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Stage & Costume Malfunctions - What To Do During Onstage Mishaps · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: We've all been there.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: We're in the middle of a dance routine, performing our heart out when all of a sudden a shoe goes flying off, or a hat slipped so far down our face that we can't see anymore.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Costume and stage malfunctions are an inevitable part of dance competition.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: But on today's episode of Making the Impact, we share personal stories and advice on how to avoid the worst of the worst and performance mishaps.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: Hi y'all, welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I'm here with my fabulous co-host, Leslie Mueller.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, Courtney.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: What's up?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Not too much.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're back.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's time to pod again.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so happy to be here this week, and I'm I'm I cannot explain to you how excited I am for this episode.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_03: I have been dying for this episode.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_03: Like since we started podcasting.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I think these the topic comes up occasionally with like maybe the, you know, the presentation episode, some of the like how how to be a professional dancer topics.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're always kind of there's always something that's gonna show up in this realm of malfunctions in a lot of conversations, but to have a full episode devoted to the mishaps that we have all been through and that we can, you know, hopefully prepare for uh to prevent is gonna be really fun and funny, I hope.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: It is.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's gonna be, I think it's gonna be a lot of fun hearing from our own experiences, also from the judging side of things, things that we've seen happen on stage that I think that's why I'm so excited about this, because I've just seen so many things happen that I'm like, th this could have been prevented.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: Or like, how do we resolve this in the moment?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: And we wanted to put this earlier in the season before the actual competition season is in full swing.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_03: So you can pass this around to all of the dancers, the studios, the teachers out there, and have these tips and tricks in the back of your brain when that happens, if that happens to you on stage.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: Hopefully it doesn't.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: We don't want any costume malfunctions or prop malfunctions on stage.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_03: That's the goal.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: We're trying to prevent them.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: And some things are not preventable, some things just happen and like that's real show must go on.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, the show must go on.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, until somebody's really it's you know, we can get into it.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh reasons why the show should not go on.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I'm super excited to have our guests here today.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: We've got some really awesome new guests to the podcast.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited to get to know them and hear about their experience as well.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: But before we do that, I think we should tell our listeners just a little bit about our sponsors.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, we have sponsors who help support our podcast, and we would like to share our first sponsor of this week's episode, and that is Fave 4 Hair.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: If you are in need of some fabulous hair products to use throughout the competition season that are made by professional moms who were once dancers and now have dancers themselves, then you should check out Fave 4.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: Fave 4 is a family-friendly, high-performing hair care line.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: They know the importance of easy-to-use, brushable, and clean products that can last through those long competition days.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: From hairspray to shampoo to gel and so much more.
• 3:20
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• 3:23
  SPEAKER_03: Visit Fave4.com to learn more about their products.
• 3:26
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• 3:31
  SPEAKER_03: We also have an exclusive promo code to offer to our podcast listeners so you can try out Fave4 yourself.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_03: Use the code Impact15 in all caps at checkout to receive 15% off your very first order.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: I know you're going to love their products because I love them too, and I cannot wait for you to try them out at your next competition.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you to Fave4 for sponsoring us in season 4.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: Let's make the dance industry 1% better together.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_03: It all starts with each of us working to become 1% better every day.
• 4:00
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• 4:05
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• 4:16
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• 4:24
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• 4:29
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• 4:33
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• 4:39
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• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: And listeners, if you haven't heard yet, if you're new to our podcast, I want to tell you all about our Platinum Premium podcast subscription.
• 4:51
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• 4:57
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• 5:02
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• 5:21
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• 5:25
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• 5:28
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• 5:34
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• 5:39
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• 5:42
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• 5:45
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• 5:46
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• 5:51
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• 5:53
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• 5:55
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• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yay, Michaela, we're gonna we're we're gonna be here for a while.
• 5:59
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• 6:00
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• 6:01
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• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: That is a deal, Courtney.
• 6:07
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• 6:08
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• 6:10
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• 6:14
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• 6:14
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• 6:17
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• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: All right, everyone, it's time to jump into this episode.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: And like I said, I'm super pumped about this one.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: Can't wait to introduce you to two brand new podcast guests and also two IDA judges who are joining us today.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_03: First up, I'm excited to welcome a new judge to our roster who joined us last season and had the opportunity to work for us a little bit last year and excited to have them back this year.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: Please welcome Hallie Mastroberardino to the podcast.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome, Hallie.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks so much.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_03: So excited to be here.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited to have you here as well.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm super happy, like I said, to have you on the roster.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited to get you out some more this season as an IDA judge.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, it was great to kind of, you know, dip my toe in a little bit with the company last year.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_06: I'm excited to keep it going, see what this year holds.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, totally.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_03: So, Hallie, if you wouldn't mind telling the dance world out there a little bit more about you, where you grew up, where you're residing now, a little bit about your dance training and career credits and what you're working on.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so I grew up in Westchester, New York.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_06: I was a competition kid from the ages of four to twelve.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_06: I was like, So back we would always say that they should make a dance TV show about us because we were at the studio for like six days a week, and then dance moms happened, and I was like, that's what I did.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_06: Yep.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_06: So my studio, I went to Westchester Dance Academy when I was younger, and uh the technique that I got there was just like immeasurable.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_06: But really, like owe them a whole lot for just the foundation that I got of dance.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_06: And uh my parents have always been really into Broadway and musical theater and living so close to the city that would be like my birthday present, my Christmas present.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_06: We'd like get tickets and go see Broadway shows.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_06: So that was always something I loved to do.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_06: And when I was 12, I kind of made a decision, you know, I can't spend six days a week at the studio and do musicals.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_06: So I'm gonna cut back on the competition side of things and start to, you know, study voice and acting and get myself into uh, you know, the other disciplines of musical theater.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_06: And that allowed me to really, you know, work on my skills as a middle schooler, high schooler.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_06: And I would do the musicals at my uh high school and I auditioned for BFA programs.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_06: I ended up going to Point Park University where I studied musical theater and then I was a dance minor there.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_06: So again, getting that like triple threat training was always really important to me.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_06: And the dance program at Point Park is just like mind-blowing.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_06: So it was amazing to kind of be thrown into classes with people who now are like dancing with Alvin Ailey and these incredible dance companies and really kind of created my community from school.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_06: And I also was lucky enough to uh work at Music Theater Wichita a couple summers when I was in college, and they are in Wichita, Kansas.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_06: They bring in uh Broadway professionals to play the leads, and then the college kids are kind of in the ensemble and get featured parts, and um that was just crazy connections, the connections I was able to make there really helped me once I moved back home to New York in Westchester.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_06: I was always really close to the train and would go in and audition and got to do I was in the ensemble of elf uh with Mara Newberry Greer, who is a choreographer that I worked with in Wichita and ended up coming back.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_06: That was like right out of school, also.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_06: And yeah, just kind of like I I've always find that my dance uh competition world connections and then the theater connections, there's always so much crossover.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_06: Um, and I've really just been able to kind of, you know, reconnect with people that I met when I was little baby Hallie, you know, doing conventions and competitions, and now being able to work professionally with some of those people and be in the same studios as them.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_06: I yeah, just been able to continue my training and uh I've performed in high school.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_06: I did the National High School Musical Theater Awards.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_06: So like we performed at the Minskkoff stage.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_06: So I know we'll kind of have a little Lion King sort of uh crossover event here, but um so I've I've had like some really amazing experiences to like again, like dip my toe into the Broadway community, and that's really like the dream and still is the dream, you know, still taking class and auditioning and yeah, just since the pandemic, I haven't performed since February of 2020 was like the last thing, the last opportunity I had to be on stage.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_06: So just looking forward to uh the next time I can get up there.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_06: And then the judging is a way that kind of full circle for me to kind of give back to the next generation.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_06: I do teach dance now and choreograph for competition teams as well.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_06: So I definitely like there's lots of like completing the circles in um my career and in the passion that I have to kind of give back all of the things that I've been able to learn to the next generation.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: I love hearing that.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: That's so great.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I know you'll be back on stage soon.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: Don't you worry.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_03: It's just a tough time right now, and jobs are kind of limited and not a lot of auditionings, especially over here in New York, but you will be back on that stage soon.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: And also I wanna you have a podcast yourself.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: I I've just learned.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_03: Give a plug.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_03: What is it?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_03: Tell the listeners out there.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so this was like my pandemic passion project was um my podcast.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_06: It's called Let's Take It From the Top.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_06: I say it's for theater lovers everywhere.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_06: I say I made it for like little high school Hallie who would sit and watch YouTube videos of like backstage behind the scenes Broadway shows.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_06: And I I realized I knew so many people who were going to make their Broadway debut and who were in shows and, you know, just got again connected to people that I was like, I want to hear about when they had their most favorite experience of being in a show.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_06: And so we'd sit down and we just kind of chat about an experience that they loved.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_06: And some people talk about their high school shows, some people talk about their Broadway debuts.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_06: So we got a lot of like different perspectives on there of just what it's like to be a creative artist in New York and in the professional world.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_06: So yeah, all those episodes are available on Spotify and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_06: So cool.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_03: We will link that in the show notes.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we definitely will check it out, listeners.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_03: Another podcast for you to binge because we know y'all binge our podcast to all of our listeners worldwide.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_03: So thanks so much, Halle, for joining us on this one.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_03: All right, and our next special guest is a new guest to the podcast.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, she is someone that I have known my literally entire life.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: I have looked up to her my entire life.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_03: She was one of the older girls at my dance studio in Maryland and unbelievable dancer and talent and current working Broadway professional.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited to welcome Miss Donna Michelle Vaughn to the podcast.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome, Donna.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks, Gore.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my god, the intro.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, we have been in each other's lives since we were.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_05: If I was three, you had to be what five, you know, like other way around.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_05: Other way.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_05: I'm like, I was not born yet.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_05: Definitely tell I haven't had coffee before I got on this podcast.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so other way around.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_05: And it's been a like super cool to stay connected, you know.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, we've been all over the world, and so to have like Facebook and now the podcast, and now the judging IDA, it's really cool to stay connected and share the crazy memories, but also like amazing memories that we have at our dance studio.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, so growing up again, I'm from Baltimore, Maryland.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_05: Started dancing at the age of three.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_05: We went, I did all the competitions, the convention world.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_05: Super grateful for that in regards to learning performance quality, not being afraid to fall on stage, you know, all those things, getting confidence to perform in front of a lot of people.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_05: I think I did competitions and conventions up until I was going to college.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, went to VCU, studied there, graduated from there, and went to one of my dream dance companies to work with was Hover Street.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_05: And so I got into the second company of Hover Street, left Hover Street, went to Dance Work Chicago, which is also in Chicago, obviously, and with both companies um traveling internationally and nationally.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_05: So that was really cool to go out of the country.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_05: My first Broadway show that I saw was Annie actually as a kid in Baltimore and at like the Meyerhof or something.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_05: And I was like, I want to do that, but I had never in my life taken a singing lesson before.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_05: So what I had to be at least 25 when I took my first singing lesson, maybe 24, 25.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_05: Got hooked up with this older pianist.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_05: Um, she had to be like 87 years old.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my god.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_05: I sang all that, she taught me how to sing all that jazz.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_05: I'm pretty sure that's like everyone's like audition song.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_05: The first one, yeah.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, the first one.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_05: Came to New York and auditioned for the show.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_05: I was actually flying from Chicago to New York a lot.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_05: I think their first show I auditioned for was like Wicked, but auditioned for Lion King, and they called me like six months later.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_05: So by this time, you're like, ah, you know, you do the audition, you don't hear from them, you just whatever.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_05: And they asked me if I wanted to go to Vegas.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, Can I live in Vegas?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_05: What do you do?
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_05: What do people do in Vegas anyway?
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_05: Went to Vegas, live the best life.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_05: I was out there for two and a half years, and then they asked me to come to Broadway, and I've been here for 11 years now.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_05: So it's been a whirlwind, like a really cool journey.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_05: Sometimes I'm like, how am I still living this life?
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_05: But here I am.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_05: I just started during the pandemic, I started just like a pop-up convention.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_05: It's like one, two, or three days where you get to work with industry professionals from all over the world, especially like Broadway people, because I have so many friends.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_05: And so yeah, you can just study.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_05: I have like musical theater specific ones.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_05: I have ones where you, you know, want to work with dance companies.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_05: So I have friends in Ailey, um, Alonzo King's Lions Ballet.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_05: I mean so many different dance companies.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, it's been running for three years now.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_05: Or I don't know.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_05: I've been able to have in-person pop-ups.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_05: Of course, they all started virtually, but yeah, that's what I've currently doing and doing Lion King, so and judging.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm kind of like all over the place.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, girl.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, you are, and you're killing it.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_03: And I've loved watching your journey and your career.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_03: And Lion King is just the show for you.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm still upset because I finally saw Lion King.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_03: So hopefully, like everyone in that's listening, I hope that you've seen Lion King.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, and I went and saw Lion King and Donna wasn't there.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like sitting in the audience, I'm like, I'm at your show tonight.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: And she's like, I'm literally not there today.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, I was so bummed.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: But it was it's an amazing show that everyone needs to see because it's just the visuals of it and the dancing, obviously, but then the prop work is just so exquisite.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: And that's another reason why I was like, we need to have Donna on because I am sure there have been some crazy prop malfunctions and things that happen on the Broadway stage in Lion King out of all shows that you can probably share some fun uh stories with us on this episode.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, fun and terrifying.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, we have to get you like back once I'm back.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_05: Because it's the 25th anniversary, it is in two weeks.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_05: So after all of that stuff calms down, yeah.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I'll be like, yeah, have you back.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: I loved the show.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: I can't wait to see it again.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm pumped to dive into this one.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you both for being here.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: Let's jump on in.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man, where to start with costume and stage malfunctions?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: There's truly so much.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: Donna, like you said, like hilarious and also terrifying.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I think let's let's just start like very simple.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I just I had this thought when we were sort of thinking about this episode.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, when you're a kid, like something that seems very or that is very small in reality can just be overblown in your head.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, oh my god, that was the worst thing that ever happened.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, like to y'all, what what's like a low-stakes costume or stage malfunction that like if if this happens, no big deal.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_06: I have a story, yeah, Leslie, that you the idea of like it feels like the end of the world, but it really was just Yeah, like it's fine, nobody noticed.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_06: So I have one that definitely people did notice, but was really like a very small detail.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_06: So I was younger, I was maybe like nine or ten years old, on at a competition, dancing to Here Comes the Sun.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_06: And we had these cute little sun hats on with yeah, with these little ribbons.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_06: And my mom growing up was the one to be like, pin it down, like make sure your hair is right, and you know, and these hats with the ribbons, she's like, should we attach those?
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_06: And everyone's like, No, it's fine, they'll stay.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_06: We go to this one part, we like leaned over, and my ribbon comes over in front of my face, and the whole rest of the dance is in front of my face.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_06: And I was, I literally was like trying to like push it back, like trying to get it to flip back over the other side of the hat.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_06: Didn't happen.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_06: And again, like came, finished the dance, walked off the stage and was like in hysterics, hysterically crying, like, this is terrible.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_06: I messed it up for everyone.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_06: You know, you just think it's like your fault and it's the end of the world.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_06: But ended up go to awards.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_06: We get our award, they're giving out special awards, and I ended up getting a special award for continuing to dance with the thing in front of my face.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_06: And I can remember, like, I always I had a nickname in high school that was Hallie pick the prop up Master Baradino, because I often was like on it, just like wanting to fix anything that went wrong.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_06: And I think like that was almost like a formative moment in my dance career of like that's really not as big of a deal as you think.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_06: And also, like, just like why didn't I try to just like take a second and grab it?
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, I did try, I guess, but like it's really not that big of a deal.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_06: And to just try your best to continue on if it's not gonna be something that is, you know, making it harmful for you to dance.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_06: Like, I could still see, but right, yeah, right.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_06: That's like the first big like malfunction moment that I think I experienced as a young dancer.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_06: That like pops in my head and your mom was like, we're pinning that next to me.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_03: We're super glue.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_06: Immediately she was like sewing it to the hat.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_06: Exactly.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_03: And like you remember that forever because it was like like Leslie, you described like as young kids, like some things are just so traumatizing that you'll just never forget, and you're like, it's not that deep looking back, like a bow was in my eyes.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_03: Cool.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: But like this little 10-year-old's like heartbroken about it.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: Any any of those moments for you, Donna, in your personal life or anything that you've seen?
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_05: And I would say, like, one in the show that mine were all like pretty big or like super terrifying, but the one that I guess was like not so bad was I'm actually the anthill in the show during um Grasslands.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_05: So there's a moment where I'm on point.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_05: And so crazy enough, I have to like I enter out of one wing, but I have to barray back and enter out of exit out of another wing.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_05: And my point shoe came off of my heel.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_05: And the only thing that like makes this number like super dramatic is because I don't have access to my hands.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_05: So when I was taught this.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_05: Part.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_05: They literally were like, if you fall, the either the stage manager or a crew has to come and drag me off because I can't, yeah, I don't have access to my hands.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_05: So thankfully I didn't fall.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_05: I kept my shoe on.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_05: I've actually hopefully I'm not jinxing myself.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_05: I've never fell.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_05: But you know, when it's terrifying when your heel slips off because I didn't have ribbon, I just do elastic.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_05: And I made sure to put like rubber on the toes so that I can like, you know, feel.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_05: But if my shoe would have fallen off, that would have been pretty dramatic.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, I made it.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_05: And it happened like at center, so I only had like the rest of the street.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, wait, wait.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_05: You were halfway there.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I was like, whoo.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_05: So I made it.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_05: And no, and I came off stage and no one knew.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_05: Like, usually I'm like, did you get in?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, you know what?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not even gonna say anything.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_05: So I just like went on to the next thing.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if if the if the unthinkable happened and you did like fall over and and somebody had to come get you, are they dressed as something to be able to be like less uh conspicuous?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: And they're all blacks like pulling you off.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_05: In one in one scene, they are.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_05: And then, but other than that, no.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_05: They're yeah, it's supposed to be an all black just to like come out and just like wow.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I mean, there's so many things happening, so maybe that you wouldn't, but but that's just like a good example of a contingency plan for something that, like, all right, if this thing goes wrong, this is what happens.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you gotta have that plan of action.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_05: And to be like learning it and then telling you that, like as your only option, I was like, oh, this is right.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_05: Do I wanna do I get a bump in my pace for this?
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you probably should, isn't it?
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: Like, uh, what's it called?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_03: The hazard pay the bump.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, hazard pay.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_05: It is, but I it needs to thumbs up.
• 23:49
  unknown: Yeah.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: And like, yeah.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like the shoe, the shoe scenario is definitely one that we've seen a ton at competition.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_03: You know, a dancer's shoes halfway off.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: They're trying to make it work.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_03: I've seen dancers where their shoe might just like, I didn't even see it get to the halfway point.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_03: It just somehow ended off their foot.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_03: And some people go on like nothing even happened.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: There's others where they're like trying to hang on to the shoe being half on, and and I'm sitting there as a judge being like, just flick it off.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_03: Just rip that shoe off and just keep going.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_03: Cause like it's like holding them back from being able to dance to their fullest.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: And there are some smart dancers who have done that option where they're like, you know what?
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: Screw the shoe.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna take this off and let me keep going.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like, because things happen.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_03: You can't, like, if your shoe fell off, it fell off.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe your shoe came untied next time we double knot it.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_03: Or if you have your jazz shoe's just too broken in and it's too loose and not staying tight to snug to your foot.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_03: It fell off, we get some new ones next time.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_03: But in the moment, it's like, what do you do in that moment when you're like, oh shoot, my shoe is literally falling off.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_03: Do I keep going?
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_03: Do I act like it's not happening?
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: Do I rip it off?
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: Like, and that's the struggle that we all until we're in that moment.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: You don't really know what you gotta do.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 25:06
  unknown: Yeah.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_06: I feel like the judgment call, right?
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_06: There, and I and I feel like it depends, right?
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_06: Like you almost have to be like, I know uh it would always be like be a smart dancer, right?
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_06: Be a smart dancer and try and solve the problem, right?
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_06: Like it is okay, what is like the best decision to make in these split seconds that's gonna be like most helpful for me, most helpful for the audience?
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_06: Like, and then it's those moments where if you make, you know, any decision, it could be uh totally not noticed at all by anyone else around you.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_06: Exactly.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_06: And that's always kind of like funny and interesting.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's where the smart dancer comes into play, too, like that scenario.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I don't remember what we did like when we were in our comp years, but I remember like my padini would slide, you know, the heel, the shoe.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_05: Always the padini, it is always the padini.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_05: Always the padini.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_05: And now as a judge, it's whatever a half soul is, it's like why just why just be barefoot or wear a shoe.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_05: Personally, personally, that's my take on that thing.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_05: But it the the little elastic pops off the heel, and so then you're like, okay, you know, you're just you're you're barefoot really, so you just take it off.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_05: But I feel like if you are doing like a solo dual trio small group thing, you should just, I don't know, take it off.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_05: I think in the professional world, like me being on Broadway, you think more about who's coming on next.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_05: Or like what is who's coming behind me, right?
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Or like how is that gonna affect something else other than me?
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you think about other people.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_05: Whereas I think when you're in the comp world, you're thinking about yourself, right?
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_05: And you're younger, like that's what you do.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_05: Obviously, it's your foot, your shoe.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, I think that's where the line crosses.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's that's a really good perspective because we like you know, Courtney's said, and we've talked about on the podcast before, that like the studio world and the professional world seem very different in terms of what the instruction is in terms of leave it there or pick it up.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: And in the professional world, it it's about everybody's livelihood.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's about the stage hand, it's about the rigor, it's about the the lead, it's about the understudy, it's about everybody's safety and integrity of the art that's being created.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas at the competition, it it almost feels it's not selfish in a bad way, but it's like it's selfish.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: You're thinking about yourself and my placement and you know, as opposed to like the greater good almost.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and I mean, rightfully so if you're like seven or eight or not, like you know what I mean?
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_05: You're like, I just want to hit the staff and get off.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_05: But older, like if they're older and able to, you know, comprehend what is happening, then I definitely think, but yeah, so true.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_05: And I didn't learn that obviously until I I wasn't taught that when I was learning the show, but specifically on Broadway, they will ask, they'll come to you and say, Hey, there's a blase blah, there's a mouse, you know, stage right, uh, blah, blah, blah, blah, wing, blah blah blah.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_05: And you're like, What?
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_05: And so you go and like look for it and you see if you can get it.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_05: And then if you can't get it, then it's the next, you know, like it's just like a constant rigma row of like who can get the whatever it is off the stage.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_05: So it like then it becomes part of your show so that it doesn't become part of the show, you know what I mean?
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_03: Like just being aware of that.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's a it's an important skill and it goes back to that quote unquote smart dancer mentality and like approach to every time you go on a performance stage.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yes, in the competition world, I think that it does feel very like individualized.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna think about me, and if my this falls off, we leave it and we don't look at it again, and we act like that we didn't just drop this hat.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: There are so many times.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_03: I'm going to the hat example.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_03: You have a hat in your costume.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's a hat that we use as a prop.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's not living on your head, it's not pinned in.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's one we're using as a prop.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_03: Next thing you know, oops, we did a hat trick and it fell.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, sad about it.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well, your hat fell, you don't leave it.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_03: I'm letting the dance world know.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: You do not leave the hat on the stage.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_03: Your goal is to either pick that hat back up as as quickly or as seamlessly and discreetly as possible.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe you have a roll to the floor and you can grab that hat right next to you.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you're my brain as the dancer in that moment would be, when can I get my hat again?
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: Not, oops, my hat's gone.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_03: Here's my invisible hat for the rest of the dance.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_03: And at the very minimum, like if it's impossible to get, maybe another dancer takes the initiative and says, Oh, she dropped her hat.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna kick it off the stage and sorry about it, girl, your hat's gone.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_03: But at least it's not sitting staring at me on the stage.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: Because as the judge, the whole time I'm like, just pick it up.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_03: Come on, you're so right.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_03: You could have gotten it.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_03: You could have gotten it.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, right.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_03: And like I think that's where the teamwork aspect has to come into play, especially if it's like a group dance or something, because we're so we're especially in the competition world, we're we're drilled for some reason.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know who created this rule, but it's drilled into your head to just like leave it there and keep going.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_03: And I want to change that rule.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_03: I want me as Courtney Ortiz and all of us, I think, on this podcast, we're telling the dance world, let's change that rule and let's be smart dancers and figure out how do we solve this problem.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_03: So a prop isn't in the way because it does become a safety issue.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you as the dancer knows what comes next.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_03: What if there's a turn sequence there and that that hat is right in the middle or a glove right in the middle and a dancer's gonna step on it?
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_03: Might as well be a banana peel.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_05: I've seen the I've seen the earring come off.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god, that scares me so bad.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_05: And that's like like that one, it's like hard because one, you don't always know where it went.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_05: You know how it just like flies and then you're like, uh-oh.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_05: And then someone you realize where it is when someone steps on it.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_05: I've seen that, and then I'm like, because then you you just can't do dance anymore, and then they you like how stage.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_05: Yep, you know.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_05: But um, I have also seen the ribbons, you know, the you know, if they have the prop as a ribbon or whatever.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_05: And um, I've seen one group where she picked it up, she kicked it to her friend, like they were in two lines, and she kicked it and her friend picked it up, and I was screaming as a judge.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, I don't even know if I said anything about like point your feet, like like point your knees.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_05: I just started talking about that whole thing, like, holy moly, like these young kids are thinking about their friends, smirk, like she knew, like then I started thanking the owner or the like the teacher, you know.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_05: So definitely praising them for that.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, the earring is super scary because you can start bleeding on stage and go off.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_05: Safety, like so important, and that's the clip-on.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_05: I I I was so intrigued to like what happened, you know, because I'm like, if you have a back and the earring, and so I remember asking uh one of the MCs to like, can you just find out like how in the world did the earring and it was a clip-on earring?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, yeah.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_06: Yep, yep, yeah.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_06: It's funny, all the talks about hats.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_06: I had to do at least six dances over like three years with a hat like in my hand off my head.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_06: And it's interesting because I'm trying to remember, I really think my teachers, I'll shout out Lauren Hubella and Daniela Cavalieri, would be like, pick it up! Like, I can remember them like enforcing in us the idea of like, don't let it sit there.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_06: And I will forever be grateful for that because it is so true.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_06: Anything, it could literally be anything.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_06: The moment it hits the floor and it's not supposed to, and you start to like dance away, right?
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_06: It's the only thing I'm looking at.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_06: Exactly.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_06: It's the only thing I'm looking at.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_06: And in that case, like continue your choreography.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_06: But again, just to be mindful of like when is the next moment that I will be able to swoop that off the floor and either get rid of it or get it to whoever it is, like whoever needs to have it.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I think it that is such a I would love to see that mental shift, not of leave it there, don't touch it, and forget it's there, but instead, how can I help either if it's a solo myself or if it's a duo, my partner, like yes, to think about how it's affecting every single person on stage as opposed to to forget about it and leave it there.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: I want to touch on something that's uh adjacent, but I think really important since we've got you guys here that have experienced life in the theater, which is a little different than life in the dance studio, but with so many studios these days competing with giant big production numbers with sets and props and all kinds of things.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: There's there are prop rules in the theater about where they live and how they're treated and who touches them.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: Can Donna, would you tell us a little bit about that and like what what those rules are and why maybe we should implement them at the studio too?
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because I don't know that most studios do this um and and treat their props the way professionals do.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, some of the props we can't touch at all until they are like hand delivered to us.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_05: Like here you go, like if you're in the wing, they bring it.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: And that's like a union rule.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_05: That can Yeah, in a I know particularly our show, like a lot of things are really heavy.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_05: And so, like, you don't want to just be like carrying it all the way from where it is all the way to the stage because by that time you're like exhausted, but also it's a specific way to handle a lot of the the puppets, and so some of them, yeah, you have to go to your spot and it's brought to you, or they bring it to you and you pick it out of like a hole in the floor, or you know, and can you tell about Johnny's prop?
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_05: No, we're not supposed to touch Johnny's prop.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: Right, your prop is your prop, and you get to touch your prop.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody else's prop.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, unless unless you're a swing, obviously, and you're go you're swinging in for someone, like they just started because of COVID implementing like everybody has their own blah blah blah now, opposed to like this thing was shared between four or five swings, you know what I mean?
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, you're not supposed to because then what happens is like you come back to it, which has happened to me a couple of times, and I'm like, and I'd go out there and I'm like, why does feel so different?
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_05: Like this is not mine, and then they're like, Oh, so-and-so used it, and it's like, no, like, you know, so certain things like that, because maybe my belt is tighter, maybe hers is looser, maybe his is so yeah, it's it's really important to, you know, have your own stuff and make sure you know who's giving it to you as well.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's very like strategic and like intentional.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: And like obviously in comp world, we don't really have stage hands helping us backstage, but you probably have a mom volunteer in that big number where there's a big costume change and everybody's got to help each other.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think what what I've noticed a lot of times is that like, you know, everybody has a prop and some of them look a little tired and ragged.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: And my thing is who's been mishandling that prop?
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because backstage, Susie's sister was like, This is a fun cane to play with, and nobody has said, This is not your prop.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: Your prop is over there.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: You handle your prop.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, again, like you said, Donna, who is giving that prop to you in this number?
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like that has to be choreographed and not sort of messed with because again, that's when your prop malfunctions.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's when, you know, the cane falls apart because it's been bent and broken and nobody paid attention to it, you know?
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_04: Hey y'all, it's Courtney.
• 36:21
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• 36:32
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• 36:44
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• 37:06
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• 37:09
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• 37:17
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• 37:25
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• 37:29
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• 37:39
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I I feel like some and I could be like completely wrong because you know, as a judge, we're sitting out front, but it looks the ones that come out and they look all the props look the same.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_05: I'm always like amazed.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_05: And I I always wonder, is the owner, like, does she travel with all of them and give them out?
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_05: Or is it like one dance mom who's like, I'm in charge of this?
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_05: Because I do think that, you know, when everyone's in charge of their own thing, that's when it starts to get a little like that's true.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_05: This one looks like this and this one looks like that, and rightfully so, right?
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_05: We're traveling, everyone travels different, you know.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_05: Somebody may put theirs in a suitcase, somebody may have theirs in a box.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_05: You know what I mean?
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_05: Like everyone is very particular with how or different with how they manage stuff.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_05: So I agree, it's how you manage it, and like whose job is it to like spruce them up by nationals or you know what I mean?
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_05: So they don't look ragged.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, I've always wondered when I see like a group of like 30 people, like those big productions where it's like they're doing like a Latin or you see the Lion King a lot, or like whatever it is, it's like, how are there 50 dancers on stage?
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_05: One, and two, their their costumes and their masks are so sharp and like like new.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_05: So I agree with you.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_06: I feel too like I have such a clear image.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_06: So my mom used to own a studio and like a few years ago, when those numbers come, sometimes you'll see the kids walk with like a laundry basket that's like labeled with their name and all their stuff is in that laundry basket if they like change shoes.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_06: And I would always be very interested to observe as the number was going on, either how like almost um like soldier-like they were like, and now I go to my basket and I change my shoes and I go to where I have to be.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_06: And on the other hand of that, the chaos that will ensue for some numbers.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_06: And I can remember, like, you know, you feel that energy around you and being like, how are these kids even able to go on stage and do what they have to do?
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_06: And just thinking, like, it made me think as a teacher and as like someone who cleans numbers, how to best prepare my kids for those dances that can be a little bit more, you know, the energy is already high and there's a lot to juggle.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_06: I feel like it is a responsibility of either the studio owner, like Donna was saying, or whoever, whichever teacher or instructor or choreographer is in charge of that number to be able to like set those rules of, you know, this is your stuff.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_06: You go to your thing, you do what you have to do, and you get set where you have to go so that there is no, you know, room for error or like margin for someone to get hurt or injured or anything like that.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_06: But I definitely feel like I've seen both sides of the coin in those larger numbers where there's a lot to juggle and a lot going on.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, because when you're in broad on Broadway, you have dressers, right?
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_05: And so like you come off, you're there, and it's like and then you go back out, like for the quick changes.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_05: But like when you're in c the comp world, I do feel like there should be, I don't know, a r a ratio ratio between like if there's this many dancers, could we have like if it's not the moms, right?
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_05: It's like a big girl or like two point people, because that's when the malfunction starts to happen when we're doing these productions.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_05: And it's like, first of all, can we have the next number like not be back there?
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_05: Like start there.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_05: And then can we have like, you know, if it's I don't know, what is it usually like two or three wings back there, depending on if it's like a comp or like a convention, and then have those point people so the dancers know, like when I run off stage and I have like 30 seconds, I'm going to like, you know, this lady or I'm going to my partner because that's when it gets messy, and then they're coming out and they're like, I one person doesn't have a glove, and then they're dragging something, you know.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_05: So I think you're like, you're like, oh yeah.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_05: And then you can like look off stage and see the like, like you said, like almost like the chaos, which I think there will always be chaos, like sometimes even on Broadway, but it's organized chaos, right?
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think it happens the same every time, you know, and that's key too, is that like Sally always goes to Susan, and that is what happens, and Susan is always in the swing no matter where you are, and like it's expected because if you change any one thing, it's over.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: It could go awry.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_03: There's like choreography for the backstage as well, like on the back end in any type of show that you do, and like obviously competition isn't a show, it's a one, you know, one and done performance for a few minutes.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_03: But there, if you know, if it if the choreography requires that much use of props or costume changes and things, there needs to be something going on in the back end that's a little bit more organized, so it's not chaotic.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_03: But with that, I want to also mention, since we're ta on the prop thing for a minute, is safety of props as far as how they're constructed, especially if they're like set pieces.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_03: We actually did a prop episode in last season, which is I highly recommend everyone listen go listen to because we really kind of went even more in depth with this.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_03: But I think it's a responsibility of whoever is designing the prop.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_03: If a if a choreographer says, Hey dance dad, I want you to build me this giant boat and it's gonna move all around the stage and they're gonna the dancer's gonna push it everywhere.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_03: First, it needs to be safe.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_03: Like number one priority is cool, you have the boat on stage.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: Looks great, painted it great, construction's awesome.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: Does it have safety brakes on it?
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_03: Probably not, and it needs to.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_03: Because if not, then that boat could fall over and injure a kid very quickly.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_03: Or if it's not stable on stage and safe for dancers to be climbing on top of it, doing acrobatic tricks and jumping off of it like all of you envision in your head, then we can't have this.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_03: There are so many times on that I see choreographers giving dancers requests to be standing on top of a high platform that is super unstable.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_03: And it makes me as a judge cringe and be so nervous.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_03: And that's a malfunction waiting to happen.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_03: Like that's the and I think at the end of the day, when it comes to every stage malfunction, like as much as there's like fun, silly ones that we can just like laugh about and oh my gosh, that happened.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh.
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think safety is the number one priority when it comes to being on stage.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_03: And if some type of malfunction happens, that should be what you think about is am I still safe?
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_03: Are my dancers safe?
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_03: And how can we make them safer on stage?
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, dangerous props and unstable props.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: That's not it, y'all.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: We need to make sure that they're really thick.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: Some of those big ones, you can't store it or travel it intact.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_00: You have to pee build it.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_00: Unbuild it.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: Take it apart and then put it back together.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, what does that look like after seven competitions?
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_00: Is that are the are the nails or the screws stripped by this point?
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like, are the holes even holding your screws in between the wood?
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, I'm not a carpenter, but like that's a real thing that happens if you have to undo stuff constantly.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I'm I would love to continue on with props a little bit, Court, but I we don't have a ton of time and I want to talk about costumes.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want to just jump to costume malfunctions?
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think we should jump into the costume malfunction because and we can also, you know, canes and hats and things are part of your costume and are sort of proppy.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_03: But for all of our listeners out there, if you want to hear about the prop talk, we have an episode for that.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_03: Go listen to the prop talk so we can continue on with the actual malfunctions that happen on the stage.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_03: And I just want to briefly, I say this, I've said it on the podcast before.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just gonna bring up our fun story, Leslie, because I think that it's it's important to hear.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and it's a c it's essentially a costume slash prop malfunction that happens on stage.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: And it's important to hear, I think, from my perspective of I was 18 years old competition kid who learned the leave it and keep going method to now my first professional job at on Royal Caribbean cruise lines with Leslie.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_03: And the the show involved a a part of the show had a crazy prop number that we had a little fanny pack behind our back, and we had to sw change props behind our back and pull out handkerchiefs and switch our gloves and change.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it looks like an agent trick while but while we're dancing, like while we're also like executing choreography and trying and all of every single one of us, all 14 of us.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_03: So, like we learn this in rehearsals, and I don't even remember in rehearsals if they've really ever told us like pick it up if you drop it.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, you know, we're just trying to get it.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_00: But the expectation was you would not drop it.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think they talked about it because they drilled into us, you will not drop this.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_00: The illusion must happen.
• 46:06
  unknown: Yes.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's like you're not allowed to drop it.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_03: So like they go on stage and you're like, shoot, what do I do?
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_03: I dropped it, right?
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I I in my head, I'm a competition dancer who's been told, keep going.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_03: So I just keep going.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_03: And my dance captain, his goal in life was to pick up anything that was on this feather.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_03: He's we love him.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_03: Love, loved, love, you know.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_03: But it was like eye-opening for me because I I didn't understand.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, why is he so obsessed with trying to pick this up?
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like, we're just gonna keep going.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_03: Well, no, it's dangerous for the rest of the world.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that stage.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, Broadway stages for many many shows are like this too.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_00: But we had risers, we had an I don't even know what you call it.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't electrified, but it was like a moving stage.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_00: So you had stuff moving on turntable.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like turntable and things, and yeah.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if that glove stayed there and something got got caught, like it got caught while something was moving, the whole show would end.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_00: We'd have to stop it because there would be no way to finish it.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I think that was one of the main things that I realized on that job too, because that was my per first professional job.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: That like something as small as dropping a glove and leaving it, it seems small.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can't see it.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's black, you know, it's in the corner.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: But if that if that got caught in a mechanism, the whole show stops.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that is not good for anybody, you know?
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I that number was I think that only happened like twice, though, that I remember that somebody dropped a glove and somebody ended up picking it up and it was fine.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_03: But I just like to share because it was just definitely like that transitional period of like comp kid to now pro, and I don't know the rules of pro.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_03: So I want to like share I think that we should be applying those professional rules in the comp world.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_03: So that transitions not as jarring for someone like me who was like, what are you talking about?
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_00: And luckily you had a dance captain who was like kind and willing to explain it to you and not be rude or exact, you know, blame you or anything.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: He was just like, no, listen, this is why this is important.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, now you know.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, thanks, Troy.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, Troy.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_03: So costume malfunction, something that immediately comes to my mind is maybe an unexpected reveal.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe um a strap breaks, maybe we don't have the proper undergarments underneath, and maybe we're only a quarter of a way through our dance, right?
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_03: What do we do?
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_03: Let's say if you're a female dancer and straps have fallen and uh-oh, we're about to expose the world.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_03: What do we do?
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_03: Any advice?
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_03: I know what I would do.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, if you're if you have on the correct undergarment, I would say keep going because we I mean nowadays we all have on like the you know, nude bras or whatever, but if you're gonna be exposed, I feel like you need to exit the stage personally.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_05: That like that's what we're we would do.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_05: Like, because you know, this is this is a kid's show.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_05: We're not out here doing, you know, something adult-wise.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_05: But if you're gonna be exposed in a way that like it's uncomfortable and like people aren't supposed to see, then you should keep going.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_05: But if you're wearing like a you know how a lot of the the kids have like the sports bras or and it's just the strap, if you can still turn, jump, whatever, then totally stay on.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_05: I've seen that happen.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_05: I would say in the professional world, like particularly in the Lion King for me, I've had my corset unzipped, and so that thing is like super tight, and so when it unzips, it's connected to my head.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_05: So it's connected to my lioness head, which my head is connected to a silk which goes like in between my legs and it attaches here, and so like there's no way, and it's like it happened to me in the fight scene, the very last scene, Court knows, and you're like, ah, like you're doing all this crazy stuff, you're being like tossed and like panchets, and it's crazy, and it zipped.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_05: And immediately I was like, Oh my god, what do I do?
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm trying to like Chenet, like holding my corset, turn and turn it, turn it, turn.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_05: And then I'm like, you know what?
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_05: It's super dangerous for what who's behind me.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_05: And so I had to like, I couldn't even dance off.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_05: I actually had to like like exit, just run off.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, in that note, if it starts to get like dangerous, but if it's just like an exposed like strap, I say like keep going if you're if if nothing is showing, you know, and you're all everything's still intact.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I have a crazy story.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_06: It is not a story that happened to me, but that I observed of an older dancer at the studio that I went to when I was younger.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_06: She had on like a halter top.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_06: She was dancing to Ave Maria, and she was like, it was a beautiful dance, and all of a sudden it popped off, and she caught it and proceeded to finish the dance while hold like full turn sequence while holding the top.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_06: And I was like shocked at that.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_06: Like I can remember like little Hallie being like, Wow, like she kept going.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_06: And I think like there is, and I think she was maybe more than halfway through.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_03: So like almost there, like power through.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_03: I got it.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_06: Yep, right.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_06: She was like, I I am in control of this.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_06: Nothing's gonna happen, I'm okay, and finished the dance.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_06: And I feel like in that situation, she was able to like make her own judgment call.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_06: And I can even remember like afterwards, she was very much like, I was fine, like I'm fine.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_06: And so I think it's like again, we were talking about like making that judgment call in the moment.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_06: If you're like a quarter way through your dance and you're going to expose yourself in a way that is like not good and not safe, uh as a judge, I would be like, please exit the stage and let someone fix your costume and come back and then be able to like do what you came here to do.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_06: And and I I think too, there's always like um I mean, if someone just runs off the stage because they forgot to dance or something like that, there is a stigma with that of like that was bad and you've done a bad job.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_06: Like I can remember being told that when I was younger.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_06: And I think that there's like, you know, it could be a little more gracious, especially when it's like a young dancer, to be like, hey, you like that was an unsafe situation, right?
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_06: We've been talking a lot about safety.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_06: Like, you should feel safe and good to go.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_06: We're gonna fix this and you're gonna go and you're gonna get to like do what we came here to do.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_06: So I definitely think it does come down to that judgment call, but and like if you feel secure and you're okay, and like Donna was saying, if it is just a strap, but you know, your costume is, you know, pretty sturdy and it's staying up and the strap is just there, I think that's okay.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_06: But yeah, definitely like a um taking a a a quick moment in your head to like assess what will be best for you.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_06: And if you're there with a group of people, what will be best for the group of people?
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think it's something too that just needs to be discussed in studios.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_05: I think that's mostly like the whole point is like it's not like I don't even remember if we knew what to do.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it was so long ago.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_05: But I think it just needs to be the conversation so that when it does happen, it's not the panic.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_05: Because that's your natural reaction is to like freak out, you know what I mean?
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_05: And then instead of knowing exactly what to do, you're like doing the dance, but like not, but like worrying about this.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_05: And then you're like, oh my god, I'm gonna get in trouble.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_05: Like it's just too many things going through your head.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_05: So if the conversation is introduced early, especially for the young ones, the young ones are just like barely out there, right?
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_05: For the older dancers, they should definitely know what to do.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_05: But I think it's just like introducing the conversation.
• 53:24
  unknown: Yeah.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that one thing that is probably important to touch on too is that, you know, I how many times have we heard in our lives you don't wear underwear with tights?
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_00: That is that is true.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_00: That is sort of what the gold standard is for dance in general.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_00: Your tights are your underwear, but when your dancers aren't wearing tights anymore, which is 90% of the people we see on a stage, then what, then what's the answer?
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, my answer is you need to be wearing something because half the times these costumes aren't lined, half the time these costumes are thin, thin material.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_00: You're under a, you know, stage lights.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have literally nothing else on, not only are you uh, you know, just having the risk of being exposed in a certain position, but like again, you know, dancers, a lot of dancers are little tiny stick-thin people.
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the costumes don't fit properly in that they are too big.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's also a costume malfunction when they're gapping, when they're not fit properly, and then you don't have anything on underneath it.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like that could really be a big problem.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_00: And like we have seen that be a big problem, not only on the bottoms, but on the top as well.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_00: And like I'm a dancer who does not do anything without a bra.
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_00: I like the one, the job that Courtney and I had together, we had one costume, which was a two-piece.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, a lot of our costumes are two-piece, but one of them was like a bra and pants.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember them trying their very best to fit me properly in that bra.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, this is so uncomfortable.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing underneath it.
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_00: You have to, you have to let me wear something underneath this because I cannot risk being exposed with nothing else besides this flimsy piece of material that y'all didn't like, it was probably seven years old at that point.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like it wasn't even a nice costume.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_03: Definitely old.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, Royal Caribbean.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_00: I really hope you're not wearing that same brave.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_00: I believe it.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's like, you know, I think everybody on on the one hand, like, yeah, there's a history of being like, you don't need a bra and dance, and you don't need underwear and dance.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this is true if you are wearing a fully, you know, if if you are a person who doesn't really need a bra generally or doesn't feel like you do, fine.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_00: But are you wearing a leotard that fits you properly?
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's there's contingencies.
• 55:29
  SPEAKER_03: And that being said, I want to touch briefly on the sticky bra.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_03: Because, yes, sometimes you need to have something on underneath, but the sticky bra is not the answer.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_03: What is the sticky bra?
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_03: And you've seen those kind of like the like silicone, like the it's like strapless and it just like secures to you.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's like your boobs.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's only for people who have no boobs.
• 55:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let's just be real.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_00: I could not ever wear a sticky bra.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_00: It would just sticks to you.
• 55:58
  SPEAKER_03: So like it's stuck, it's and it it seems like it's gonna do its job for you know what I mean?
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like in the sweaty things.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like the moment you start sweating, that stickiness is leaving your body and it is dropping.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_03: And I've seen the sticky bras fall off on stage and sit in the middle of a stage, and you're just like, what is that?
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_03: And you're and and me as a judge, I can't even watch the rest of the dance because I'm like, what just fell off of that dancer?
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_03: And there's like two like tan blobs on the stage.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just the weirdest thing.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_03: I I can't, it's just it's a disaster waiting.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_00: Which she clearly felt she needed something underneath.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 56:43
  SPEAKER_00: So then you're left with this flimsy piece of material that may or may not be concealing or supporting anybody.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_00: And my thing is listen, this is something we need to take up with a costume company, first of all.
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like it starts at the top, and that is with Weisman's or whoever, because people are not designing costumes for bodies that actually dance.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're designing costumes for people who stand there and pose in a costume.
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_00: So that's number one.
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_00: But number two is like if you're the studio owner or whoever's choosing the costumes, you have to look at every single body that is wearing that costume.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_00: You have to look at every single angle in which we are tilting in that costume and every single turn sequence we do that the sticky brock would fly off because it all, it's it all matters.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and I feel like now, like these people have everything at their fingertips.
• 57:27
  SPEAKER_05: Like the, you know, skin tone stuff was not out when I was like younger, or if it was, it was only in like one tone.
• 57:35
  SPEAKER_05: Exactly.
• 57:36
  SPEAKER_05: And so now you have like all types of skin tone colors, and it comes in everything the bra, the panty, the leotard, the this, the that.
• 57:44
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, there's like so many things, and I talk about that a lot on when I'm judging, particularly because people love the tilts and they love to tilt with the crotch facing the jet or the front.
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_05: And so I'm like, if had we have like, you know, the nude um panties or a leotard under, I wouldn't be looking at what I shouldn't be looking at.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_05: You know what I'm saying?
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_05: Or just like change the angle of the yeah, the tilt.
• 58:08
  SPEAKER_05: So I do feel like you're right.
• 58:09
  SPEAKER_05: I don't I this is I'm just learning about a sticky bra.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_05: I've heard of like the pasty thing, but yeah, and pasties are veg too easy too.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's smart to have one underneath because you never know, you know?
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_03: At least your nipples aren't exposed at that point.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_05: Like exactly.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_05: And I do feel like now with every leotard or whatever they're wearing, if it's not lined, like Leslie said, the skin tone look is great because that means like no matter what happens, like everyone's covered through.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 58:34
  SPEAKER_02: Final things as we wrap up, because I know we're about to be, we're there, we're at the time.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_03: But a few uh do we have any like tips and recommendations on like how to achieve more success on stage?
• 58:45
  SPEAKER_03: Like we kind of have talked about those moments.
• 58:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what do we do in these scenarios?
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_03: When this happens on stage, what do we do?
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_03: And we talked about if the hat falls off, we talked about if the costume is revealing that we should absolutely leave the stage if you if you are in an unsafe situation or if you are about to expose.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that another thing that's important to remember for all of the parents and teachers out there is that majority of the competitions now are live streamed, and anyone can access that link.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_03: And that means that you are exposing your 12-year-old, 13-year-old child who, you know, does not want to be shared with the world, and they might be exposing themselves to strangers.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_03: So we have to remember that, you know, that there's protection and safety.
• 59:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's all about safety.
• 59:27
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's not.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_00: It'sn't just about, oh gosh, we're staring at your hat on the stage.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's so much more to it.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, with malfunctions that can happen, especially now, like you said with the live streaming.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think a lot of competitions have started doing like a link or a code or something, um, which is great.
• 59:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love to see more of that.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_00: But like not everybody's done that yet.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, you just don't know who's gonna be watching anywhere in person or otherwise.
• 59:50
  SPEAKER_00: So absolutely.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, let's let's talk a little bit about like tips what to do.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_00: Tips, how to I mean, practice.
• 59:58
  SPEAKER_03: I yeah, like um right off the bat, like I'm thinking of just like tips on how like how can you prevent your gloves from falling off.
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_03: Double-sided tape, I would recommend immediately.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_03: Like you should have that in your dance like m makeup bag.
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_03: Double sided tape that thing where where it hits your arm, boom, and it's secure, and you rip that off when you're done, like and hope that it doesn't fall off.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_03: Things like that.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, always making sure that like you might get caught on your fishnets, and that's it's gonna happen.
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_03: It's bound to happen if you're wearing fishnets.
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_03: I mean it's the worst.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_03: But like having some needle and thread ready to zip up that hole so we can prevent it from next time, and like at rehearsal, put those fishnets on with whatever got caught next rehearsal so you can figure out what this feels like and not have it be your first time happening on stage, things like that.
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_03: And another thing about the gloves that's helpful is I see this question a lot on forearms, and it absolutely scares me and kills me.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_03: Is when people are asking, how can my dancers wear gloves and do acro?
• 1:00:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's really slippery.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_03: They can't.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_03: And then I usually say again, safety.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, that is absolutely dangerous.
• 1:01:05
  SPEAKER_03: Do not even think about it.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_03: I can't believe that you as an educator think that this is acceptable.
• 1:01:08
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, no, don't do it.
• 1:01:10
  SPEAKER_03: Take the gloves off.
• 1:01:11
  SPEAKER_03: Are the gloves that worth it?
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_03: Are they enhancing the costume so much that you need a glove on to do your backhand spring?
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_03: Probably not.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_03: So we either take out the backhand spring or you take off the glove.
• 1:01:22
  SPEAKER_03: But if you have to wear the glove, then we should change it to maybe one of those little like middle finger glove things where it just like go goes over the middle finger so the palm of the hand is still out and able to feel the floor properly with the right resistance that it needs.
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_05: Or yeah, the grip stuff.
• 1:01:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, or there's like little grips that you can put on the on the hands that are like a lot of people get like glue gun and do little glue gun dots, or like but also that the grip is different for each floor.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_05: Right.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_05: Exactly.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_05: Like that a universal grip, right?
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that's like exactly that's interesting.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do y'all have any any tips or tricks that are up your sleeves that you might be helpful?
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_06: I know that they sell um like a let's literally like roll-on glue.
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_06: Oh.
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_06: That like for the kind of like the butt glue, probably.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_06: It's exactly like that.
• 1:02:08
  SPEAKER_06: Like you could use it for the glove and for like the securing.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_06: I know that the kids would always be like, it's so hard to get off, but like ultimately I think you would rather be secure than uh and have to deal with, you know, just scrubbing it off with a little extra soap when you're done.
• 1:02:24
  SPEAKER_06: But that always was just something that like worked super well and um I've seen be pretty successful just in terms of you know keeping things where they're supposed to be stuck and that kind of thing.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I guess for like the comp studio world, I would just say like triple check because it's usually something really simple, like it need more it needs more pins or you know, something like that.
• 1:02:45
  SPEAKER_05: Safety pins, or like, you know, the moms are always around to like sew you in something if something, you know, it's like you're getting in it, and then we'll just get you out and fix it for the next, you know, go around.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, or just you know, and I know this might be weird to say, but like on Broadway, we just like always expect the unexpected because something can happen.
• 1:03:03
  SPEAKER_05: And like even if it's not yours, it could be someone else's.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_05: And so always like just like Court said, like, I remember at our studio, we always did a run through before we started conf and we did it with costumes, right?
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_05: And so, like, you know, I don't hear a lot of that happening.
• 1:03:18
  SPEAKER_05: I hear a lot of like, oh, we well, and I know like after COVID, like people didn't have costumes and they got them at like the last minute.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_05: So like I totally like giving grace for that year, right?
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_05: But like now it's like order your costumes, get them in.
• 1:03:32
  SPEAKER_05: If they're not coming, get something else.
• 1:03:34
  SPEAKER_05: Amazon, yeah, who cares?
• 1:03:35
  SPEAKER_05: Stone it, make it look like everyone else's, and then like run through it, right?
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_05: Because it's just like that little run through that like can honestly make a huge difference.
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_05: And then just I think implementing the conversation because it's a conversation that's not being held, and that's why when it goes wrong, it's like, oh my god, you know, and to have the conversation that like if it's not yours too, like that's a really important thing.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_05: Honestly, I didn't know until I got here when people would ask me, like, can the stage manager can you get that off the stage?
• 1:04:03
  SPEAKER_05: Do you think you're able to get that?
• 1:04:05
  SPEAKER_05: And then, like, before I even get out there, I'm already in the like on this kind of eight, I'm gonna swoop and turn.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_05: You know what I mean?
• 1:04:12
  SPEAKER_05: Like, it has to be like already in your brain, and so it's not the panic.
• 1:04:15
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that that would really help when we judge and see the dancers out there being smart and safe.
• 1:04:21
  SPEAKER_06: I would like to just second that too, to like implore like studio owners and teachers to like actually take 15 minutes out of a rehearsal and like sit your kids down.
• 1:04:31
  SPEAKER_06: I feel like a lot of the times too, like when I was younger, I went to rehearsal and we rehearsed and the and like knew what was expected, but we were never like communicated with.
• 1:04:41
  SPEAKER_06: And then we'd get yelled at for certain things that I was like, I didn't even know I was supposed to do that, right?
• 1:04:46
  SPEAKER_06: So now I I and like now when I teach, especially those little ones, like to sit them down and explain like what they might feel like at their first competition.
• 1:04:56
  SPEAKER_06: And if things go wrong, what should we do?
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_06: And like that is so beneficial.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_06: And sometimes I think it can be seen as like, you know, we're wasting time.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_06: We have to, you know, we're supposed to be getting ready for competition.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_06: But that is just as much getting ready for competition as running the dance in the costume and all of that is coming.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_05: And I think the tricky one too, Core, is like you think about the glove, but like the tat shoe.
• 1:05:19
  SPEAKER_05: Oh.
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_05: Because it's like the only shoe that like really matters.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like you really need the doesn't matter.
• 1:05:25
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, like a character shoe.
• 1:05:26
  SPEAKER_05: Like you can do the whole, not to say that you can't do the step without like a tap shoe, but you like it's obviously for the sound.
• 1:05:33
  SPEAKER_05: And so, like, that is a tricky one because I've seen, you know, like the basic shoe.
• 1:05:38
  SPEAKER_05: Um, like now they have all these like fancy tap shoes like that tie up, but you know, the ones that just buckle or or felt they flop off, yeah.
• 1:05:46
  SPEAKER_05: Mary Jane, they flop off real easy for the little ones, and then they're just like yeah, flipping around last time.
• 1:05:53
  SPEAKER_05: There's a shoe.
• 1:05:54
  SPEAKER_05: So that one is like, I always feel so bad because I'm like, you have to have to take the time to like put the shoe back on.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_05: Or take the other shoe off and keep going.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_05: You know what I'm saying?
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_05: Like you have to quickly decide which one it is.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_05: But the tap shoe is is tricky.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's true.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_05: That's a good point.
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_00: That is a difficult one.
• 1:06:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I I'm usually on the side of like, if you can just keep going with one shoe on, just keep going.
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_00: Cause like again, with with a top tap shoe like that, like, or there's no way to just put it back on like a jazz shoe real quick.
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's like there's you have to sit down, you gotta do the whole thing.
• 1:06:24
  SPEAKER_00: So like I think I've actually judged a couple of solos where you know she just danced so hard and that one shoe came off.
• 1:06:29
  SPEAKER_00: But like she's so good that you, if you watched, you were like, Oh, her barefoot is actually articulating the sound just as good.
• 1:06:36
  SPEAKER_00: And like I can see that she's doing it, you know.
• 1:06:38
  SPEAKER_00: So she, whoever that was, probably got that special award that she was like, My shoe came off.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_00: What do you mean I'm getting a special?
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's why you got a special girl.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we can tell, like as judges, we can tell if that conversation was was had, or again, we go back to the quote unquote smart dancer.
• 1:06:55
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I actually always will say, like, wow, what a smart dancer for just powering through that.
• 1:07:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what a smart dancer who could feel my top about to fall or break and caught it and then powered through and danced it and modified as needed and went till the very end.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I will always thank the dancer if they made a smart choice on stage in those moments, because that's being a professional.
• 1:07:17
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what we're, you know, we can't predict that something like that's gonna happen.
• 1:07:21
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's but again, like you said, you have to expect the unexpected.
• 1:07:25
  SPEAKER_03: It might happen.
• 1:07:26
  SPEAKER_03: You never know.
• 1:07:26
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, of course, we don't want it to.
• 1:07:29
  SPEAKER_03: It might, but how do you react in that moment?
• 1:07:31
  SPEAKER_03: I think is the most important thing.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that that from this conversation, keeping you safe as a dancer, keeping you and your teammates safe and presented on stage in the best possible way is the best choice at the end of the day.
• 1:07:44
  SPEAKER_03: Well, y'all, this was great.
• 1:07:46
  SPEAKER_03: So much information that we shared, and hopefully, all of the studios out there, I hope you learned something new.
• 1:07:50
  SPEAKER_03: I I bet you you did.
• 1:07:51
  SPEAKER_03: I bet that you're gonna have a nice big huge group conversation before your first competition and press play on some of the clips from this episode.
• 1:07:59
  SPEAKER_03: Did you hear what they said?
• 1:08:00
  SPEAKER_03: Make sure that you uh pick up that hat and pick up the glove and keep everyone nice and safe out there for 2023 season.
• 1:08:08
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you so much to Donna and Hallie for joining us on this discussion.
• 1:08:12
  SPEAKER_03: It was so fun, and uh uh you gave such great advice to all of our to our dance world.
• 1:08:17
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you for sharing that and your experiences as pros.
• 1:08:20
  SPEAKER_03: How we have our guests lead us out is just with one final thought that you'd like to share in regards to this topic our stage and costume malfunctions.
• 1:08:27
  SPEAKER_03: Anything you'd like to say to the dancers, the studio owners, the teachers, whoever you'd like.
• 1:08:31
  SPEAKER_03: Ready, said echo.
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_06: I'll share that ultimately I love to remind my own students, and I hope I can remind you that hopefully you go to dance competitions and you just have a blast.
• 1:08:42
  SPEAKER_06: And the best way to be able to have a blast is to make sure that you're prepared as much as you can be leading up to when you step on stage.
• 1:08:51
  SPEAKER_06: So just try your best, you know, like we said, have backups, have all of the pins and all of the glue and all of the things that you need so that you can ultimately just go out there and have fun.
• 1:09:01
  SPEAKER_06: Because that's why I dance, and I hope that's why you guys dance too.
• 1:09:04
  SPEAKER_05: I would say um have a comp like checklist, you know, even like don't think that just because we're professionals on Broadway that we don't have a checklist of like like we have our shoes and you know, stuff is like laid out, you know.
• 1:09:17
  SPEAKER_05: So do that, especially for those like really quick changes or when your studio or your dancers are like in like 20 numbers and they're like back to back.
• 1:09:25
  SPEAKER_05: It's really smart to have it all laid out.
• 1:09:27
  SPEAKER_05: And then just like don't panic, easier said than done, I know.
• 1:09:30
  SPEAKER_05: But if it happens, just take a deep breath.
• 1:09:33
  SPEAKER_05: And it's something that I still at 38 years old, I'm doing it so I know it can be done.
• 1:09:38
  SPEAKER_05: But just don't panic, take a deep breath, keep that smile, keep on dancing, and just make sure everyone is safe and having a good time.
• 1:09:45
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, just triple check.
• 1:09:49
  SPEAKER_03: We hope you enjoyed this week's episode all about stage and costume malfunctions.
• 1:09:54
  SPEAKER_03: Be sure to follow our IDA judges and guests on social media.
• 1:09:58
  SPEAKER_03: You can find Halle at Halle MasterBearardino and Donna at Slimgram underscore D.
• 1:10:05
  SPEAKER_03: Also be sure to check out Donna's company Dynamic Works, where they host workshops directly from Broadway professionals.
• 1:10:12
  SPEAKER_03: Their next winter pop-up is this December 26th and 27th, 2022.
• 1:10:17
  SPEAKER_03: Learn more at dynamicworks.com or click the link in our show notes.
• 1:10:22
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• 1:10:30
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• 1:10:36
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• 1:10:43
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• 1:10:49
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• 1:10:57
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• 1:11:06
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• 1:11:22
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• 1:11:31
  SPEAKER_00: We are so excited to bring you even more great episodes of Making the Impact in season four.
• 1:11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Coming up in the next few weeks, look forward to episodes on private lessons, college dance team prep, and a special conversation about levels.
• 1:11:44
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for tuning in to Making the Impact.
• 1:11:46
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see you next week.
• 1:11:48
  SPEAKER_03: Until then, keep dancing.