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
When Your Student is Also Your Child - The Journey as a Dance Teacher & Parent
Guests - Lori Fields and Andrea Zerilli
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 214 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we chat with two dance educators who have had the…
Mastering Competition Etiquette: From Dressing Rooms to Backstage
Guests - Miranda Spada and Kyrie Kowalik
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 213 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we discuss some of the behind the scenes etiquet…
Representation and Diversity on Competition Judging Panels
Guests - Crystal Mann-Hollinger and Jody Reynard
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 212 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, diversity and representation take center…
Genre Spotlight - Rhythm Tap
Guests: Angela Carter and Caleb Teicher
Hosted by Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor
In the second Genre Spotlight episode of Season 6, we are joined by two tap dance professionals to get specific about rh…
Winning vs Losing 2.0
Guests - Emily Williams, Robb Gibbs
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 210 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are joined by IDA judge Robb Gibbs and mindset coa…
Regional Differences at Dance Competitions
Guests - Melanie Brooke Durham, Troy Haywood
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 209 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we take a journey around the United States t…
A Day in the Life of a Cruise Ship Dancer
Guests - Gene Biscontini, Marina Stacey
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 208 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we chat about what it's like to have one of the m…
Q&A With Courtney Live 2024 - Platinum Premium Exclusive!
Guest: Dione Hamza
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz
Platinum Premium Exclusive! To end out the 2024 year strong we are bringing back our popular Q&A with Courtney LIVE episodes! Our Q&A episodes now record m…
Full Circle Boys - From Comp Kids to Boy Band
Guests - Full Circle Boys (Jagger Moon, James Herron, Sean Garrity, Dossan Bell, and Oliver Hincy)
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 206 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition…
From Solo to Squad - Respect and Teamwork in Dance
Guests - Shannon Dooling-Cain and Rachel Roberts
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 205 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are diving into a highly requested to…
Crafting Competitive Choreography: Insights from Industry Leaders
Guests - Eddie Strachan and Azuki Umeda
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 204 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we explore the intricate and personal world of ch…
How to Stand Out At Auditions
Guest - DJ Smart
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 203 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, convention director and professional dancer DJ Smart joins us to share s…
The Product vs The Process
Guests - Julie "JJ" Joseph and Khori Petinaud
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 202 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we bring on two seasoned dance industry pro…
Genre Spotlight - Fosse
Guests - Dana Moore and MaryAnn Lamb
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 201 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are introducing a new Spotlight Feature Episode s…
Celebrating 200 Episodes Live in NYC with IDA Judges! 🎉
Guests - Tommy Scrivens, Jacqueline Baligian, Brionna Trilling, Michelle Tolson, Ashley Peter
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 200 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podc…
Levels at Dance Competitions - The Conversation Continues
Guests - Julia Galloway and Kiera Letts
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 199 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we revisit the sometimes fraught topic of levels …
Intensive Talk - Strategies For Choosing the Right Dance Intensive
Guest - Preston Miller
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 198 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Preston Miller, owner of TDA Prep, gives us a crash course on the …
Costumes for Dance Competitions - Creating the Total Package
Guests - Katie Lebron and Robert Duran
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 197 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we explore the exciting world of costuming for com…
All About Anatomy For Competitive Dancers
Guests - Cara Dixon and Megan Meier
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 196 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we explore just a taste of the exciting and education…
The Ballet Competition Experience
Guests - Alicia Mae Holloway and Peter Stark
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 195 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we explore the world of ballet competitions …