JUDGES BLOG | IDA 2020

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Taking Critical Feedback from Your Judges

Mar 8, 2019
6 min

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Taking Critical Feedback from Your Judges

Check out our podcast episode on this topic! Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts! As dancers, we’re constantly looking to improve our technique and artistry. There are always areas in which to grow, and competitions provide excellent opportunities to gain critical feedback from experts in the field who aren’t already familiar with your strengths and weaknesses. But as humans—and especially as dancers—we want to be our absolute best all the time, so it can be hard to hear judges t

5 Reasons Versatility Will Make You a Better Dancer

Feb 28, 2019
6 min

5 Reasons Versatility Will Make You a Better Dancer

Author: Ashley Marinelli Ever heard the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none”? It’s meant to be a warning about spreading yourself too thin, to encourage people who lack focus and dedication to pick one pursuit and stick with it, rather than flit from activity to activity. Thankfully, however, this adage does not apply to dancers (phew). Not only do dancers possess focus and dedication in spades, but we’re also really good at multitasking. We have the ability to pick up

'Tis the Season...for The Nutcracker!

Dec 3, 2018
5 min

'Tis the Season...for The Nutcracker!

As we gear up for the start of competition season—which is just around the corner and we can’t wait—many dancers pause their competition rehearsals to take part in the beloved holiday classic, The Nutcracker ballet. Set to composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, the timeless story was originally adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman’s storybook, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, and the work has evolved into a holiday classic that is widely performed and hugely celebrated ac

The Importance of Technique Classes

Nov 6, 2018
7 min

The Importance of Technique Classes

Check out our podcast episode on this hot topic! Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts! Whether we hear it from teachers, judges, directors, or casting agents, the importance of technique is a constant topic of conversation in the dance field. As dancers, we work tirelessly to hone our technique, ultimately striving for perfection—or as close to it as we can possibly get. Whether you’re a budding ballerina, future Broadway star, or Beyoncé’s next backup dancer, the time you devote

Set Yourself Up for Success: Survival Tips to Start the Dance Season

Sep 6, 2018
6 min

Set Yourself Up for Success: Survival Tips to Start the Dance Season

The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the crispness of blank notebooks, and the empty pages of a pristine planner waiting to be filled can only mean one thing: it’s time to head back to school! But those sights, scents, and feelings are only part of the fun for dancers. Back to school also means back to dance with a fresh start for a new season. Maybe it isn’t the smell of new pencils, but rather pointe shoes that makes your heart flutter, or the sight of that new leotard i

Training in the Off-Season - How to Make the Most Out of Your Summer!

May 25, 2018
4 min

Training in the Off-Season - How to Make the Most Out of Your Summer!

Sweet, sweet summertime - lazy days and late nights, sleepovers and family vacations - we look forward to summer as a welcome reward for a productive dance year. While everyone, students and teachers alike, should absolutely enjoy the relaxed pace of the summer season, there is also a wealth of knowledge to be gained from continuing your dance training in between recital and company auditions. IDA judges and teachers Kelsey Nelson, Maddie Kurtz, and Jessica Olinik share with

What Dance Competitions Taught Me

May 18, 2018
6 min

What Dance Competitions Taught Me

Check out our Podcast Episode on this hot topic! Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts! “Back in my day, we tap danced on concrete, in the snow, uphill both ways! And we never complained!” How many times have we heard something similar from our seasoned teachers? While conditions for dance training may have changed for the better, there are a lot of lessons to be learned from our teachers who grew up dancing in a different time. Since their inception in the 1970s, dance competition

Bring Ballet Back - Resurrecting the Art Form For Competitive Dancers

Apr 20, 2018
7 min

Bring Ballet Back - Resurrecting the Art Form For Competitive Dancers

Check out our podcast episode on this hot topic! “Ballet is the foundation of all dance styles.” * How often have we heard this old adage? Based on what judges see every weekend at dance competitions, it would seem that we don’t hear it often enough! As dance educators, we are the first line of defense against how students view ballet - if we treat ballet as simply a means to an end instead of the exciting, beautiful art form that it is, we are grooming a generation of dancer

Efficient Movement Practices to be Performance Ready

Apr 6, 2018
5 min

Efficient Movement Practices to be Performance Ready

Author: Mary Roberts As competition season is well under way, and visions of Nationals dance through young competitors’ dreams, now is also the time to really focus on healthy movement practices. Even as dancers tap in to deeper emotions, the physical expectations placed on young dancers can be very high. Expectations come from many sources, but ultimately the dancer’s own body is affected, either positively by reaching new heights of potential, or negatively in injury. As a

3 Things Dance Competitions Gave Me That Weren't Trophies

Apr 11, 2017
5 min

3 Things Dance Competitions Gave Me That Weren't Trophies

Author: Ashley Marinelli I recently visited my mom's house. I had been judging a dance competition in the area and took the opportunity to visit family and to reminisce a bit. The house in question is one that my parents built when I was in high school. I lived there my junior and senior year before moving away to go to college, and, as you might expect, the house is packed full of memorabilia from that era of my life. As I walk into my old bedroom, I am immediately thrown ba