Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast
Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of a dance competition judge? What does it take to impress the people behind the table?
Join your hosts Courtney Ortiz, professional dancer, educator and owner of Impact Dance Adjudicators, and Lesley Mealor, veteran performer and judge, on Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, as they dive into all things dance competition!
Each week, listen as Courtney and Lesley discuss various hot topics with members of the IDA judges’ roster and other special guests in the dance world, from technique, to costumes, to the dreaded question - “Tights…or no tights?” Stay tuned for special spotlight episodes, round table chats and so much more! Weekly episodes launch every Thursday throughout the dance season! @impactdanceadjudicators
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 64 minutes
- Episodes
- 254
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Spotlight Feature - Marinda Davis
In our final Spotlight Feature of Season 2, we sit down with the incredible Marinda Davis, an accomplished choreographer and dance educator on the convention circuit. You may know her work from World…
Performance Pathways for the Professional Dancer
Guests - Maddie Kurtz and Casey Noblett
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 63 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley chat with industry professiona…
Eye on the Prize - How to Develop a Competitive Mindset
Guests - Tracey Boon and Rachel Perlman
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 62 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, how to develop a competitive mindset is the name o…
A Chat with Real Life Dance Moms! (not the TV show)
Guests - Lexi Adair and Marlo Barbera
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 61 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, co-hosts Courtney and Lesley are joined by dance mom…
Q&A With Courtney LIVE! - April Edition
In the April Edition of Q&A With Courtney Live, Courtney is joined by special guest IDA Judges Michael and Dione to answer viewers questions live on the air! Topics include:
- How dancers can improve …
Versatility in the Dance World
Guests - Britney Hall and Eliza Ohman
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 59 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney and Lesley explore all of the ways be…
Teamwork In the Studio and Beyond!
Guests - Christina Fuschetto, Jill Tremonti
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 58 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, your hosts dive deep into the topic of teamwor…
How to Take Your Solo to the Next Level
Guests - Cheryll Custer Klein, Alicia Sehn
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 57 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley speak with multi-talented j…
Hip-Hop: The Foundation and Fundamentals
Guests - Voltaire Wade-Greene & John Comix Barella
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 56 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are excited to fina…
The Benefits of Having a Dance Mentor
Guests - Jordan Beyeler, James Washington Manning
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 55 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor d…
Spotlight Feature - Alex Wong
Our next Spotlight Feature guest is Alex Wong, an incredibly prolific and versatile dancer with some unbelievable credits! You may know him from his many television appearances on "Smash", "Glee", an…
Tricks vs. Technique
Guests - Karla Curatolo, Troy Haywood
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 53 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judge Troy Hay…
The Importance of Musicality
Guests - Tommy Scrivens and Christina Yoder
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 52 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, musicality is the name of the game. Today, co-…
Q&A With Courtney LIVE! - February Edition
In the February Edition of Q&A With Courtney LIVE, Courtney and special guest IDA Judge Sam Quinn answer your questions on topics including:
- Special needs categories at competition
- Costume scoring
- Zo…
An Inside Look into Judging and Scoring at Competitions
Guests - Colin Shea Denniston, Jesse Miller
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 50 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by veteran IDA…
Perfecting your Presentation for the Competitive Stage
Guests - Ashley Canterna Hardy and Joey Ortolani
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 49 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA jud…
Three Careers in Dance That Don't Require a Stage
Guests - Lauren Manning, Susie Riefenhauser, Ryan Parma
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 48 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we discuss a variety of non-perfo…
Spotlight Feature - Sophia Lucia
Making the Impact welcomes Sophia Lucia as our next Spotlight Feature guest! You may know her as The Guinness Book of World Records title holder for the most consecutive pirouettes (55) , or maybe yo…
All About Improv!
Guests - Joshua Blake Carter and Becca Grden
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 46 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, the topic of conversation is improvisation - …
A Look Back at Competitive Dance Through the Years
Guests - Amber Nadelkov and Clarice Ordaz
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 45 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we go back in time to remember the "good old da…