Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Impact Dance Adjudicators•www.makingtheimpactpodcast.com

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

Last refreshed: July 10th, 2025 at 8:10 AM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Boys in Dance

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 thi...

Dec 02, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 8

Age Range Expectations

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 ...

Nov 25, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Q&A with Courtney - November Edition

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 o...

Nov 18, 2019•33 min

Choreography

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 ...

Nov 11, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 6

The Diva Difference - Interview with Diva Dance Competition

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.div...

Nov 04, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Lyrical vs. Contemporary - Separating the Styles

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 ...

Oct 28, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Competition Cleaning - Perfecting Your Routines

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 wo...

Oct 21, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 2

10 Tips for Dance Convention Training

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 - Ad...

Oct 21, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Q&A with Courtney - October Edition

Host - Courtney Ortiz In the October Edition of Q&A With Courtney, Courtney (and a few special guests) answer your questions on topics including: Levels at competition How to stand out in the crowd The value (of lack of value) in dancers performing multiple solos 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 shou...

Oct 14, 2019•23 min

What Dance Competitions Taught Me

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 co...

Oct 14, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Meet the Hosts of Making The Impact!

Intro Episode: Meet the Hosts of Making The Impact! Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In the intro episode of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, hosts Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor introduce themselves, explain what Impact Dance Adjudicators is, and let you know what to look forward to in Season 1! This episode includes: - Background on the professional careers of your hosts - A crash course on the services that Impact Dance Adjudicators offers - A heads up on the topi...

Oct 14, 2019•12 min

← Prev

Hosted on Buzzsprout

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android