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
Translating Competitive Training into a Commercial or Concert Dance Career
Guests - Christina Bodie & Alexis Evans
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 27 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Chr…
Senior Feature - A Look into the Lives of 3 Graduating Senior Dancers
Guests - Catherine Gregorius, Emma Mangeolle, Francesca Savone
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 26 of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley speak with the winners of IDA's Se…
Cross Training during Quarantine
Guests - Kelsey Nelson Lack, Katie McGinnis
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 25 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judge…
Q&A with Courtney - April Edition
In the April Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney is joined by some special guests, Sam and Chellie to help answer your questions on topics including:
- Advancing up to the next level
- How judges sco…
What Makes a Successful Musical Theatre Entry - Hear from the Experts
Guests - Alexandra Frohlinger, Jesse Miller, Max Vasapoli
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 24 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are join…
Virtual Dance Classes - Navigating a New Way of Teaching
Guests - Casey Dipersio & Lainee Uitermarkt
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 23 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley sit down with IDA Judge…
Levels at Competition- Thoughts from your Judges
In Episode 22 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley tackle the topic of levels at Competition, with IDA judges Steven and Amy weighing in with their thoughts.
Topics…
Beyond the Barre - Why Ballet Matters in Competitive Dance
Guests - Carrie Euker, Holly Gannett
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 21 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley bring ballet center stage as t…
Pushing Past Performance Anxiety
Guests - Melissa Bartrem, Jen Garaffa
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 19 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley dive deep into the topic of p…
COVID-19 - The Effects on the Dance Community
In this special episode of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley discuss the effects of the COVID-19 virus on the dance community, from the perspective of teachers, jud…
The Power of Social Media in the Dance World
In Episode 18 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Kelly and Hillary to discuss the many ways social media has changed the dance world!
Top…
The Evolution of Acro
Guests - Drew Burgess, Marissa Anderson
Hosted by - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 17 of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley are joined by some of the best acro teachers in the biz, …
Q&A with Courtney - February Edition
In the February Edition of Q&A With Courtney, she answers your questions about the competitive dance world.
Topics include:
- Judging expectations
- Competing an Acro solo
- Transitioning to a higher leve…
Changing The Game - Interview with REVEL Dance Convention
This week on Making The Impact - Courtney sits down for our first interview with dance convention owners, Frank Musso and Christian Clark from Revel Dance Convention. They discuss the in's and out's …
Competition Kindness - Etiquette at the Event
Guests - Lauren Alto, Beau Hutchings, Kelsey Lack
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 15 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley celebrate Valenti…
The Importance of Tap Class and Why You Should Be Taking It
Guests - Angelina Young Savage, Michelle Tolson
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 14 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley chat with tap speci…
Q&A with Courtney & Lesley - January Edition
In the January Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney is joined by special guest, her co-host Lesley Mealor, to help answer your questions on topics including:
- How essential are tricks in routines
- K…
The Do's and Don'ts of Costuming for the Competitive Stage
Guests - Sheena DiMatteo, Daniel Tardibono
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 13 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, guests Sheena DiMatteo and Daniel Tardibono …
Our Stage is Your Canvas - Interview with High Demand Dance Competition
Guests - Kelli Rooney and Natalie Layton of High Demand Dance Competition. Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz
In this week’s episode of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney interviews o…
Taking Critical Feedback from your Judges
Guest - Christina Belinsky
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In this episode of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley sit down with IDA Judge, Performer and Choreographer, Christina Beli…