Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

Impact Dance Adjudicators
  • 4.7 (261)
  • Performing Arts
  • Weekly

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

  1. 5d ago ·  Video

    Scary Skills We See On Stage at Competition

    Send us Fan Mail Guests - Connor Britt-Tripp and Kamali Hill  Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 278 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're joined by two IDA judges and dance educators to talk about those scary skills we see on stage at dance competition: the ones that make us want to jump out of our seats or crawl out of our skin! Topics Include:  The technical elements that can be missing from skills that make them scary to a judge The importance of creating options in your choreography for competitions to eliminate scary execution on stage What can go wrong in lifts and partnering, and how to fix those problems before you get to competition Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.danceConnor Britt-Tripp - @connorschoreo1Kamali Hill - @KamaliHill Check out our guest’s current projects!  The Creative Space  Open Call for Choreography IG/FB/YT | @TheCreativeSpaceLLC This episode is sponsored by: Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available! Submit your video now!  IDA Affiliated Competition - Streetz Dance Convention Check out their 2027 Season Tour Dates! www.streetzdance.com Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  2. Oct 22 ·  Video

    Spotlight Feature - 8Counts

    Send us Fan Mail Guests: Josh Ellis and Neo Lynch Hosted by Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor Today on Making the Impact, we’re bringing back our Spotlight episodes to feature businesses and individuals that deserve a moment in the spotlight! The 8Counts app is designed for dancers, parents and dance teachers to bridge the gap between classes in the studio and practice at home. Co-founder Josh Ellis joins us today alongside dance educator and researcher Neo Lynch to discuss the ways the 8Counts app can enhance the experience of practicing at home for dancers! Follow 8Counts and Neo Lynch on social media @join8counts and @NeoLynch and be sure to check out their upcoming projects. Help support our podcast. Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members-onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $3/month! This episode is sponsored by: 8Counts - the trusted digital home for dance improvement. 8Counts builds on great in-person teaching, giving dancers more support and families more visibility between classes. Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor  - @miss.lesley.danceJosh Ellis - @join8countsNeo Lynch - @NeoLynch Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on  ! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow us on social media at @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  3. Oct 15 ·  Video

    Trends and Truths on Strength and Conditioning For Dancers

    Send us Fan Mail Guests - Amber Tacy and Dr. Robert Tsai Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 276 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are focusing on the importance of strength and conditioning for dancers. Our guests, Amber Tacy of Dancers Who Lift and Dr. Robert Tsai of DancePrehab Physical Therapy and Performance, bring us expert advice on how to navigate the wide variety of options for dancers looking to get stronger.  Topics Include:  Why the viral videos featuring exercise bands and ankle weights may not be the best tools for your dancer How to find safe and effective strength training options Myths surrounding weight training for dancers Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.danceAmber Tacy - @dancerswholiftDr. Robert Tsai - @dr.robtsai.physio Check out our guest’s current projects!  DancePrehab is hosting a course for physical therapists that want to curate healing environments that make strength and conditioning make sense to the adolescent artist athlete - www.danceprehab.com/course  DancePrehab education support options: www.danceprehab.com/workshops  Dancers Who Lift is currently accepting new 1:1 artists (18+) into our coaching program - Dancers Who Lift Coaching This episode is sponsored by: Check out IDA Affiliated Competition Gems Dance Competition! View their tour dates and register now at www.dancegems.com Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at  www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  4. Oct 8 ·  Video

    Throwback! S6 Ep 203 - How To Stand Out at Auditions

    Send us Fan Mail Guest - DJ Smart Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor Today's throwback episode brings us back to Season 6, with guest DJ Smart, where we talked about what it takes to stand out at auditions. Good audition advice never gets old, so this conversation is worth a re-listen as dancers head into convention season as well as college auditions. This episode originally aired November 28, 2024. Topics Include: Why first impressions really do countThings NOT to do at auditionsHow to get out of your head and do your best in any scenario  Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.danceDJ Smart - @djsmartjr This episode is sponsored by: Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available! Submit your video now!  Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  5. Oct 1 ·  Video

    A Crash Course on College Dance Program Auditions

    Send us Fan Mail Guests - Lauren Gaul and Ashley Thorndike Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 274 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're diving into the topic of dance in college, with two experts in the field. Lauren Gaul is the co-founder of the commercial dance program at Pace University in New York City, and Ashley Thorndike is the owner of Dance and College Counseling, a service dedicated to helping high school dancers navigate the college application and audition process. Topics Include:  The top tips for researching and selecting your dream school The types of audition processes that exist The best advice for preparing dancers in high school for success in college dance Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.danceLauren Gaul - @lgfunk2Ashley Thorndike - @danceandcollegecounseling Check out our guest’s current projects!  Visit www.danceandcollegecounseling.com for more information on Ashley's college counseling services Find out more about Pace University's BFA in Commercial Dance here! This episode is sponsored by: YoungArts Applications are open for the 2027 National YoungArts Competition, available for artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12. Deadline to apply is October 6th, 2026 at 8pm. Learn more at www.YoungArts.org Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available! Submit your video now!  Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  6. Sep 24 ·  Video

    Throwback! S2 Ep 45 - A Look At Competitive Dance Through the Years

    Send us Fan Mail Guests - Clarice Ordaz and Amber Nadelkov Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor We are bringing back our Throwback episodes in Season 8 of Making the Impact, and today we're heading to 2021 to discuss what the competitive dance scene was like in the decades before! Enjoy this look back into the past with guests Clarice Ordaz and Amber Nadelkov. This episode originally aired on January 7, 2021. Topics Include:   The days before levels, age groups, and platinums  How competition prepared our guests for their professional lives  The quintessential convo about how small the dance world is Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.danceClarice Ordaz - @d8clariceAmber Nadelkov - @Dancinambs678 This episode is sponsored by: YoungArts Applications are open for the 2027 National YoungArts Competition, available for artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12. Deadline to apply is October 6, 2026 at 8pm. Learn more at www.YoungArts.org Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  7. Sep 17 ·  Video

    The Dance Teachers Who Impacted Us featuring Lesley’s Teachers

    Send us Fan Mail Guests - Kristen Cochran and Dawn Parker Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 272 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we honor the teachers who impacted us during our journey in the dance world. Today, Lesley's teachers Kristen Cochran and Dawn Parker join us to share their memories of teaching Lesley in the studio, and celebrate the successes she's had along the way! Topics Include: How the transition from a more relaxed studio atmosphere to a stricter approach went with Dawn at the helmKristen's memories of choreographing solos via emailThe effects both teachers had on Lesley throughout the years, not only in dance but in life Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts & Guests! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.danceKristen Cochran - @ViamholdingsltdDawn Parker - @dancerdawn5 Check out our guest’s current projects!  Catch "Parade" at The Strand Theatre in Marietta, GA, directed by Dawn Parker, through September 20 - Tickets available here! This episode is sponsored by: YoungArts Applications are open for the 2027 National YoungArts Competition, available for artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12. Deadline to apply is October 6th, 2026.  Learn more at www.YoungArts.org Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available! Submit your video now!  Check out our IDA Affiliated Competition: Axis Dance Competition! Visit their website to view their upcoming tour dates!  Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

  8. Sep 10 ·  Video

    LIVE! From Dance Teacher Web Vegas 2026

    Send us Fan Mail Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor In Episode 271 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are live from Vegas, where they hosted a Q&A at Dance Teacher Web! Thanks to all of the wonderful participants for attending! Topics Include:  The never-ending levels discussion Lyrical vs contemporary - how to place routines in the correct category How to hold true to your values as a studio when there is so much outside influence Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes: Monthly Q&A episodes released to members onlyPriority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 8. No sponsored ads!20% off all IDA MerchandiseExclusive bonus content released throughout the yearDiscounted IDA Online CritiqueGroup Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come! Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month! Follow your Hosts! Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortizLesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance This episode is sponsored by: YoungArts  Applications are open for the 2027 National YoungArts Competition, available for artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12. Deadline to apply is October 6th, 2026. Learn more at www.YoungArts.org Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo This summer July 27-30, 2027 in Las Vegas, NV!  140+ master classes, seminars, events, & more for continuing education and networking in the dance community!  Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community  New for Season 8! Making the Impact is now available on video! Find us wherever you watch video podcasts and on Youtube! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you!  Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox!  Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com Support the show

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4.7
out of 5
261 Ratings

About

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

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