEAKER_02: Just because it's not a triple don't mean it's worth any less than that triple.
37:36
SPEAKER_02: So that's, you know, I feel like you gotta know your kids.
37:40
SPEAKER_02: You gotta know your studio, you gotta know your brand, you gotta know your business to whether determine if guest choreography is right for you or not.
37:48
SPEAKER_00: I believe that beginner, intermediate, and advanced dancers can benefit from having guest choreography and having a guest teacher.
37:56
SPEAKER_00: I think shifting the mindset to it being more of an education-based and experiential environment, I think can it would behoove them.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: I think there is a is a world where bringing a guest in can create a fork in the road for someone artistically.
38:14
SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're gonna a Midwestern studio, I'm just gonna use Ryan's example that, like you said, there's a lot of dance team that's really prevalent there.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: Let's say, let's say you're very, you're strong, your studio choreography is very strong.
38:27
SPEAKER_00: If you bring in a choreographer for your beginner or intermediate students that comes from a completely contemporary classical background, and you're gonna do a three-minute dance without a word to different counts, like maybe it's in a six instead of just a five, six, seven, eight, that may open possibilities for dancers and limit it to me, limiting that to only advanced dancers limits the amount of time that they have to experience other things.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: I think something that's different from when we grew up is YouTube and and access to all these things on the internet.
39:04
SPEAKER_00: So if I come in and do a European contemporary inspired dance for the 10-year-olds and they've never experienced that, well, maybe I can develop that into my programming to give them video links on YouTube to go down and explore this other form of dance.
39:21
SPEAKER_00: And I think being able to introduce that at a young age really can open some doors and plant some seeds in terms of curiosity and artistic versatility.
39:30
SPEAKER_00: And to that point, though, I also think it depends on the person that's setting the guest choreography.
39:36
SPEAKER_00: I don't think, I don't think a lot of people are right for that, but I do think there are people that really excel with working with the beginners, that love working with the younger dancers.
39:47
SPEAKER_00: And I think sometimes that those opportunities are voided out because they're only provided for the advanced dancers.
39:54
SPEAKER_00: And there there is a niche, really wonderful group of dance educators that love working with the younger dancers that would be super appropriate for it.
40:02
SPEAKER_00: So whenever I go into guest choreograph, we were talking about performance videos.
40:07
SPEAKER_00: I ask for performance videos, but I also request class videos.
40:10
SPEAKER_00: That's smart, yeah.
40:11
SPEAKER_00: Which is a way, you know, you can clean a dance, and of course, you're gonna probably send in the best version from from last season.
40:18
SPEAKER_00: But if you see the dancers in class, and then, you know, even if you think they're an advanced class or they're a little under or they're not where you thought that's a great way to sort of bridge that gap, I think, between the beginners and intermediates is seeing where they are in their classroom, seeing what's available to them, and then sort of expanding upon that.
40:37
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I also we were talking about time and the integrity of a piece, you know.
40:43
SPEAKER_00: So if you're as a guest choreographer, I always make it a point to to lose my ego.
40:50
SPEAKER_00: You know, if I'm gonna go in and I know I have six hours to set a dance and there's 20 kids, I have learned this isn't how I started because we all learn and grow, but you know, that that that's not a reflection upon you because as we were talking about earlier, if you think of that as less of what's the end goal at six hours, so what's the investment over an entire season?
41:09
SPEAKER_00: If those beginners don't remember the dance when I leave in six hours, you know, there's usually teachers in the room that are there that are responsible for upholding it.
41:18
SPEAKER_00: But I've seen a dance that I've made for beginners and I just no one knew what they were doing when I left, but I got a video of it in May, and it was incredible.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I mean?
41:29
SPEAKER_00: So I think like being able to provide that isn't is an interesting shift in perspective that I've that I enjoy doing.
41:36
SPEAKER_01: Okay, but let's talk about the flip side of that.
41:38
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about the fact that if you go to a studio and there isn't a teacher present in the room while you're teaching it, so who's going who knows how to maintain this?
41:47
SPEAKER_01: Then the kids didn't retain it, didn't know what you created, and then you see a video of your dance and it's not your dance.
41:56
SPEAKER_01: That happens all the time.
41:57
SPEAKER_01: And that's like that's happened to me plenty of times where I gave them as much material as possible.
42:04
SPEAKER_01: I filmed myself of doing the choreography with count, with the musicality, each detail laid out, pictures of the formations.
42:13
SPEAKER_01: You know, like you, I gave them all the tools, and then half the dance is changed in a costume that I didn't agree to, and and they're saying that I choreographed it.
42:23
SPEAKER_01: You know, as guest choreographers, I think that's that's the hard part, especially on our end, is as much as I I want to go and choreograph, we also it's also a reflection on us, even though we have a limited amount of time, but like and we're getting paid to produce hopefully a good routine.
42:41
SPEAKER_01: But I think that the pressure, there's too much pressure sometimes on guest choreographers because I think a lot of it has to do with it's not about the experience, it's about we want to win.
42:51
SPEAKER_01: We're bringing in this name so we can win at competition.
42:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
42:55
SPEAKER_01: And that's a problem.
42:56
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's the discretion to the studio owner.
42:58
SPEAKER_02: Like, I agree with you, Brandon.
43:00
SPEAKER_02: Like, I do think some introducing that opportunity to beginners is great and it does provide a good gateway, but that really falls back to the owner, studio owner's discretion.
43:11
SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, I'm not gonna, I'm not opposed to having beginners take a, you know, a brand new teacher, but I'm gonna put my beginners in that room that I know is going to retain, be respectful.
43:25
SPEAKER_02: You know, some beginners aren't necessarily attentively all there.
43:30
SPEAKER_02: And as a guest, you know, you do want their full attention.
43:33
SPEAKER_02: You want to be able to feel like you left and they at least learn some, yeah.
43:38
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
43:40
SPEAKER_02: So I think when it comes down to guest choreography in general, whether it is beginner or advanced first, the person who's choreographing has to know the level.
43:51
SPEAKER_02: You know, okay, I'm gonna let you know now.
43:54
SPEAKER_02: These aren't my advanced level dancers, but I really want you to push them.
43:58
SPEAKER_02: Here are some of the skills, you know.
43:59
SPEAKER_02: I think if Guest choreographers are equipped with the right knowledge, then it could go great for a beginner, intermediate, or advanced dancer.
44:07
SPEAKER_02: But I do think that sometimes studio owners aren't equipped or ready to admit, okay, we ain't ready.
44:13
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, like we just want to do it just to win.
44:16
SPEAKER_02: And it goes back to knowing your lane, knowing your brand, knowing your kids, knowing your training, and knowing that you could be able to leave them in a room.
44:25
SPEAKER_02: Like my younger ones, I'm not gonna leave them there.
44:27
SPEAKER_02: I'll send like two or three seniors in there to assist and kind of be the bodies if they don't understand the choreography.
44:34
SPEAKER_02: And if when I come back and it's time for me to clean, I need to be like, come here, what was it?
44:38
SPEAKER_02: Because I know you know what I'm saying, or use their body as the example, but that's me as a studio owner.
44:44
SPEAKER_02: I know those kids need an assistant.
44:46
SPEAKER_02: So whereas some kids, I'm like, all right, y'all, I know you can do it.
44:50
SPEAKER_02: You're on your own.
44:51
SPEAKER_02: Here's the challenge, here's the push.
44:52
SPEAKER_02: So I guess it really depends on the kids and the and the owner, I guess, or the expectation of the final outcome.
45:00
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, like, is this for educational purposes?
45:04
SPEAKER_02: Are we doing this to really learn something, or are we doing this for the microwave for the instant?
45:12
SPEAKER_02: Is this the oven or the microwave?
45:15
SPEAKER_02: That's kind of the conversation that needs to last.
45:17
SPEAKER_01: That's where our industry is at right now.
45:19
SPEAKER_01: Like, I actually had a I had a a studio owner actually reach out to me and I I teach on a dance convention and they they asked me about just the industry and and guest choreographers, and they were like, Do the judges know when it's choreographed by one of the faculty?
45:38
SPEAKER_01: And do they get bonus points at competition when it's choreographed by the faculty?
45:43
SPEAKER_01: And I couldn't believe this was a question because like someone was because they were like, oh, well, you know, they always win and they always get favored, and it's because that, you know, we end up finding out that it was choreographed by the faculty, and it's like this like crazy business game where if studios think like, oh, well, if I get the faculty to choreograph my routine, then I'm gonna win better at when I go to this competition, you know.
46:07
SPEAKER_01: I think that's what guest choreography is slowly turning into instead of it being an educational experience, which I totally agree with you, Brandon.
46:16
SPEAKER_01: Again, I I feel bad saying that it shouldn't be for intermediate level dancers, but I don't I don't see it as often for intermediate level dancers, and I feel like the intentions are wrong.
46:26
SPEAKER_01: If it's if it is for the intermediate level dancers, it should be about the education, it should be about the experience.
46:31
SPEAKER_01: And and you have to you have to actually find the right choreographer for you.
46:36
SPEAKER_02: That's the problem.
46:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, finding the right person.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I found you're right, the monopoly of it is very prevalent and very true.
46:45
SPEAKER_00: And I you're we're completely hitting the nail on the head now.
46:47
SPEAKER_00: I'm so happy we're having this conversation about because to be honest, there are so many wonderful choreographers and teachers that don't teach for a dance convention for whatever reason.
46:58
SPEAKER_00: They're working professionals, they're studio owners, they're that's a job.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: That is someone's job, and they've chosen to do that.
47:06
SPEAKER_00: And I think expanding your minds and your network to finding other choreographers and teachers that maybe aren't on the circuit would be would be an incredible resource.
47:17
SPEAKER_00: And I think changing that that expectation, you know, there there are so many people out there, and you know, the opportunities might be more affordable if you're not finding a star to come in, and you might get a little bit more of an experience for your dancers, yeah.
47:34
SPEAKER_02: And like attention.
47:35
SPEAKER_02: I mean, we've all heard the horror stories of having, I mean, we've seen it just in our industry, having the big names come in and either they never show up, these people just don't need to be able to do that.
47:45
SPEAKER_02: You know, like yeah, it's real, that's just the experience, yeah.
47:49
SPEAKER_02: It's real.
47:50
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that is a real life thing, and like to kind of go on the question that was asked, like, I've worked for a major competition for 10 plus years now, and no one ever knows who choreographs what.
48:02
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I will say, sitting at the front table, you start to learn whose style is who.
48:08
SPEAKER_02: Yes, because that a certain guest or particular people will kind of give the same style all across the country.
48:17
SPEAKER_02: So you start to kind of go, oh, if it's this hand or this particular movement, I know who that is.
48:23
SPEAKER_02: And unfortunately, sometimes for the judges, that may play, which it shouldn't, but we all know we've been in those situations where that understanding that or knowing that kind of tips the scale, but it's not blatant knowledge, it's kind of like subliminally known, okay, because that particular choreographer has a particular style, and you know, you see it often.
48:48
SPEAKER_02: But to me, like I said, for me, in my experience, some of my in-house pieces beat my guest choreography pieces.
48:55
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's really all in the kids.
48:58
SPEAKER_02: It don't matter if we pull Becky off the street to choreograph something.
49:01
SPEAKER_02: I mean, if the kids execute it correctly, it's gonna be great, you know, regardless.
49:06
SPEAKER_02: So I hate the misconception that, you know, you've got to have a guest choreographer piece or only guest choreography pieces win at competition.
49:15
SPEAKER_02: When really I know for most studio owners, it's more or less to provide, I think, versatility.
49:20
SPEAKER_02: That was one thing we said at the top of the podcast.
49:22
SPEAKER_02: Like versatility from having all of our in-house, all the kids know my style, they know our ballet teacher's style.
49:28
SPEAKER_02: When they get on stage, our our dances kind of have some similarities to it because as a guest choreographer, you have your own personal style.
49:36
SPEAKER_02: So having, you know, having those additional pieces just adds to the adds to the repertoire of what the studio is.
49:44
SPEAKER_02: But I think, like you said, most people go into it with the intention of winning and the intention of coming out on top and the bragging rights versus the educational experience behind it, the critiques behind the piece, like, you know, kind of getting more bang for the book instead of just the instant trophy at the end.
50:04
SPEAKER_00: And I think I think coming in on both sides with clear expectations of that is an important conversation.
50:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
50:10
SPEAKER_00: You know, I've I've I've as someone who produces in studio events, I've I've I've gotten an email that says, Hey, can you come in and choreograph a dance for 30 people?
50:20
SPEAKER_00: What's your rate?
50:21
SPEAKER_00: I'll say my rate, they'll say good.
50:23
SPEAKER_00: And then I'll book a train ticket.
50:24
SPEAKER_00: And I'm just like, what am I?
50:26
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I yeah, like I I can we can we I wanna I think it's super important, and that's you know, that's one way of doing it, but I I would encourage everybody to to investigate a little bit.
50:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm always like, can we have a phone?
50:39
SPEAKER_00: Like, what are your four values?
50:41
SPEAKER_00: How are you are you making a dance to that wants to win?
50:45
SPEAKER_00: Because maybe necessarily, like, I'm not the person for that.
50:48
SPEAKER_00: Or are you, you know, like what style do you want?
50:51
SPEAKER_00: Where can I fill some gaps?
50:52
SPEAKER_00: Like, what are we trying, what's the goal here in my work?
50:55
SPEAKER_03: Right.
50:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
50:57
SPEAKER_00: And I think and on the studio owner set, I think there is, you know, there's expectations of what's the end result and what's the process.
51:04
SPEAKER_00: And then what we were talking about earlier as a guest choreographer, there are expectations and agreements that need to be set in terms of the integrity of your work because it is your own business and it is your own artistic.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: We can we can go into all the myriad of who does what and data.
51:19
SPEAKER_00: But you know, I think I I'm a huge proponent of this is the dance that we set.
51:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and you don't get to make a whole new one now that exactly that and I think all of that is all miscommunication and missed expectations.
51:32
SPEAKER_00: And I think if there's a conversation about it, yeah.
51:36
SPEAKER_02: Most people like it just really goes back to like those same like key points, just doing your research as a studio owner, knowing your students, knowing what your students can handle, and understand that okay, you might have made a mistake bringing this person in, thinking your kids were ready, and be able to accept that and say, okay, this was not the right mix, this was not it, you know what I'm saying?
52:01
SPEAKER_02: And giving the kids the opportunity, because I tell my kids, if you like it, tell me.
52:05
SPEAKER_02: Tell me what's going on.
52:06
SPEAKER_02: You are the body that's dancing, not me.
52:08
SPEAKER_02: You know, I could be doing it, I'm setting it, I'm doing it for you.
52:12
SPEAKER_02: But if it ain't working, because you have to be the one performing it, and I'm a firm believer.
52:16
SPEAKER_02: And if I don't like something or if children don't like something, they're not gonna do it to their fullest potential.
52:21
SPEAKER_02: We all know that, we all see it.
52:23
SPEAKER_02: So I think the conversation should be had all the way around.
52:26
SPEAKER_02: You know, I'll ask my kids sometimes.
52:28
SPEAKER_02: If I have a new guest choreographer come in, they teach a masterclass first before we get away.
52:33
SPEAKER_02: That's what I was gonna say.
52:34
SPEAKER_02: And so then you know, I have a group chat with my kids and I'll be like, all right, spill the tea, tell me what's going on.
52:40
SPEAKER_02: Did you like them?
52:41
SPEAKER_02: Did you not like them?
52:42
SPEAKER_02: Were they attentive?
52:43
SPEAKER_02: Were they giving corrections?
52:44
SPEAKER_01: Like that's like they're all the shit for you.
52:46
SPEAKER_01: Right.
52:46
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like what's going on?
52:48
SPEAKER_02: Because then, okay, if we like them and we like their style, I'll book them and say, All right, are you available in three weeks?
52:53
SPEAKER_02: Can we come back?
52:54
SPEAKER_02: Can we do this?
52:55
SPEAKER_02: So I do like a really big week.
52:57
SPEAKER_02: We call it our electric summer intensive, and that's where we bring in our guests for masterclasses.
53:03
SPEAKER_02: And it's actually the kids' audition for the team too, because I watch them in class.
53:07
SPEAKER_02: We don't have like a kind of formal, I mean, we do have a formal audition at the end of the week, but I do most of my watching on how you take class because I want to see how attentive you are in the classroom, if you're able to retain the corrections.
53:19
SPEAKER_02: That's kind of how we do our audition.
53:21
SPEAKER_02: And then at the end of the week, we do like a formal ballet bar, jazz across the floor, bring back a combo from they learned during the week and audition them that way.
53:28
SPEAKER_02: But I kind of know who I'm gonna pick based off of watching them in class, and then that's also a way for me to watch the guests too kind of interact with the student to understanding that this is an audition process, not just for me, but for you too.
53:42
SPEAKER_02: You get to see who you like.
53:43
SPEAKER_02: Because for some pieces that are super special, I have the guests come in and be like A, B, C, D, E.
53:50
SPEAKER_02: But for other pieces, it's already a pre-made group that I pick.
53:53
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, okay, I want you to set a dance on these kids.
53:56
SPEAKER_02: So I kind of use guests in two ways, you know, kind of you pick who or you come into a pre-established group, and from there it's all game.
54:04
SPEAKER_02: Like you do you, you kind of both.
54:08
SPEAKER_01: If the guest gets to pick who, then if they're in class and they can say, Oh, this person's really adapting to my style, that's what I'm going to do.
54:16
SPEAKER_01: Right.
54:16
SPEAKER_01: I want this person instead of just being given dancers and trying to make it work on a style that they've never embodied before.
54:23
SPEAKER_02: It does.
54:24
SPEAKER_02: And it makes the kids work hard too, because it's like the one special caveat piece of the season, because they know they're making it in dance regardless.
54:31
SPEAKER_02: But it's this one piece that that's like, oh, they handpicked me to be in it.
54:36
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
54:36
SPEAKER_02: It kind of gives them another sense of, okay, let me really like pull out the big guns, let me because you know, they already know, okay, walking into power, I'm gonna be in at least five pieces.
54:48
SPEAKER_02: I know that I'm good with that, but this one extra piece is like it gives them something to be confident about and something to look forward to too each year.
54:57
SPEAKER_02: Because if you don't make it one year, you know, all right, I gotta step it up because I know they're coming back next year, and now I have to like really put forth some effort to really like be seen.
55:09
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
55:10
SPEAKER_04: We haven't really covered like guest choreography for solos versus groups.
55:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
55:15
SPEAKER_04: And I'm I'm interested to hear what you guys think.
55:17
SPEAKER_04: Like, are you picking that option for either one of those options more or less?
55:22
SPEAKER_04: Or what do you think is more beneficial?
55:24
SPEAKER_00: As a guest choreographer, I find if you're a studio that's just starting this process, I say group 1,000%.
55:37
SPEAKER_00: Because it it is intimidating and scary.
55:40
SPEAKER_00: And you are an adult that this child doesn't know if you're working with a soloist.
55:45
SPEAKER_00: And there is there is an energy there.
55:47
SPEAKER_00: And I think introducing it in a group setting, I think can expose more dancers to the experience.
55:53
SPEAKER_00: This is where I will counter what I was saying earlier that I do think guest choreographers for advanced soloists are more appropriate than beginners or intermediates.
56:05
SPEAKER_00: I think really starting it off, really being able to introduce the experience just one-on-one is very it's intimidating.
56:11
SPEAKER_00: You're a big person with a very little person.
56:16
SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's hard.
56:18
SPEAKER_00: You want to honor that experience for a child.
56:21
SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, I'm I'm a huge proponent.
56:23
SPEAKER_00: I I know I love choreographing solos because it is something so special and so so unique for the soloist.
56:29
SPEAKER_00: But I'm saying if you've never brought in a guest choreographer, it might work for your senior dancer, but I wouldn't line up 30 until until that relation, that relationship has been built.
56:41
SPEAKER_02: Agreed, 150%.
56:43
SPEAKER_02: I think for me, groups always come first.
56:45
SPEAKER_02: You know, I always go for groups first, and for my soloists, they audition for solos.
56:51
SPEAKER_02: So everybody that auditions for a solo for me doesn't get one.
56:54
SPEAKER_02: But those that get one, they have a choice on who they're comfortable with.
56:58
SPEAKER_02: Do they want to work?
57:00
SPEAKER_02: Because at the end of the day, they're gonna work with me on the solo regardless, because obviously the guest is gone out of the building.
57:07
SPEAKER_02: So at that point, it really becomes you've already earned the solo.
57:11
SPEAKER_02: Now I'll give you the choice.
57:13
SPEAKER_02: And really that comes down to you know, finances with mom and dad.
57:17
SPEAKER_02: Can they afford a guest choreographer solo?
57:20
SPEAKER_02: Because they can be on the ups of 15, 2,500, depending on who you're asking for, versus, oh yeah, uh real listen.
57:30
SPEAKER_02: I'll be like, uh-uh.
57:32
SPEAKER_02: And I just know that from my mom spending it with my brother because his last few years in high school, he was getting solos from uh Brooke Parati and Mark Mismer.
57:43
SPEAKER_02: And I know the coin she put out for that, you know what I'm saying?
57:47
SPEAKER_02: So versus Miss Ryan, who's$300.
57:50
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
57:51
SPEAKER_02: So it really depends on at that point.
57:54
SPEAKER_02: You've earned the right to have a solo, you show me your dedication for it.
57:58
SPEAKER_02: At that point, it's really gonna be comfortability.
58:02
SPEAKER_02: Are you comfortable with learning a solo with somebody you never met before?
58:05
SPEAKER_02: Are you ready to kind of go into that?
58:07
SPEAKER_02: Because some kids aren't necessarily they know they're good, but they're like, all right, I'm not that comfortable yet.
58:13
SPEAKER_02: I still kind of want to work with you.
58:15
SPEAKER_02: And then maybe the following year, they're like, Okay, I'm ready.
58:18
SPEAKER_02: I think I can do it.
58:19
SPEAKER_02: Let's do it.
58:19
SPEAKER_02: So I kind of give solos the choice, but for groups, like I said at the beginning, you know, I kind of tend to do guest choreography for nine and up.
58:27
SPEAKER_02: I kind of tend to lean more towards my advanced students first, and then we'll kind of work down, work backwards, and I'll give those kids who I feel like are ready the opportunity, maybe for large groups to be in our large group.
58:40
SPEAKER_02: Like our production number is guest choreographs.
58:42
SPEAKER_02: So everybody works with a guest one, and it's our production number, you know, which I mean, I'm in there, a lot of my staff is in there.
58:51
SPEAKER_02: We kind of help the prog the process go a little faster.
58:53
SPEAKER_02: But when I'm talking small groups and stuff like that, I kind of tend to leave that for my teens and seniors, even my intermediate teens and seniors work with guest choreographers, maybe not a huge name, but not myself.
59:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then like my advanced teens and seniors will kind of get a bigger name.
59:11
SPEAKER_02: And then those younger kids, depending on who they are, where we're at in space in that moment, will determine, you know, okay, a guest, yay, or name.
59:21
SPEAKER_00: I also find if you're a studio that or a dancer that maybe has three solos, how many times have we gone to a competition and the same dancer comes out with the same solo?
59:30
SPEAKER_00: I find that maybe the third or even the second solo is utilizing a guest choreographer because I'm a proponent of your teacher choreographing a solo for you because they honestly know you best.
59:45
SPEAKER_00: If we're gonna talk about groups and there are many different things and energies and ideas and stories, if I'm in a room with a dancer that I don't know, I I spend half the time being like, Well, what do you like?
59:55
SPEAKER_00: Who are you?
59:57
SPEAKER_00: Because as Ryan was saying, I truly I agree too that it is a collaborative experience.
1:00:01
SPEAKER_00: You want them, you're I'm not just gonna come in and like make a dance and then be gone.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_00: Like you want, you want it to be collaborative, you want them to experience it.
1:00:09
SPEAKER_00: So I do think there is a world for it, but I do think having your your home studio choreograph something that making sure that they're not three of the same.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're gonna do multiple solos, I think that is a good opportunity as you advance and and want a little bit more style to get in a much more diversity and range within that.
1:00:29
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a good opportunity to work with a guest choreographer when you're older.
1:00:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I feel like in as far as solo choreography, I couldn't agree with you more, Brandon.
1:00:38
SPEAKER_01: And I think we actually talked about that on a recent episode that previously.
1:00:42
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't agree with you more.
1:00:43
SPEAKER_01: And I feel like that it is hard to kind of navigate who is this dancer when we're walking in with them for a limited amount of time.
1:00:50
SPEAKER_01: That makes our job as a guest choreographer extremely hard.
1:00:53
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I here's my thoughts again about it.
1:00:57
SPEAKER_01: And I didn't grow up much with guest choreography.
1:00:59
SPEAKER_01: We had our teachers come from New York City, but they were like our weekly teachers.
1:01:03
SPEAKER_01: So we were lucky to have a variety of styles, but we didn't have a lot of people coming in and setting pieces for us.
1:01:08
SPEAKER_01: And at least for me, and I'm speaking personally as Courtney Ortiz, the jazz musical theater teacher, I'm pretty much teaching you nothing new.
1:01:17
SPEAKER_01: I'm teaching you what your jazz teacher should be teaching you in class.
1:01:21
SPEAKER_01: And I might have a little bit of a different style, or I might teach it slightly differently, or I might hear the musicality differently than your teacher does.
1:01:29
SPEAKER_01: But I think that for a lot of soloists, there's the opportunity that your teachers can do exactly what you want to achieve because they know you best, better than any guest choreographer would.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_01: And I feel like the only reason that you would need a guest choreographer to come in is if you're really trying to challenge yourself and if it's a really different style that you wanna, that your that your current teachers can't give you.
1:01:51
SPEAKER_01: There have been times where I've seen studios on stage that like I can tell like who their teacher choreographed all of them.
1:01:58
SPEAKER_01: And then here comes a dancer from that studio who has this really completely 180 flip of a of a solo contemporary, maybe, and it's just so such a different style that I never saw the studio do the whole weekend.
1:02:10
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, wow, good for you.
1:02:12
SPEAKER_01: And and that dancer obviously probably sought out this choreographer and liked their stuff and said, I want to challenge myself, or I know I can do great at this style and I want I want to do this.
1:02:22
SPEAKER_01: And they, you know, you have to really cast the choreographer based on your strengths.
1:02:27
SPEAKER_01: And you want to also make sure that you're paying for something that your current teacher can't give you.
1:02:32
SPEAKER_01: And most likely, there, you know, unless it's really out there contemporary, most likely your teachers can give you that as a soloist and and be able to show you off better than a guest choreography could, unless you're super advanced and like you're in the senior level.
1:02:48
SPEAKER_00: That's just my I mean it's imperative, it's imperative to your trainer that you get a different thing.
1:02:54
SPEAKER_00: If we're gonna talk about guest choreography ver uh in a a scalability way, you know, uh going back to studio expectations of winning and what what what are we trying to get out of it?
1:03:06
SPEAKER_00: Like Ryan, I or Courtney growing up in a lot and a lot, see, we I grew up in a studio that was like guest choreography, it was like that's what we did.
1:03:13
SPEAKER_00: So that is my we brought in people and it was huge and it was so exciting.
1:03:17
SPEAKER_00: And I didn't, you know, it was like our big summer thing, and we would have conventions in studio conventions, and but I wonder if there's a world where studios do that maybe are in closer proximity to each other if we change our expectations, do choreography swaps.
1:03:34
SPEAKER_00: Like Ryan, like have you been?
1:03:36
SPEAKER_00: I wonder if that's an idea.
1:03:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm not like I don't know.
1:03:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm just brand now for steady.
1:03:42
SPEAKER_00: But it's like, you know, like I don't need to if I'm gonna choreograph like 10 solos for my dancers, maybe I swap because you know it's like you were saying, Courtney, I'm not gonna teach you uh hopefully the things that you're not but like the way I do transitions or the way I do my music out that that is that can spin a whole new perspective for someone and any and you can do it at a local level, you don't have to bring in everybody, yeah.
1:04:07
SPEAKER_02: That's kind of how I am with Haja.
1:04:08
SPEAKER_02: Like I'm gonna keep bringing them up because like I said, like we Haja's been around for years, and I competed against Haja growing up, so and the owners, like I said, we're all best friends.
1:04:19
SPEAKER_02: That's kind of what we do.
1:04:20
SPEAKER_02: I mean, they come do stuff for us.
1:04:22
SPEAKER_02: Me and my brother go do stuff for them, and it provides that variety that's kind of needed in a repertoire of pieces.
1:04:32
SPEAKER_02: I mean, and it sucks because you know, right now our industry is very cutthroat, and nobody, a lot of people aren't necessarily open to the idea of sharing choreographers and sharing.
1:04:46
SPEAKER_02: But see, I'm that I'm that person like girl, yeah, here, you want her phone number here, you know, like down here, do what you gotta do because as a guest choreographer, you gotta make money too.
1:04:54
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
1:04:55
SPEAKER_02: So, who am I to stop your coin because I don't want to share the same resources, you know what I'm saying?
1:05:03
SPEAKER_02: So I tended or I've created that relationship with Kyle and Selena and Haja.
1:05:09
SPEAKER_02: And you know, my brother JJ goes and does groups and solos, and Kyle and Selena comes to me and does groups and solos for me.
1:05:16
SPEAKER_02: Now we don't we and then we try to stay away from each other at comps because it's like, you know, because it's like the same things.
1:05:23
SPEAKER_02: We kind of use we use the same costume designer too, just because it's affordable for us.
1:05:28
SPEAKER_02: We give each other a lot of tips and pointers and help each other out, and we do stay far away from each other.
1:05:33
SPEAKER_02: But that's a way I think locally we can support each other with guest choreography is you know, have an understanding that yes, we may, we are competitors, but you know, at the end of the day, you know, we're all dance family, we're all dance mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins.
1:05:51
SPEAKER_02: We all are related through the art of dance.
1:05:54
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I feel like what's wrong with me sharing my little tips and secrets with you over here to see your kids grow.
1:06:00
SPEAKER_02: Grow and blossom because we do, like I said, we do stay on completely opposite ends of the competing spectrum.
1:06:06
SPEAKER_02: We always share our schedules with each other and try not to meet up.
1:06:10
SPEAKER_02: And if we do meet up, we get rather each, but I love you.
1:06:12
unknown: You know what I'm saying?
1:06:14
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
1:06:15
SPEAKER_02: That's just and that's the nature of the beast.
1:06:17
SPEAKER_02: It's friendly competition.
1:06:18
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
1:06:19
SPEAKER_02: It's healthy, it is what it is.
1:06:20
SPEAKER_02: But I think if guest choreographers were a more open about what their expectations were, about what their kind of standards are.
1:06:27
SPEAKER_02: And I that sounds a little bratty, but you know, like you said, some choreographers aren't open to working with beginners, and some are.
1:06:34
SPEAKER_02: And that's where, as a studio owner, you gotta kind of do your research and have those conversations instead of emailing Brandon and saying, Hey, I saw you're working on Insta, how much do you charge?
1:06:43
SPEAKER_02: Great, here's your flight.
1:06:45
SPEAKER_02: Okay, well, girl, what am I doing?
1:06:46
SPEAKER_02: You know, like what's the expectation?
1:06:49
SPEAKER_04: Like what?
1:06:50
SPEAKER_02: Right, exactly.
1:06:51
SPEAKER_02: What's the expectation?
1:06:52
SPEAKER_02: You know, so I think if us as studio owners really did our time in researching a, who we want to bring in and b kind of training our kids to be ready for these experiences, I think all in all, it would be more positive in our industry and not such a negative kind of condensation to guess choreography because we've heard the horror stories, we've seen how people will bash the piece, or as the uh artists themselves go online and being like, that ain't what I did.
1:07:21
SPEAKER_02: That's not like what is this?
1:07:24
SPEAKER_02: So I think if we all kind of have, I call it the connection triangle in my studio, and for me, that's like dancer to teacher, teacher to parent, parent to teacher.
1:07:34
SPEAKER_02: If we had that kind of triangle, you know, studio owner to choreographer, choreographer to dancer, dancer to studio owner, like you know what I'm saying?
1:07:43
SPEAKER_02: If we had that open-ended conversation about what our expectations are, what we're looking for, what the end result is, I think people will have more positive experiences with guest choreography, whether it is for education or to win.
1:07:58
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think it would just be more open, more honest, more blatant.
1:08:02
SPEAKER_02: Okay, you want me to just come in and sit in a word winning PCA?
1:08:06
SPEAKER_03: Or do you want me to?
1:08:08
SPEAKER_02: Or do you want me to come in and really provide training, really talk to the kids, create a relationship, build a bond?
1:08:14
SPEAKER_02: So I guess it's really is creating that open line of communication between everybody.
1:08:19
SPEAKER_04: Totally.
1:08:20
SPEAKER_04: Guys, this was so productive.
1:08:21
SPEAKER_04: I love this conversation.
1:08:23
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I hope this was so helpful for so many to hear because this is such a hot topic, guest choreography in general in the industry.
1:08:30
SPEAKER_01: And I feel like we covered all the bases with it.
1:08:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:08:34
SPEAKER_01: Well, you guys are rock stars.
1:08:36
SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and your feedback and your perspectives on this topic.
1:08:41
SPEAKER_01: And we loved having you on the pod and can't wait for this episode to release.
1:08:46
SPEAKER_01: But how we typically end each episode is we have our guests lead us out with any final thoughts or words of advice uh relating to the topic or in general.
1:08:56
SPEAKER_01: So feel free to lead us out.
1:09:00
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, Courtney and Leslie, for having me and Ryan.
1:09:05
SPEAKER_00: It was such a pleasure meeting you, a fellow Michigander, and such a lovely conversation.
1:09:10
SPEAKER_00: It's so nice to hear everyone's perspective.
1:09:12
SPEAKER_00: So I would just love talking about dance.
1:09:15
SPEAKER_00: I just love it.
1:09:15
SPEAKER_00: I think my my word of advice or final thought is not about guest choreography.
1:09:21
SPEAKER_00: It's something that's helped me lately is changing my perspective about what's happening.
1:09:26
SPEAKER_00: Of I've I've stopped calling this pandemic and this situation and this season and this year a new normal.
1:09:33
SPEAKER_00: I don't call it a new normal anymore.
1:09:35
SPEAKER_00: It's just normal now.
1:09:36
SPEAKER_00: You know, I I'm really trying to not live in the past and think about what has changed.
1:09:41
SPEAKER_00: And I'm just trying to live in the present and think about, well, this is this is this season and this is this style and this is today, and just being okay with it.
1:09:50
SPEAKER_00: I know it's easier said than done, but that's sort of something that's really helped me.
1:09:54
SPEAKER_00: And I encourage dancers and studio owners and parents and everyone listening to that to just, you know, artists are creative people and we keep adapting, and that's what we do best, and just so like this is this is what's happening right now, and and and do it.
1:10:09
SPEAKER_00: It's just happening.
1:10:10
SPEAKER_00: So that's something that's helped me that I wanted to share.
1:10:12
SPEAKER_02: And I'd like to say thank you guys so much, Courtney and Leslie and Brandon again.
1:10:17
SPEAKER_02: Nice meeting a fellow Detroiter.
1:10:20
SPEAKER_02: We definitely have to like link up and chat more.
1:10:23
SPEAKER_02: And thank you, making the impact to IDA for creating this podcast to allow these conversations to happen.
1:10:29
SPEAKER_02: Because I think if we all talked a little more, maybe we would understand each other more.
1:10:34
SPEAKER_02: And that's all across the board.
1:10:35
SPEAKER_02: If we all just kind of had more of an open and honest, candid conversation with each other, I think we'd understand each other's perspectives a little bit better.
1:10:42
SPEAKER_02: And I think my final words would be to studio owners, do your research, girl.
1:10:47
SPEAKER_02: Do your research and understand what your brand is.
1:10:52
SPEAKER_02: You know, the saying is the grass isn't always greener on the other side, tend to your grass.
1:10:57
SPEAKER_02: I think that saying goes perfect with this because you need to tend to kind of what's going on within your business and do what's right for you.
1:11:04
SPEAKER_02: Everything isn't right for everybody.
1:11:06
SPEAKER_02: And I think if we did our research and was just a little more candid with ourselves, guest choreography, anything within dance would have a little more of a positive outcome.
1:11:16
SPEAKER_02: So I think just doing your research, understanding your brand, and for the student, you never know who's watching.
1:11:23
SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for joining us for this week's episode.
1:11:26
SPEAKER_01: You can find our guests on social media, Brandon at Dance Device Lab and Ryan at PowerDance Company.
1:11:33
SPEAKER_04: Be sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and the new Amazon Podcast so you don't miss out on upcoming episodes releasing every Thursday throughout the dance season.
1:11:42
SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check out one of our episode sponsors, Dance Device Lab.
1:11:46
SPEAKER_01: Dance Device Lab produces high-quality, student-focused in-studio events nationwide.
1:11:51
SPEAKER_01: Looking to book an in-studio convention or intensive, DDL's eclectic faculty represents the most experienced educators, versatile performers, and talented choreographers in the industry.
1:12:01
SPEAKER_01: DDL's uniquely developed adjudication showcase is the go-to alternative for a competition weekend.
1:12:06
SPEAKER_01: For all of your dances, DDL adjudicators will provide live and written critiques, lead a rehearsal to implement their feedback, and teach classes to infuse these fundamentals in the classroom.
1:12:15
SPEAKER_01: Virtual options are also available for all of their programs.
1:12:19
SPEAKER_01: Check them out now at dancedevicelab.com.
1:12:22
SPEAKER_01: Just a reminder for all of our dancers out there.
1:12:24
SPEAKER_01: If you want to enter into IBE's virtual competition, you only have two weeks left to send in your dance now.
1:12:31
SPEAKER_01: Our registration will close promptly on December 1st.
1:12:34
SPEAKER_01: Head to our website now to learn more at Impact Dance Adjudicators.com/slash virtual competition.
1:12:41
SPEAKER_04: Season two is in full swing with new topics, great advice, and amazing interviews.
1:12:45
SPEAKER_04: Coming up in the next few weeks, topics include keeping jazz dance alive, the role of race in dance, and a super exciting spotlight episode featuring Maud Arnold of syncopated ladies.
1:12:56
SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for joining us for this week's episode All About Guest Choreography.
1:13:00
SPEAKER_01: Until next time, keep dancing.