IMPACT DANCE ADJUDICATORS was created to help dance competitions easily find their next judging panel. Our judges are in-demand, professional adjudicators, teachers, and dancers, who have prior experience behind the table, as well as vast knowledge in all styles of dance. The judges selected to be represented by IDA are required to go through a pre-screening process which evaluates their knowledge in multiple forms of dance.
Our roster of talented professionals will help your competition become one to remember, by not only providing fair & accurate scoring, but informative and detailed critiques.
COURTNEY ORTIZ
owner/founder • podcast host
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is a professional dancer, choreographer, master teacher and adjudicator based out of New York City. Her performance career has allowed her to travel the world performing in places such as: Los Angeles, Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Spain, Germany, Australia, and France. Some of her favorite professional credits include: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Broadway Bares, "The Key of Awesome", The Chase Brock Experience, and West Side Story International Tour. Courtney has danced for artists including: Chris Brown, PSY, and Madonna, and recently was seen on TV as the dance double for young Bob Fosse in FX's "Fosse/Verdon". Some of her most recent credits include: the National Tour of the Broadway Show Finding Neverland, Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights and the first revival in 30 years of Jerome Robbins' Broadway.
Courtney has been an adjudicator and master teacher nationwide for the past 9 years. She is currently on faculty with REVEL Dance Convention, as well as numerous other Summer Camps, Workshops and Conventions across the country. Courtney has been an in-demand adjudicator since moving to New York City and was even a featured judge on Lifetime's hit show "Dance Moms" in Season 2 & 3.
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LESLEY MEALOR
blog writer/editor • podcast producer/co-host
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originally from Marietta, Ga, Lesley grew up dancing under the instruction of her mother, Brenda Mealor, at The Dancers Studio. She then went on to study ballet, tap, jazz, theatre dance, pedagogy, voice and kinesiology at Oklahoma City University, where she graduated with honors with a Bachelor's Degree in Dance Performance. Lesley's career has taken her around the world with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, across North America with tours of Sweet Charity and The Music Man, and everywhere in between with numerous industrials and regional theatre work. She is very good friends with Elmo and Abby Cadaby through her work with Sesame Workshop, and surprises people regularly with Flash Mob America. She is currently based in New York City, and after over ten years of performing professionally, she recently joined the team at Capezio's corporate division as Product Testing Coordinator. Lesley is inspired by teaching young dancers that what they bring to the table is enough, that good technique is the foundation of all styles, and that telling the story is more important than any trick you can do. Lesley is a proud founding member of Impact Dance Adjudicators.
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MADDIE KURTZ
blog writer/administrative assistant
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is originally from Westport, CT, and received her early dance training at the D’valda and Sirico Dance and Music Centre under the direction of Angela D’valda Sirico, Steve Sirico, Jessica Stafford, and Jason Marquette. She holds a B.A. in Dance and Religious Studies from Colby College and an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from The College at Brockport, S.U.N.Y. Her most recent performance credits include works by contemporary dance leaders, including Julia Burrer, Heidi Henderson, Annie Kloppenberg, Paul Matteson, and Kendra Portier. She continues to teach and choreograph at studios and universities throughout the Northeast, while also creating and producing contemporary dance works for the concert stage with her company, MKrep. In addition to teaching dance, Maddie is a certified yoga and Pilates instructor. With interests rooted in the overlaps between concert and commercial dance, she has presented research at conferences including the National Dance Education Organization, The Dance Studies Association, and the Popular Culture Association. In addition to being on the IDA roster of judges, Maddie is also an adjudicator with StarQuest International Performing Arts Competition and Inspire National Dance Competition
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JESSE MILLER
judges coordinator
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is a proud graduate of the School of Music at Catholic University and a Maryland native! She grew up competing on the East Coast and was fortunate enough to be a member of one of the first Starpower Power Paks. She also was awarded the Dance Spirit Future Star award. On stage Credits include: Oliver! (Bet/ Dance Captain, Arena Stage), Fiddler on the Roof (Swing/Dance Captain/Fruma Sarah performed, Arena Stage), My Fair Lady (Ensemble, Arena Stage) Spamalot (Ensemble, National Tour), The Visit (u/s Young Claire, Signature), The Music Man (Zaneeta, Washington Savoyards), Grease (Frenchie, Toby’s Dinner Theatre). Off stage, Jesse recently assisted Parker Esse on RAGS at Goodspeed Opera House and as he reimagined Jerome Robbin's choreography of Fiddler on the Roof in the 50th Anniversary production at Arena Stage. Jesse, budding choreographer for stage and competition, is also proudly a member of the SDC ‘17-’18 observership class. She is currently on the roster of Dance Competition Judges represented by Impact Dance Adjudicators and is also the co-founder of Motivated Movers. Motivatedmoversnyc.com.
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MARISSA STANIEC
podcast manager/administrative assistant
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began her dance training at the early age of 3 in her home state of Michigan at Deborah's Stage Door in Rochester Hills, MI. Her competitive training allowed her to become fluent in Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Tap, Ballet, Modern, and Gymnastics technique. She continued her dance training at Western Michigan University where she was awarded acknowledgements including the Ethel Eaton Dance Scholarship, the Partners in Dance Scholarship, and the Dalton Excellence Scholarship. She has performed choreography from noted artists such as George Faison, Lou Conte, and Doug Varone. She has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C for the American College Dance Festival where her choreography was chosen to represent WMU in the festival. She has also studied at the Opus Ballet International Dance Festival in Florence, Italy and the PAC in Los Angeles. Her professional credits include Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Spirit/Dublin Productions, Rochester Hills Dance and Arts Society and GP Cabaret. Her television performances and appearances include TLC's Cake Boss, Lifetime's Dance Moms, CBS's Bluebloods and ABC's Good Morning America. Marissa has had experience adjudicating dance competitions for 9 years with numerous competitions such as StarQuest, BravO!, Beyond the Stars and Dance Masters of America. She has taught numerous master classes and workshops at studios and conventions all along the East Coast and Midwest including, The Dream Center Dance Academy in Massapequa, NY and Nadia's Performing Arts Center in Bayside, NY. Marissa is also the producer, write and host of her own podcast, "Beyond The Mirror".
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