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 level Finding your performance in contemporary CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of you dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season! Receive $10 off your next order with code: Impact Follow Us! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Impact Dance Adjudicators @impactdanceadjudicators   For a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

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 of starting a convention company and their rise to success in the industry. Topics Include: - Why Revel was created - A look into what makes their events unique - How REVEL has grown so quickly since their start - The importance of education and training in the competitive dance industry CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney @courtney.ortiz Frank @frankmusso Christian @topherachris79 REVEL @reveldanceconvention Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of you dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season! Receive $10 off your next order with code: Impact Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques. Send us a video of your dance, and one of our IDA Judge's will critique your routine within 72 hours. You can also add additional feedback to take your performance to the next level. To learn more and submit your video now, head to our website! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

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 Valentine’s Day Week by discussing kindness at competition! Special guests Lauren Alto, Beau Hutchings, and Kelsey Lack weigh in on the importance of etiquette and kindness at competition as well as at the studio. Topics Include: Why etiquette is important for dancers to learn and practice Ideas for studio owners and teachers to promote kindness and goodwill in the classroom What judges and competition staff look for from dancers at competition in terms of etiquette   The blog that inspired this episode was released in April 2017, and it’s called “Competition Kindness - Etiquette at the Event”. Read now! CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Lauren Alto @laurenalt0 Beau Hutchings @b4hutchi Kelsey Nelson Lack @kjndance   Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Sponsor: Axis dance Competition Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

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 specialists Angelina Young Savage and Michelle Tolson about the importance of tap in the dance industry. Topics Include: What judges look for in the tap category The differences and similarities between Rhythm Tap and Broadway Tap How tap influences other styles of dance The blog that inspired this episode was released in April 2017, and it’s called “Keeping Tap Timely in a Contemporary World”. Read now! More recently, IDA judge and tap specialist Kelly Krammer took to the blog with her article “The Importance of Tap Class and Why You Should Be Taking It”, which was shared over 1000 times on social media! Check it out here! CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney @courtney.ortiz Lesley @lil_lez36 Angelina @Angelina_Young_Savage Michelle @michelletolson Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Episode Sponsor: Spirit of Dance Awards Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website: www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

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 Keeping the stage age appropriate Proper song selection for dancers Clarifying genre placement for competition CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of your dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season! Receive $10 off your next order with code: Impact Follow Us! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Impact Dance Adjudicators @impactdanceadjudicators For a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

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 sit down with Courtney and Lesley to discuss the ins and outs of costuming for competition! Topics Include: Best practices for costuming dancers appropriately Glitzy costumes vs plain costumes - does it really matter? Inclusivity in costuming Appropriate presentation for the stage The biggest question in all of the dance competition industry - tights or no tights? The blog that inspired this episode was released in March 2017, and it’s called “Costuming For the Competition Stage”. Read now! CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney @courtney.ortiz Lesley @lil_lez36 Sheena @sheenadimatteo Daniel @danielt1776 Check out our IDA Affiliate Competition and Sponsor - Diva Dance Competition! Head to their website to view their upcoming 2020 tour dates at www.divacomps.com Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

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 owners of High Demand Dance Competition, Kelli Rooney and Natalie Layton, and finds out what makes their events stand out from the others in the industry! Topics Include: The background of both owners, and how they started HD Dance Competition Discussing dance in college and the different paths you can take into the dance world The special features of HD Dance Competition, including on-stage warm up before each event and custom stage lighting!   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air!   Follow your Host & Guests! Courtney @courtney.ortiz High Demand Dance Competition @hddancecomp Visit www.hddancecompetition.com for more information about High Demand Dance Competition’s 2020 tour! Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques. Send us a video of your dance, and one of our IDA Judges will critique your routine within 72 hours. You can also add on additional feedback to take your performance to the next level. To learn more and submit your video now, head to our website! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

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 Belinsky, to talk about how to take critical feedback at competition. This episode includes: Advice for how to apply feedback from competition in class  How to challenge yourself if you’re not getting usable feedback Tips to stay motivated and positive when receiving critical feedback   The blog that inspired this episode was released in March 2019, and is called “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Taking Critical Feedback From Your Judges”. Check it out!  Follow your Hosts and Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Christina Belinsky @christinabelinsky   Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of you dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season! Receive $10 off your next order with code: Impact Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Sponsor: Just Dance Invitational  CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

In the December Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney (and a few special guests) answer your questions on topics including: Performance vs. Technique What makes a dancer stand out Proper level to place your dancers at competition Are tricks essential in competition choreography?   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Sponsor: High Demand Dance Competition: www.hddancecompetition.com   Follow Us! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Impact Dance Adjudicators @impactdanceadjudicators   For a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

In this episode of Making the Impact, Courtney and Lesley chat with Erika Hebron and Mary Roberts about the benefits of technique in all styles of dance. This episode covers: Ideas for keeping technique classes fresh and engaging How a strong technical foundation can prevent injury as well as help a dancer bounce back from injury Tips for how to work on your technique on your own, outside of class   Resources mentioned in this episode include: “Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches” by Lindsay Guarino and Wendy Oliver “Conditioning For Dancers” by Tom Welsh   The blog that inspired this episode was released back in February 2018, and is called “Why Technique Will Never Go Out of Style”. Check it out! Follow your Hosts and Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Erika Hebron @ejhebron Mary Roberts @msmaryroberts Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of your dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season! Receive $10 off your next order with code: Impact www.levelupdancesupplies.com Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Episode Sponsor: Spirit of Dance Awards CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

On this week's special episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney interviews Sandra Choi, owner of Just Dance Invitational! The show includes: The backstory behind Just Dance Invitational Just Dance Invitational’s mission to further dance education for students The special assistant training program offered by Just Dance Invitational   Follow your Host and Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Just Dance Invitational @just_dance_invitational Visit www.justdanceinvitational.com for more info and to check out their 2020 tour dates! Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of your dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season! www.levelupdancesupplies.com Receive $10 off your next order with code: Impact CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

Today, Courtney and Lesley sit down with male dancers and IDA Judges Eddie Bennett, Colin Shea Denniston, and Robb Gibbs to talk about their experiences in the industry, from studio to stage. This episode covers: The benefits of having a male teacher for boys in dance Costuming for boys Tips for choreography Ideas to keep boys interested and invested in dance The blog that inspired this episode was released back in May of 2017, and is called “Let’s Hear It For The Boys!” To read more about this topic, head on over to the blog!  Follow your Hosts and Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Eddie Bennett @euphorian54 Colin Shea Denniston @MrColinShea Robb Gibbs @robb.gibbs   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Sponsor Axis Dance Competition. Head to their website now to learn more: www.axisdancecompetition.com Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

On this week's episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney chats with teachers and IDA judges Emily, Jessica, and Miranda about the expectations for each age range at competition. The conversation includes: Ideas for teaching age appropriate concepts Specific tips for teaching certain steps What the judges are looking for in each category in terms of age The blog that inspired this episode was released in May of 2018, and featured 3 talented IDA Judges and teachers, and it’s called “From Your Judges - Expectations For Each Age Range At Competition”. Read now! Follow your Host and Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Emily Branigan @embranigan Jessica Olinik @JWODANCE Miranda Spada @mirandarosespada   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our IDA Affiliate Competition and Sponsor - Diva Dance Competition! Head to their website to view their upcoming 2020 tour dates at www.divacomps.com Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

In the November Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney (and a few special guests) answer your questions on topics including: Age expectations at competition Transitions within routines Judges’ preference between clean and simple, or difficult and messy choreography Tights or no tights?   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques. Send us a video of your dance, and one of our IDA Judge's will critique your routine within 72 hours. You can also add on additional feedback to take your performance to the next level. To learn more and submit your video now, head to our website! Follow Us us on Instagram! @courtney.ortiz @impactdanceadjudicators   For a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

Hosts - Courtney Ortiz, Lesley Mealor Guests - Adrienne Hicks, Joey Ortolani In Episode 6 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges and choreographers Adrienne Hicks and Joey Ortolani to talk about all things choreography. This episode includes: Tips for staying inspired as a choreographer What the choreographic process is like for Adrienne and Joey Ideas for creating choreography An inside look at what judges are looking for in competitive choreography The blog that inspired this episode was released in February of 2017, and is called “Choreography @ Competition”. CLICK HERE to read now. To learn more about your hosts and the featured judges in this episode, follow us on Instagram: Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @ lil_lez36 Adrienne @ adge24 Joey @joeyorto Check out our Sponsor and IDA Affiliated Competition Just Dance Invitational! Head to their website now to check out their 2020 Tour Dates!  CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A podcast with Courtney, owner of IDA! You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators on Instagram, and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

Guests - Anne Roberts and Kym Yadisernia Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz    On this week's special episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney interviews Anne Roberts and Kym Yadisernia, owners of Diva Dance Competition! The show includes:  The backstory behind Diva Dance Competition How Diva’s live judging format works Diva’s mission to bring awareness to CdLS   Follow your Host and Guests on Instagram!  Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Diva Dance Competition @divacomps   Visit www.divacomps.com for more info and to check out their 2020 tour dates!   For more information about the CdLs Foundation and how you can help, visit www.CdLsusa.org   Check out our season sponsor Level Up Dance Supplies for all of you dance bag and dance gear needs this competition season!   CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air!   Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  Guests - Christina Fuschetto, Maddie Kurtz Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 3 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Christina Fuschetto and Maddie Kurtz to talk about the importance of knowing the differences between lyrical and contemporary styles at competition. The conversation covers: The evolving definitions of lyrical and contemporary A brief history of both styles Lots of opinions about what makes a lyrical dance a lyrical dance and not a contemporary dance, and vice versa Advice for studio owners and teachers about where to place dancers so that they do their best work at competition The blog that inspired this episode was released in January of 2018, and featured 4 IDA Judges, and it’s called “Contemporary vs Lyrical - Separating the Styles”. Read now! Follow your Hosts and Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Christina @dancing_warrior Maddie @maddiekurtz92 CLICK HERE to send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA. You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out live on the air! Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Episode Sponsor: Spirit of Dance Awards Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

Guests: Chloe Roberts, Christina Young Yoder Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 2 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by IDA judges Chloe Roberts and Christina Young Yoder to discuss the ins and outs of competition cleaning. The conversation covers: The benefits of cleaning as you teach, and the benefits of choreographing quick and cleaning after How to keep younger dancers engaged while cleaning Cleaning guest choreographer's work Keeping choreography level appropriate to help the cleaning process This episode was inspired by the IDA blog “Tips and Tricks For Competition Cleaning”, which was published in October of 2017 and can be found at here. Follow your Hosts and Guests! Courtney @courtney.ortiz Lesley @ lil_lez36 Chloe @chloerobertsdance Christina @christinatap2   To send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA, visit www.impactdanceadjudicators.com/podcast to record a question! You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out! Visit our sponsors website and check out their upcoming 2020 tour dates! www.hddancecompetition.com Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators on Instagram, and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

Guests - Casie Goshow, Derek Mitchell, Jim Nowakowski, DJ Smart Host - Courtney Ortiz In Episode 3 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney is joined by four sought-after convention faculty members to share their advice for a successful convention season! Topics include: Convention training and etiquette Tips from your Faculty  Prepping for the dance competition season The blog that inspired this episode was released in October of 2017, and is titled “Convention Etiquette - Advice From the Faculty”. Find it here. Follow your Host & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortiz Casie - @bgirltynee Derek - @derekmitchellg Jim - @jimnowakowski DJ - @DJsmartJR To send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A podcast with Courtney, owner of IDA, visit www.impactdanceadjudicators.com/podcast to record a question! You can request to stay anonymous or have Courtney give you a shout out! Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition and Sponsor - Axis Dance Competition. www.axisdancecompetition.com Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators on Instagram, and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show

Guests: Troy Haywood, Ash Marinelli Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 1 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley chat with IDA judges Troy Haywood and Ash Marinelli about what dance competitions taught them. The conversation covers: The influence dance competitions had on them as young dancers How attending competitions led to the successful career paths they chose Why they decided to get into judging Memories of “the good old days” of dance competitions   This episode was inspired by the IDA blog “What Dance Competitions Taught Me”, which was published in May of 2018. Follow your Hosts & Guests on Instagram! Courtney Ortiz @courtney.ortiz Lesley Mealor @lil_lez36 Troy Haywood @troyeography Ash Marinelli @alm433. To send in your questions to be answered on a future Q&A episode with Courtney, owner of IDA, visit www.impactdanceadjudicators.com/podcast to record a question! You can request to stay anonymous, or Courtney can give you a shout out! Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators on Instagram, and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website www.impactdanceadjudicators.comSupport the show