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
Episodes
Guests - Halle Mastroberardino and Donna Michelle Vaughn
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
Our throwback episode of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast covers the many ways things can go wrong at a live dance performance, from costume malfunctions to dropped props and more! Joining us for this discussion are professional dancers and IDA judges Halle Mastroberardino and Donna Michel...
Guests - Brion Marquis Watson and Cassidy Noblett
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 249 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, our "day in the life" series continues with a job most dancers dream of - being on tour! Broadway touring dancer Brion Marquis Watson and veteran of commercial touring, Cassidy Noblett, join us today to give us their perspectives on the tour life!
To...
Guests - Tommy Tibball, Madi Hicks, Jason Williams, and Courtney Barclay
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 248 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, the 2025 A.C.E. Awards winners join us for a look inside the prestigious competition, which took place in New York City in August. This event brings together choreographers and dancers from all over the country, and the competition was fierce. Enj...
Guest: Vikas Arun
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz
Platinum Premium Exclusive! To end out the 2025 year strong we are bringing back our popular Q&A with Courtney LIVE episodes! Our Q&A episodes now record monthly for Platinum Premium subscribers only. Dive in to a chat about all things competitive dance with Making the Impact host Courtney Ortiz and special guest IDA Judge Vikas Arun! This episode was recorded in December 2025...
Guests - Chip Abbott and Summer Renner Disher
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
Today's throwback episode brings back an important topic - movement quality! Our spectacular guests, studio owner Summer Renner Disher and dance educator and choreographer Chip Abbott school us on the importance of movement quality for competitive dancers, and give tips on teaching techniques for all ages! This episode ...
Guests - Jeremy Duvall and Lindsey Klein
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 245 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley discuss lyrical dance and its importance with two dance educators known for their love of lyrical. Jeremy Duvall and Lindsey Klein give insight into exactly why lyrical deserves regular training from tiny dancers to adult professionals.
Topics Includ...
Guests - Emily Branigan and Hillary Zbyszinski
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
This throwback episode takes us back to season 3 of Making the Impact, where dance educators and IDA Judges Emily Branigan and Hillary Zbyszinski shared insight about expectations for dance parents. As we head into competition season, enjoy this refresher course on parent etiquette! This episode originally aired on Dec...
Guests - Christine Brocious and Megan Woods
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 243 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley are joined by podcast fans, dance moms, and fundraising queens Christine Brocious and Megan Woods to talk about the many ways fundraising can help offset the financial burden of competitive dance!
Topics Include:
- Types of fundraising that exist
- How...
Guests: Ryland Early and Danielle Beeman
Hosted by Courtney Ortiz
Uproar Dance Competition might be newer to the scene, but they have years of experience in the competitive dance world and know a thing or two about what makes a great experience. From their Teacher Oasis and high level production value at the event, to their Uproar Training Scholarship awarded in each city, Uproar offers a unique experience you don't want t...
Guests - Karli Dinardo and Tatiana Nuñez
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 241 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we take an inside look at a day in the life of a Broadway dancer. Karli Dinardo and Tatiana Nuñez give us the scoop on everything from booking the gig to what it's like to be in a long-running show.
Topics Include:
- The audition process for Broadway
- How to take ...
Guests - Drew Burgess and Lisa Curatolo Turpin
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
Today's throwback episode brings us back to 2024 with a conversation about pirouettes! Like we always say on the pod, good technique never goes out of style, and that goes for pirouette technique too! Enjoy this chat with two experts on pirouettes! This episode originally aired on February 22, 2024.
Topics Include:
- How t...
Guests - Michelle Leagans and Jessica Olinik
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz
In Episode 239 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we hear from two dance educators about the technique and power behind every great jumper! From tour jetés to switch leaps to flying discs, this episode covers your favorite jumps and leaps with helpful hints to take you to new heights!
Topics Include:
- How to achieve maximum suspe...
Guests - Caleb Dicke and Glenn Kelich
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
This throwback episode of Making the Impact takes us back to 2023 with a conversation about stage fright. Courtney and Lesley discuss their experiences with stage fright with two wonderful guests. Caleb Dicke, professional dancer and IDA judge, and Glenn Kelich, former professional dancer turned mental health professional,...
Guests - Rayne Thiemann and Brionna Trilling
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 237 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're exploring the ways facial expressions can inform performance quality in competitive dance. Joy, fear, sadness, curiosity and more can all be expressed through the face, and contribute to the success of a piece. IDA judges Rayne and Brionna share their tips and tri...
Guest: Samantha O'Neil
Hosted by: Courtney Ortiz
DECAdance Competition provides a totally unique competition and “un”convention experience, with genre-specific adjudicators, live music at their “un”convention, and complimentary meals for studio owners! On this week's episode of Making the Impact, Courtney sits down with DECAdance Competition owner Samantha Tirone O’Neil to learn more about this incredible company in o...
Guests - Kiyah Rush, Megan Friedman, Brandi George
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 235 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we are excited to learn more about the world of dance convention assistants. Studio owners Megan Friedman and Brandi George join us, along with professional assistant Kiyah Rush to give us the inside scoop on what it takes to land this type of opportunity!
Top...
Guests - Tracey Boon and Rachel Perlman
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
This season on Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're throwing it back to episodes we loved from previous seasons! Today on the podcast, we are headed back in time to 2021 with a topic that is still relevant now - how to develop a competitive mindset. This episode originally aired on May 6, 2021.
Topics Include:
- Ide...
Guests - Lex Dorohoy and Amy Tully
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 233 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we tackle a tricky topic - how many solos does a dancer really need? IDA judges and dance educators Lex Dorohoy and Amy Tully join us to break it down and reveal the ideal number of solos for a successful season.
Topics Include:
- The benefits of doing multiple solos
- The ch...
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 232 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, Courtney and Lesley hosted a live Q&A in July 2025 at the Dance Teacher Web in Las Vegas!
Topics Include:
- Competition choreography do's and don'ts
- Inappropriateness at competition
- How to retain students when the grass might look greener at another studio
Guests - James Du Chateau and Lizzy Steirer
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
The winner of the Making the Impact Award fan favorite contest from 2025 was Dance Fusion Performing Arts Studio's routine "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" We are excited to welcome choreographer Lizzy Steirer and competition director James Du Chateau to the podcast to represent Dance Fusion in this studio spotlight episode!
...
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