Odyssey Unscripted Episode 13: The Judge’s Choice Award - Introducing, Becca Mitchell!

Introducing Becca Mitchell! Becca has been an integral part of Odyssey for almost 4 years now, and she’s also a full-time dance teacher! Becca grew up in the heart of Utah dance culture, and competing is a huge part of that. We want to hear her thoughts on the world or conventions, being a teacher and preparing her students for that world, and the many ways she feels it has influenced her in the industry. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:18

One, two, three, uh, four, five, six, and seven, and eight. Oh, hi everyone. Welcome to, I don't even know what episode we're on. Maybe this is twelve or thirteen. No idea. I don't know. We've been doing it for a while. What is thirteen? Welcome to episode thirteen, sure, of the Odyssey Unscripted podcast. My name is Ian, and I am your lovely co-host today. Today I'm joined with Athena and our special guest, Becca. Becca! Guys, Becca has been wanting to do the pod for so long. And we were trying to figure out like what would best be suited for you, and I'm glad that this topic like really sits well with you, that you have a lot to say about it. Because this is something that I feel like is a pretty universal experience overall. I mean, not everyone grows up in oh, we're talking about the competition dance world. I didn't say that yet before our topic today is the competition dance world, and it's a pretty universal that everyone experiences it, at least in some capacity. Not everyone grows up a competition kid, but a lot of the standard in the industry these days is like gr going from there, and that's like your biggest training point all the way up until when you're a professional. Um so yeah, that's what we're gonna be talking about today. I personally have a little experience in the competition world. I don't have a whole lot. I didn't really grow up in a studio that was too huge on competition. It was more so about like happiness and joy and being with your people and dancing because you love it. Which I think obviously is there's something to be said about how that's important for a young dancer, obviously. But um in terms of the competition world, it really is um it it it almost feels like it's like a wheel, you know, and there are ways that you can get inserted in it, and then you kinda just spin and spin and spin, and then eventually you're out of it, and then the cycle continues. It's like something that really never goes away, which I think is really interesting because it has m morphed into such an integral part of where we are in terms of like the the industry and the world of dance and whatever. Um but more on that later. Those are just my opening thoughts. So, firstly, hey, how are you doing? Are you doing well?

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Um, well, yeah. Um I'm sick for the past week, so if I sound really nasally and gross, I'm sorry. Um I'll try my best to not sniffle into the mic too much. But um, I'm good. I'm so great.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Period. We're so glad to have you. Yes! How are you doing?

SPEAKER_03 2:57

I'm good.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

Good. Good.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

I'm just coming off from like a 78-hour comp weekend. So perfect for art.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

We're tired. I also, like we talked about before, I also just got off of competition weekend, kind of. It was it's definitely very long. It's very grueling, it's very taxing, but like just to see the children, it makes my heart so happy. You know what I mean? Like, but anyways, speaking of children, why don't we talk about you for a second, Miss Becca? Um why don't you talk about uh where you started dancing, how you got into dance, like how old you were. Give us the D.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Absolutely. Well, I was like three or four years old when my mom finally just got sick of my wiggles. Um I was just wiggling everywhere um and just like dancing all over the place. And so she finally just like put me in a dance class in somebody's basement, usually as you do.

SPEAKER_05 3:57

Of course, of course. Of course.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

And I had like one ballet class, one tap class, and my first ever dance was Hard Knock Life from Annie. We had those cute little feather dusters and a bucket. I was like, they don't even make sense. But yeah, and I I loved it, like latched on to dance right away. Um, my sister, she's seven years older than I am. Um, she was in a singing and dancing studio at the time, and I was like, Mom, I want to go where Mallory's going. I was like, I looked up to her so much, still do. Um and she was like thriving there, loved it there. I'm not a singer. I can sing, right, but I don't like it. Um I don't love it. And so I was like, Mom, I want to go here. Um, and it was this cute little place in Sandy, Utah called Clayton Productions.

SPEAKER_05 4:57

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

And I was there from like six to eight years old or something like that. Um, and it was really cute. And like they performed like all over the valley, and they did not do competitions, but they just like would perform. They would do like festival of trees, they would do it in the middle of like um town squares. I don't know, like cute. But they would like always have an audience because they would just do it in this like giantly public space. Um so it was really cool, and it was like a great opportunity for me to get to know like dance a little bit better. But one of those teachers went up to my mom and was like, get her out of here. Like she has a lot more potential that is not being reached.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Yeah, period.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

She was like, get out, like, go away. And my sister decided that year she was done with dance too, and so I was like, okay, like I'm okay with leaving. Like, if Mallory's gone, then like I'm okay with leaving. And so my mom found Utah Dance Artist when I was eight years old. Um, and a cutie little side story is that teacher who told me to get out of there, her daughter now dances at Utah Dance Heartness. Oh, cute. Because she saw me grow up in that way, and like she's come to a couple Odyssey shows, and like she's so sweet. Shout out Annie. We love you. Okay, thank you, Annie. That's my Miss Candace. Yes! No, she's adorable. Um, but so that's how I found UDA. Um, I auditioned for their competitive team right away. They only had like one competitive team, they've grown a lot since and have so many more programs. Um, and I think they're so smart with the way that they go about it. Um, but then it was just called company. And um they hadn't like they hadn't been doing competitions for a whole long time. Um but at the time I was not a very gifted dancer. I'm not a very like, I'll be honest, like I my splits were this far off the floor, like I couldn't point my foot to save my life. Right. I could feel the beat of the music. I would know the counts like the back of my hand as soon as you told them to me. And like that was that was the superpower I had. That was it.

SPEAKER_04 7:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 7:11

Um, and so Sicily, who I now work with, she was like, She has potential. There's potential there. And I was like, okay, and so they took a chance on me, and I got to do um company for a while. Um well I did it for a year and then we couldn't afford it.

SPEAKER_05 7:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

Um, and then I went back after that because I was just like, Right. I missed being on stage like so much because like as a competitive dancer, you get the opportunity to be on stage quite a bit. Um, and I think that that is so important for a dancer's growth is just to be on stage as much as possible. And I don't think it has to be in a competitive sense. Um, but that's like what helped me find my confidence, not only as a dancer but as a person. Um, was just like being able to face the fear of like, what if I mess up? What if I pee my pants? What if my costume rips off? Right. You know? Just like facing those fears. All the catastrophizing. Um but yeah, so I then I stayed um with Utah dance artists from age eight to eighteen. Um and oh, they are wonderful. They are very much so. Love them so very much. Um, but um when I was like 12, they split up into a couple different competitive teams. Like those who wanted to go the more like I want to dance after college, um, I want to dance in like go to college for dance, go to a professional company, whatever it is, like that is their conservatory program. You put in a lot of hours in the studio a week. You train your butt off. Um and that's their conservatory program. Their varsity program is very similar. Um, they go to more the like local competitions that are just competitions. Um conservatory will go to convention competitions. Um and they have a lot of training as well. Like we um they really focus on diversity and like making sure that you are well a well-rounded dancer just so you can go into whatever you want. Right. Um and yeah, so they have a lot of hours as well, but they do those local competitions, um, and they do really well.

SPEAKER_04 9:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:30

Um, but it's not as many like hours to give everything. And then they have like they do like one competition, two competition, like programs. Um for those who like maybe just want to dip their toe. Um so I like they're just they're so wonderful in making sure that a dancer has every step that they need um to go wherever they want. Um my senior year, right before all of my college auditions, I dislocated my knee. No. And that was like the first time I'd ever had like a crazy injury like that. I like I got arthritis in my back when I was 15. Um, but like I could keep dancing through that and I was okay. This one put me on crutches for a month, and then like after that, I had a four-month-long recovery period. Um, and that had happened in October. And that's like right when all the college auditions started. Um, and so I was like, I was so devastated. I was like, I'm not gonna go to college for dance, like what am I gonna do?

SPEAKER_05 10:36

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

Um however, like that summer I had gotten accepted to um the Hubbard Street Professional Training Program. Work. Um so I was gonna move to Chicago because I was like, well, this is like my only option. Like um, and it was an honor. Like they are incredible, though. Oh yeah. Beautiful company. Um and then in March, COVID happened. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 11:01

Oh, I know the fateful year.

SPEAKER_03 11:03

The fateful year. I know. I was like, that is when I graduated high school. It was I honestly I really enjoyed the graduation that didn't exist.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Right. Uh the YouTube slideshow that they premiered that I sat and saw my name pop up.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

Carson was in that graduation. We graduated together.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

I always forget that we're all the same age. That's kind of really freaky, actually. I had like an epiphany the other day that I was older than Becca that like really rocked my world. Like I was just, I don't know, something about you're just so mature. Not to like toot your horn or anything, but like you're phenomenal.

SPEAKER_03 11:35

You're so sweet.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

I know, what can I say? Anyways, continue.

SPEAKER_03 11:39

Um, anyways, um, so COVID happened, Hubbard shut down. Like they ceased to exist. Alexandra Wells went to Gibney at that time, and so they were like, we're gonna take a year off of the training program. And I was like, Great! So I have zero eggs in any basket. Like, what am I gonna do? Um, and I had one of my teammates who had done Odyssey the year before. Um, and I she didn't have a great experience. Um, she didn't have like many friends on the company. Um and uh bless her heart, but she's like one of the best dancers that I know. Um I love her shout out, Brooklyn. Okay, Brooklyn. She's gorgeous, but she didn't have a great experience. But she was like, the dancing, like, it's fun. And I was like, great, I love to dance fun things.

SPEAKER_05 12:38

Perfect.

SPEAKER_03 12:38

I was like, I love to have fun when I dance. And I was like, that's I just need to dance. Like, that's all I need. I was like, I just have to dance because after taking like that long off of dance from my injury that year, I was like, I cannot be without it ever again. Like I was so sad. Yeah. Um, and so they were having their auditions in like late June that year because of COVID. And it had to start with like um a video submission, and they had I think four spots for girls open that year, and one spot for boys.

SPEAKER_04 13:14

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 13:14

Um, just because like it was a dance job, and so like the whole company was like, okay, well, I'm gonna stay here if like if this is like still happening. Um, all of these people had been on the company like five plus years, um, they were all phenomenal. But there were like 75 people who put in a video submission. They cut it down to 20 people, and then we had an in-person audition at Copa. Of course. Um, of course, and so it was already just like a small audition. Um but I was terrified, I was still 17. Wow, that's and I was like like just coming off of like not dancing forever, and I was like doing Zoom ballet classes in my like living room, and I was like, I am so rusty right now, and I was like terrified. Um, but anyways, um I uh I what ended up working in my favor for Odyssey, this is why marketing is important for yourself, was I had taken so many classes at Millennium that summer from unknowingly one of the Odyssey members who was on the judging panel that that season.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Whoa!

SPEAKER_03 14:27

Had no idea that he was on Odyssey, I'll be honest, didn't really like have the biggest idea of like who Odyssey was. Which like when you are a dancer in Utah, that is like very surprising. I feel like we have like made a giant mark in the dance community um as Odyssey Dance Theater, and like there's so many children who know like exactly who we are. I like I didn't really well obviously I did know who they were. I just didn't know the company members. Right. Um, so I had taken his classes multiple times a week. Oh wow. And so like he knew that I knew how to like work my butt off. He knew that I would show up, he knew that like what my work ethic was, he advocated for me because they normally do not take like kids right out of high school because they're like, you don't have professional experience or like we would like you to have a little bit more. Um so he advocated for me and I got on the company that year. Um period. And it was the best experience I'd ever had. I'll be honest, like dancing thriller with a mask on in COVID.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Oh Lord.

SPEAKER_03 15:33

Oh Lord was the worst experience of my life. It sounds like a nightmare.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

Yeah, it was sounds awful. Awful.

SPEAKER_03 15:40

It was terrible, but we only had like 15 shows that year. Wow. And the only ones that we didn't have a mask on was Tuacon. Wow. Because it's an outdoor theater. There you go. Loophole. But it was a really cool experience. I will never forget my first year on Odyssey just because like so many of those dancers had been there for so long. I had so many people to look up to and like just like watch them be examples of. Like, I looked up to Darby so much. I just like would always watch her in class. Like she was the lead of every show, and I was just like in awe. Now she's like one of my closest friends, and it's like the coolest thing of like this family, um and all the things. But um, and that brings me here now. On the podcast couch. Um, yeah, but it was really cool, but like the upbringing was very rough.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

Yeah. Uh uh. I feel like a lot of the I feel like that's pretty similar to like what I experienced too. I I was never really a dancer who was too knowledgeable about the dance world, shall I say. So I just kind of went to my dance classes and I hung out with my friends, and then I'd go home. And then I'd go back to dance the next day, and then I'd go home. You know, like it was never really anything to like how you were talking about how you didn't really know like the Odyssey members and you weren't really sure, like whatever. That was kind of why I was sitting in the same boat. Um, but it's so wonderful that you were able to find a way into the company unknowingly, and then it became like such a giant part of like who you are and what you love to do now. Like that's really that's really wonderful.

SPEAKER_03 17:15

That's why training is so important. You never know who you'll meet.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

Absolutely, absolutely. Um, and that brings me to my next point. Another huge part of the competition world is marketing, which I think is something that a lot of dancers don't really have a know a lot of knowledge on. So I wanted to ask you, how do you feel like the competition world had kind of prepared you for the steps you needed to take to bring you into a professional like atmosphere, if that kind of makes sense?

SPEAKER_03 17:42

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Because I feel like that's where a lot of the time starts with like younger dancers. It's like they take a convention class from this guy and they're like, Oh, this little girl was so good, let me give her a scholarship, and then boom, she's got the confidence, and then boom, she's got another scholarship, and then it just kind of continues until she's like 18 years old. Do you know what I mean? No, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 18:00

Absolutely. I think that even like stems from their training in the studio, right? And like how they are taught to take class. Yes, absolutely in like such a respectful way. I sit down with my mini team at least once a year, at least once, sometimes twice. We've had it twice this year about literally just convention etiquette. Um, but not only like convention etiquette, that's how they take class in the studio. Like these are your etiquette rules, and like this is how it is. And I always tell them, like, don't say I didn't warn you. If your behavior in class does not reflect this, there will be consequences. Right.

SPEAKER_04 18:38

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

Like, I do tell them that so that they do have a verbal warning before anything even happens. Um, and it's just like you always listen when the teacher's talking, you always like you cannot touch your phone, you cannot go and take a like get a snack during class. You have like all of these just like basic things that like are so important for the way that you take class to get noticed. Absolutely. Um and there are so many I have so many stories of like conventions or just like master classes that we've had um of like people will notice like you crush an audition, you go on the sides, they notice that behavior.

SPEAKER_05 19:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Like how you act after you audition, before you audition, how you take class. Like convention teachers are writing down numbers all weekend long and not just like when you're dancing. Yeah. Absolutely. Um and so I think like how you start and are like brought up in a studio to take class is the basic foundation of like how you market yourself. Um and I am so grateful for the way that I was brought up because of that. Um, like my teachers were just so professional and didn't take anything else from us. Like, obviously, they let us be kids. Right. Because like we are kids, yeah, 18 and younger. Um, and like kids who start in our program are eight years old, and like obviously we want them to be kids and like to feel that. Um, but you do kind of have to mature when you are like a competitive kid. Yeah. Um and so yeah, I am very grateful for those teachers who like created a professional setting just so I treated everything else as a professional setting. Um and we'll also bring in like these convention teachers to our studio to like teach a master class. Or like when Christian Denise came and taught us, I brought him into my studio to teach my kids. Right, yeah. Um, and like they will also give them so many pointers on how to take class well and like how to represent yourself in class well. Um, so I think that it's so important to like not only like for your students not only to hear it from you, you know, as their teacher who they see every single day, every single week, like they are kind of sick of you sometimes. Um but to also hear it from a professional from the professional world, right? Because I'm like obviously like I am a professional dancer and I am in the professional world, but they see me very differently as they would like Christian Denise or Matt Luck, you know? Yeah, right. Um so I think that is like really how that taught me was from my studio foundation. Um that transferred to my convention classes, and then I would learn more from those teachers because I knew how to take class.

SPEAKER_05 21:28

Right.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Yeah, you know, and they would like teach their class in such a professional way um that I appreciated because that's how like my classes were. Um but also like if you get recognized in a class from a teacher, go and thank them. Yeah, absolutely. Go say something. Um, I was such a shy child in conventions because I knew, like, as I had previously touched on, I was not the most gifted dancer, like my legs weren't going behind my. Head, my feet could not point. My legs still to this day cannot look straight. Because I just have big calves and big hamstrings.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

And there's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with that. Say it again for the dancers in the back. There's nothing wrong with that. It was like muscle is good.

SPEAKER_05 22:19

It's true. It's true.

SPEAKER_03 22:21

So I wasn't like getting called out in convention classes, and I was just letting my other teammates take that. And I was just like letting them have their spotlight. I was so happy for them. But I was also like in the back of my brain, like, how do I get there? Right. What am I not doing? You know, and I I talked to I had talked to one of my teachers about it, sweet Sarah Franco. We love Sarah. Shout out Sarah. Sarah. Um and me and my mom had talked to her about it, and we were like, How like do I present myself better in a class setting? And she was like, It's genuinely all about the confidence as you take class. It's not just about taking class in a professional way and like listening and shutting up and like, you know, like doing the moves full out when a teacher is teaching them. Um but it is about like wanting to be seen and having the hunger to be seen and presenting yourself in a way that's like I'm not apologizing for being here. Um and that kind of just shifted my perspective as a dancer altogether and not just the way that I taught or took class. Um but it was just like, oh, no, right. The way that I think about myself, the teachers will think of me or like they'll see me, and she's like, go to the front of the room, like go to the middle of the room, go somewhere where you have room to dance, and not just like shove somebody out of the way to like get a spot in the front, you know? Right. Um, and so oftentimes I would like, I don't recommend this to my students, but I would like go and take class in the back corner, but because I was able to dance so full out, I would get noticed. Oh, because I was just dancing the way that I wanted to dance, which was like huge and big, and I was like living my life, and I didn't care like what the dancers thought of me, I cared of what I thought of me. Right. Um, and then I started getting noticed by teachers was when I started dancing that way. Um, and I wasn't in the back corner all the time. I did have convention teachers get mad at me for dancing in the back corner, and they were like, get out of there. That was sweet, Mama Caroline Lewis Jones. Get out of there. Shout out, Caroline. She was like, Stop dancing in the back corner, get up here. Or I was like, Yeah. Okay, and that shifted my entire dance career after that.

SPEAKER_04 24:36

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 24:37

And I was like, I know there's no way that I would have gotten Odyssey if I hadn't auditioned in that way. Right. You know, because you get swallowed in an Odyssey audition because you know that Odyssey loves a confident dancer who will perform right away. Right. You know? Um, but you have to be okay with the way that you're doing things. Yeah. Yeah. Um, because especially on this company, like they have so many opportunities for you to make creative choices. But if you're second guessing them, they'll call you out right away. Yeah. If you're gonna make a choice, make a choice. Right. Or like don't do the choice that you think I want to see. Like do your own choice, like make your own choice and be confident in that. Um, but yeah, so that is genuinely like what projectiles my career into the professional world. It's just like the way that I saw myself as a dancer.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

Uh-huh. And I think it there's something to be said about um how marketing yourself as a dancer like kind of comes into play in that aspect because there's so much stigma around being the perfect dancer these days and what every single specific person is looking for, that you lose so much um like genuine love and care that you have for the craft. And that all kind of stems from the way that you grow up, like you said. If you are not taught from an early age that you should dance for yourself and dance because you love it, then you're just gonna become another robot in the system of robots. You know what I mean? Absolutely. And it's really hard when you're in an atmosphere like a dance convention to feel like you're being as genuine as possible because at the end of the day, it's children attempting to appease a judge. And that's kind of like really the the overarching kind of theme. Obviously, there's a lot more leeway for, you know, expression and a bunch of other things like that, and there is a lot more um care inside of the convention world, but like it stems from the way that you're able to present yourself and how that translates into the way that you move. And I think not enough dancers are taught that from a young age, you know what I mean? It's really hard because that was something that I had to learn. Like, I didn't learn that until I was like in college, because I was just kind of like another dancer that was like put in the back and I was just hanging out and I was having a good time and whatever. And eventually my dance teacher was like, You need to like step up, you need to be in the front because you know you're confident, you need to do the moves like you know what you're doing, because that is what's going to get you noticed. If you're just like shying away all the time, that's not gonna get you anything. It's I feel like that's something I always try and tell my students is like just be who you are and dance because you want to dance, and everything else that comes after it is just um part of the catalyst of you loving to do what you want to do. You know what I mean? But I digress.

SPEAKER_01 27:20

I feel like what you like said. Like, I wish I had a teacher like you when I was younger, because at my studio, they just kind of let the girls do whatever they wanted. It was very much like uh we would have like our sit-down meeting at the beginning of the year, and then our studio owner would be like, Okay, guys, remember? Like, she didn't have a backbone. Like, she's a sweet woman, but she she did not have a backbone. Like, she would just let these kids, those kids ran the studio, and like, and so like all of her daughter's best friends, and like her daughter was the star of the studio, of course, and like all of her daughter's best friends, they were setting the example for us younger kids, and they would like act a fool in convention classes, and so they would literally like be in the middle of the room or the back of the room, like not paying attention, like doing whatever. It was very rare that like we would watch them take a class and like actually pay attention. The only one that would would be the studio owner's daughter, and that's why she was the star, and that's why she got like all of these things, but like we didn't I didn't like lock in until I was like 13. And it was because I took a Candace jazz class or no lyrical class at a convention and I was in the back corner and I was messing around and I didn't know the combo, and then I watched the combo, and a bunch of girls from my studio got called out because they were in the front and they were actually learning it and paying attention in class, and then I was like, wait, I really like this dance. I was watching them do it. I was like, wait, I should have paid attention. And what kills me is like me and my friend were in the back of class, like, this is such a core memory for me. We were in the back of class, like goofy round the whole time. One of our teachers was standing right behind us and was like laughing and playing along with us. Like she wasn't like not disciplining us whatsoever. I know, I know. And then I watched this combo and I'm like, oh, but wait, like I like I wait, I want to do it, like giving it a three dance. Oh my god. That summer, Candace comes and she choreographs my first solo ever, and I was like, I'm gonna be a dancer. And then that that one moment in that class of like watching what I missed out on because I was goofing off and not paying attention, like that like shifted my like entire view of like who I wanted to be as a dancer, what I wanted to do with dance, and it like that's why I went, like I would have gotten so many more opportunities so much earlier if I had had a teacher tell me, like, no, when you're in convention, this isn't just a regular dance class, like with people that you don't know from a teacher that you don't know. Like, it's not like that, it's very different. You're like actually like learning things when you go to convention, it's not just like silly fun time. I'm gonna do competition later. Like, it's like it's actually incredibly important. So I'm glad that you do that for your students. I think that that's really, really important.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

So because it's like you're putting yourself out there again. Yeah, like that. This isn't like you said, it's not a time for like goofing around and having fun and just taking a dance class with people you don't know. It's like this is you, it's basically like you're showing up as your resume. Yeah, and you need to show all of the abilities that you've accumulated over the past however many years that you've been dancing, and then that's when the convention teacher is like, I can tell that you've got something from here. You know what I mean? That is, I feel like it's something that can get so lost in this generation of dancers, too, because a lot of the time it becomes a social aspect rather than like actually wanting to train. Because if you noticed, audience, I we all spoke about an instance where it kind of like clicked for us one day, and we all were like, wait a minute, this is something I absolutely want to do for the rest of my life. And then that's when our perspective on it started to shift, which I think is so interesting because there are people who don't really have moments like that. Yeah, you know what I mean? I'm very blessed to have had that kind of wake-up call and be like, okay, like now I gotta lock in. Like now is the time. And it's all it also does stem from like all of the teachers that we've had, obviously. Which were there any teachers that you kind of feel like were the main driving force in like your preparation into the convention world that kind of like helped you get into like where you needed to go? Like, who would that be for you and like what did they do for you?

SPEAKER_03 31:30

Absolutely. Well, that's definitely Cicely Oldham and Sarah Franco. Period. Both aforementioned. Um where like Cicely started um the competitive program at UDA. Um, she is like a previous BYU cougarette. Um and like grew up just like knowing precision dance, like knowing jazz technique to a T. Yeah. Like wouldn't take anything but perfection. Um and still doesn't. I was like, I watch her teach my minis and I'm like, we're we're all scared of her. But like it is such a loving way. I love this woman so much. Like I accredited so much of like my stickler for jazz technique to her because like it just all makes so much sense. Yeah. Like when you teach it in such a clear way, like your alignment in your body, like it all just like clicks there um when you teach it correctly. Of course, right? When you are taught it correctly. Um and Sarah Franco is nuts. Like she, not in like a crazy way, but in like such a talented, gifted way. Like um, she knew so much like about the body, about anatomy, about literally every single like bone, muscle, organ. All of it, like in your body, and she like taught me how to feel dance in such a different way than I like ever thought I could. Um, and those two together um were just like the a giant wombow combo of like you could go and do like college dance team, commercial work, like go and get any job, like you could do roquettes, I don't care, like any of that. Or you could go like complete concert route, like you could go and like do all these like crazy college programs, like go to NYU, go to Juilliard, like go do company work. Um, and we've had students come from these programs and do all of the above. Um like we just had one of my teammates just graduated from NYU. Work and she's been with them for four years, and like she's incredible. Shout out Naya, we love you. Full of shout outs, shouting out everybody, um, and like also we've had like kids go to pace. Um like we've got Chapman, we got Boston University, we got like so many kids at U of A, and like those two together were just like so magical, like in the way that they taught us to like take class. Um, like obviously as a teacher, you have to like not only create a safe space for your students, but also like make sure that they respect everything that you are talking about. Yeah, um and like sometimes you gotta be a little bit like stern forward about that, you know. Um, and like my students know that I will get there, but like also like if they need somebody to come to, I will be that person because I did have like a couple teachers who like wrecked me. You know, we always have like everybody has one teacher who just like ruined their love for dance for a little bit. I really hope that's not universal. But I was like, the more people I talk to in the dance industry, like the more I find those.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_03 35:04

Everybody has somebody that just like ruined their love for dance or just like made them not want to go to dance that day because they had their class. Right. Right. Um I did have that teacher, she taught me like how to like kick my own buns in class, though. Like, um her class was so hard. It was so hard that I would have one teammate in tears at least every single day.

SPEAKER_04 35:29

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 35:29

That's how you do it.

SPEAKER_04 35:30

Like just a little bit, just a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 35:33

Like, I feel like just a little bit. Well, if it wasn't tears, it was like it looked like tears because it was just sweat. Yeah, like it was horrible, and like some of her teaching techniques were just like so bad for your body, and like all of these things, but it taught me like how to push myself, and I've talked to Boston about this multiple times. Like, if we didn't have her class to like learn how to work that hard, I don't know as like we ever would have pushed ourselves right there, which is really tough to say. Yeah, yeah. Like again, it did like a lot of my teammates from that generation don't dance anymore because of one teacher. Yeah, that'll do it. That's it's really it's really hard to see because like sometimes like I'll need a sub, they're on the sub list, and like they just don't want to anymore. They just like can't be a teacher because they don't want to turn into her. They can't dance anymore because they only hear her in their head, and it just like it breaks me. And so I'm so grateful for like these two teachers that I did have that just like not only blossomed my love for dance, but also like blossomed my love for like using my body in a correct way. Yeah you know, like building the correct muscles and building the correct muscle memory um to prevent injuries and to keep dancing as long as I have. Um, because like again, I do have arthritis in my back, and I have since I was 15. That is crazy. And I wouldn't be dancing today if I hadn't like reconstructed the way that my core works or like all these muscles around my body, and not just like focused on wrapping my like right, yeah. Yeah. Um so those are my two like absolutely I most love.

SPEAKER_00 37:20

Yeah, uh that's wonderful. It I mean, you know, like you said, unfortunately, it is somewhat of a universal experience to kind of have a teacher like that, but there is that aspect of it where you need to be showed that it can't always be rainbows and butterflies and sunshine and magic. You know what I mean? Like this at the end of the day is an industry, and I feel like that so just to sidetrack for just a second, I have only ever competed in one convention my entire life. I've only been in one convention, and I think I was like maybe 13, 14 years old. I don't even really remember what it was, I don't remember where it was, somewhere in New Jersey or something. Um but it was I was I was and well, and the whole reason why we did this convention was because it was just me and my mom. My studio was not there, and we were going on a family vacation when there was like a masterclass convention training series that was happening at my studio because you needed to have one weekend of a convention to qualify to be on the competition teams for that year. That was kind of like the way that it worked at the studio that I grew up dancing at. So I was going to be away when we were doing the in-house one where that would have qualified, so we had to go to another one. It was in New Jersey, I guess. I don't really know. And um, I was miserable. I hated it. It was the worst thing to literally ever happen to me. And I was like tapping on the carpet, and I was like trying to like do my lyrical combo, like nothing was really happening for me. It was like this, it was just this whole it was this whole thing. And I remember I walked out of there and I was talking to my mom, and one of the convention teachers had just walked by, and I was like, oh my god, like that was the teacher that I just took from. Like, I was so terrified of him, whatever, whatever. And um, he like stopped for a second and he turned around and he was like, Hey, you did pretty good in there. You should come up to the front once in a while. And I was like, Okay. And then I think the next day, I think he might have taught again, and I had him, and he was just like screaming at all of these kids, and I was like, pet prepared so that I just like slowly walked my way right to the back of the room because I was terrified. But I was like, that is like the intensity at which you need to um interact in this industry. Like you need to have that fire under your butt, like you talked about, and you also need to have the um self-governance to be able to bring yourself to that point where you can be in the space and feel everything around you. You know what I mean? Again, something that I feel like is really hard to transfer into like the the youth of today because it's like they don't necessarily have the skills. That's like one of the hardest parts about like being a teacher, in my opinion, is that like I feel like I know so much, but they don't know anything yet. And the only way that they can be taught sometimes is through experience, and that's like what really crushes me is like they go to a convention and then they get screamed at for not paying attention, and then they're like, I hate dance. And I'm like, I'm sorry, but you just need to keep going a little bit longer. Like, that's just how it works, you know. But you know, like you said, there's going to be that teacher for everyone, but there's always going to be something that you can learn. You are always going to be a sponge, you're always gonna be able to pick stuff up. Like it's just, you know. And that is why I do love competition because it not only prepares you for so many things, but it also presents real life scenarios in a bit more of a digestible way for children. You know what I mean? But that's just kind of that's kind of how I feel on the matter. There's that having a hard teacher is really, really difficult, but at the same time, it's very it's substantial to the way that you can learn.

SPEAKER_01 40:48

But I do think it also creates, like, as awful as it is, like having a teacher that like and ironically I have two and they were both men and they have the same name. But it's always like there's just always gonna be that teacher that like is if you have a bad teacher like that, or someone that just like makes you hate dance for a certain amount of time, like that kind of like separates like the people who are going to actually go into dance because like the kids who like get broken from it, they're like, Okay, well then I don't want to do this. And I feel like that it shows like resilience in you. Like, you need to be able to like if you really want to do this, you like you need to be able to like push past that. And I know a lot of dancers who quit dance when they were like in their like tween years because of a certain teacher, and then they like went to a different studio, returned to it, and then they like fell in love with it again, you know. That happens all the time, but like I feel like having a teacher like that, even if it's not a consistent teacher at your studio, even if it's someone that you take from a convention once that just puts something in your head, like I feel like it's really important to have that so that you can show yourself that you can push past that. And that's one bad experience, you know? Absolutely, like I said, like as awful as it is to have a teacher that just makes you hate your life. Um I think it's a really it is ultimately in hindsight a really like rewarding feeling to know that you like got past that and that you were able to like push through that and like show yourself that their one opinion does not matter, you know. I think it's important.

SPEAKER_03 42:27

Like I said, it sucks, but right still but to also like learn from that because like what I take from that now is like I don't want to be that teacher right exactly because I would simply pass away if I ever treated any of my students like that. Yeah, um, I want to teach them like that resilience and like being able to like grit your teeth and like move on um from something that is hard, yeah, but also like have a safe space. Like if they had a really, really bad day, I want them to be able to like come in and be like, hey, today sucked, let's dance it out. Yeah, like just being that safe space for those students, but also like I had to learn from that in order to like have that for myself. Yeah, or like if they do have that teacher, I want them to be able to like say, Hey, this is probably not something that should be happening in the dance.

SPEAKER_00 43:17

Right, yeah, you know? Yeah. Well, and that really translates to what we do as professionals as well, because like a lot of the time you're gonna get told no. Yeah. And you're gonna get shut down, and you're gonna get told that you can't dance. And that's just like that again is part of like the audition experience, it's part of being in the industry, and there are a lot of heads that are very self-centered and are not very nice to the people that they work with. You know what I mean? So that beginning at such a young age carries all the way through like if you decide to dance or not. That's just kind of the way that it works, which I mean, I know that I keep saying this, it's unfortunate that that's kind of the reality of our situation. But at the same time, like the resilience aspect of it is what continues to motivate you pursuing your dreams. Yeah. Which I think is just. Just as important. If you don't have that fire under your butt, then you're not gonna be able to get yourself out of your fire. You're not gonna make it. Yeah. Yeah. Which I feel like is how I kind of viewed the competition world, you know? Like I am a person who really feeds off of the people around me, and I take inspiration and um motivation from the dancers that I am like surrounded by. You know, like I see you put your head behind your head, and I'm like, I need to stretch more so I can get my leg even higher. You know what I mean? I see Becca jump as high as me, and I need to jump higher than Becca because she's incredible. You know what I mean? That's just kind of the way. Yeah. So when I would go to competitions and I would get second place in my solo, I would say, okay, what now? And then I'd go back and I'd train, I'd reevaluate, and then I'd come back and I'd see what that kind of did for me, you know? Yeah. That kind of um regimen that you build for yourself is just as important as what you do on stage. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:55

I feel like that's the art of competition that is getting lost. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 44:59

I was literally thinking, I was literally just thinking that it's supposed to get really eaten.

SPEAKER_01 45:04

Like it's not about like the growth anymore. That's what competition was for. It worked. Yes, and that's all just for like people to scratch each other's backs, and it's like, oh, oh, well, I went and did a piece for them two summers ago, and me and that studio owner are really good friends, so you're gonna get first place. Mark. Like it doesn't matter if the girl is like dancing or not. And we also have this new problem of the top three having like nine people in it. Why are we tying so much? It's because everything's contemporary. We can talk about that later.

SPEAKER_03 45:36

Anyways, it's loss. It's loss. It is loss. It's genuinely just like become about like, okay, like who can get the viral dance? Or who can get the richest choreographer into their studio? Or like come and like praise us for what we're doing because we have the coolest prop. You know? Right. Um like it's true.

SPEAKER_00 46:00

It's the prop.

SPEAKER_03 46:01

Was the art of like what I saw, like I see this at almost every convention now, um, is just like it's become very world of dance. Yes. Yeah. Like the I feel like that's what kind of like started the snowball of like an aerial is now a dance move. Right. Or a backflip is now a dance move. But they're not. And those are the dances that are winning. But I also like these judges or these teachers, sorry, I'm about to get really, really. Please get into it, girl.

SPEAKER_00 46:45

Come on, we got like 25 more minutes.

SPEAKER_03 46:49

I'm gonna get really, really passionate. Um like these teachers, I'll go into their class, I'll go and watch my kids take their class, or I'll go and take class at conventions with my kids too. And they'll be like, Yeah, I don't need to see you like do a trick in your improv. Like, I wanna see you as a dancer. I wanna see how you express yourself. And then the dance that has the most tricks is what's winning the competition. You know? Yeah. And it's just like it's making me very sad. And not even just like angry, it's just like, can we let our actions and our words speak the same language of like but also my students uh I don't even know how to say this? But um, we are a very diverse studio. Like they compete in every category except for acro. Um like they have a tapis, they have a ballroom piece, they have a hip-hop, they have ballet, they have point, they have contemporary, they have lyrical, they have jazz, like musical theater. Yeah, we have all of them. Um and zero of them have tricks. None of them. Like none of them have tricks. Yeah um unless it's like a mini mini, like a mini solo. I have some minis who are actually crazy with how many tricks that they can do. They can pull a front aerial out of nothing and just like they're eight. I'm like, work. It was like I didn't learn how to do an aerial until I was in my own backyard when I was like 12 years old. Yeah, right. And I was I just like threw it one day and I was like, cool. Um however, like they're doing really well without those tricks. Right. It was like they'll take first overall, they'll take the category winner, they'll take whatever. That's not what matters, but I want the world to know that it's appreciated without the tricks. Exactly. Because those are not dance, they're really cool. They are like it takes such talent to be able to do those, and I'm not discounting that in any way, shape, or form. I just I think we should keep a dance competition about dance, yeah, you know, and about the artistry of the movement. Because yes, dance is a sport, but dance is an art.

SPEAKER_00 49:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 49:14

Like, it is so athletic being able to like look like water, but use every muscle in your body at the same time. Yeah. Um, and I need like the world to have more texture in their dancing, to have less tricks, to have more of just like what the art of dance is and once was. To have a pure jazz dance.

unknown 49:38

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 49:41

A pure contemporary dance. Because I'm seeing these contemporary pieces that are competing and they look like a jazz dance. Right? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 49:49

And they're doing raises and aerials.

SPEAKER_03 49:50

Is that or they're jazz dancing? It's like a hits. Like this, or we're not dancing and we're doing tricks. And I'm like, that's great if it's in the acro category, but I don't think that's in the acro category should win a dance. Yeah. And I think a hot take, but I'm not sure. No, it's very true. It's very, I agree with you on a few.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

Like, I don't even think that like the acro category needs to exist anymore because like dance competition. Dance competition. And like people used to ac I feel like a long time ago, people used to actually utilize the acro core category. And they would like put acro dances in acro and they would be scored as accro-sane and they were great and they were really good. Right? And then now people are just taking that and they're blending it with jazz and every single other stuff. Why are you doing a contemporary dance and then doing a back tuck in the middle of it? What's going on? What's going on? It's like that's those are my two biggest problems with like competition dance, is because now we're in the more like tricky era of like where people are just like throwing tricks and dances that don't need it. But like back when I was competing, it was always 10 million quadrillion contemporary solos, and they weren't dancing in them. Like it was that's the other thing, is I feel like a lot, like, especially now with like the big competitions and conventions, they hold contemporary at this like huge, ginormous standard, and like that is what is going to win. And you look at the first place dance, and it's like somebody dancing around to like a ticking clock for three minutes, and they're like, time is of the essence.

SPEAKER_00 51:34

Yes. Oh no, gestures, all the gestures.

SPEAKER_01 51:37

I can't like dancing. It's the gesturing, it's the homemade music, and it's the like, it's oh, this concept is so cool. Oh my god, did you see that dancer? Her technique was insane, but she did five attitude turns on her heel with a sickled foot. What's going on? What about but it's winning first place because it pushed the boundaries and it was cool. What the what is going on? Meanwhile, you look at the like girl who got sixth place because she did a jazz solo. Did she do like perfect pirouettes? Did she do like amazing leaps, amazing lines, perfect? Yes, she did all of that, but she got six because it was a contemporary. Right.

SPEAKER_03 52:18

I was that dancer who had a jazz until I was like 15 or 16. I always did a jazz.

SPEAKER_01 52:24

I only ever competed jazz solos. But the first solo I did was like a lyrical contemporary, and then after that it was only jazz. And I never won first overall ever. It was always some contemporary girl. It was always some contemporary girl.

SPEAKER_00 52:37

Lily's gagged.

SPEAKER_01 52:38

I literally, I literally like to lose jazz to Athena. Like I could go, I would win in the jazz category, but that's because there were three jazz solos.

SPEAKER_02 52:54

There's three jazz solos. No, literally.

SPEAKER_01 52:59

If that. If that, no, literally, and so and then there's a 55 contemporary in one day. Like, what are we? I don't know. I feel like we're not, like, people aren't teaching anything other than contemporary because that's what's winning. Right. When I was competing, it was like the weird contemporary with the ticking clocks and the weird facials and things like that. But now it's still contemporary, but it has all the tricks involved in it. It's like, why what happened to all the other styles of dance? Like what I would kill to watch someone compete a hip-hop solo.

SPEAKER_00 53:37

Rides and rides, rides, a word.

SPEAKER_01 53:43

It was it was not gonna be a good one.

SPEAKER_00 53:45

But you went up there and didn't do a contemporary solo.

SPEAKER_01 53:48

But I got it and I didn't do contemporary.

SPEAKER_00 53:50

Exactly. Well, and I feel like uh all of your points extremely valid. You guys are both very true in this. And as a contemporary dancer, I don't align with the way that it has been um gentrified in the competition world. I feel like I know, absolutely, yeah. And I feel like like that's where I exist, I feel like. And that's why like I do feel like I feel a certain level of almost like disappointment because there is so much more that goes into the contemporary of it all because it stems from its roots of modern. Which like that is such a um it's such a style that needs to be shown a lot more recognition because it was brought from a place of wanting change and wanting evolution and wanting to not fit in a certain box, aka the roots of ballet. Uh-huh. That's like I that is what was drilled into my brain when I was in college, is that like you need to be doing this modern movement because it's what actually is food for the soul. That is what modern and then the competition world comes around, and then like all of the really cool popular dancers at Millennium and what's the other one that's in LA playground and like whatever. They're taking these principles and then shifting them in a way that works for them, which is wonderful, but then it becomes this obsession that everyone needs to do this movement, and everyone needs to look like this because this is what gets you jobs, and this is how you get noticed at a convention, and this is what you need to be doing in your studio. Like, it has changed the perception of what contemporary dance is, and that is like what is really the most frustrating to me. Because there are aspects, like everything I do is contemporary. I can't not be a contemporary dancer, that's just who I am. And then to have that kind of tie to it where it's so um it's just it's put on such a pedestal these days that it really knocks down the name of the craft. You know what I mean? It's really frustrating when I see like a contemporary solo and they give me like a really fierce, like textured count of eight, and then they do 14 aerials in a row. And I'm like, that's not what the point is, everyone. Like, you know, it's and I I feel like it's really hard to kind of have this opinion because in itself the competition world is such a a niche avenue that not a lot of people experience in their lives. Like you dancers experience it, but also only a select amount of dancers experience it. That it's like it's so specific to the experience that you don't really get an opinion a lot of the time. Right. On top of the fact that dance is so subjective that it can be whatever you want it to be. You know? That's that is, I think, my biggest problem with competition dance is that you can't critique dance in such a thought out and methodical way because it's not real. Everything that we create is made up to present on a stage. It's nothing about it is logistical or makes any sense for any reason. Just because it's what our bodies are telling us to do, it's what our soul is telling us what to do, it's what feels good to us. So then when I sit down and I'm judging a dance competition and I like see pointed foot after pointed foot after pointed foot, and I'm like, okay, perfect, that's all I have. You know, like I can't be like, I really don't like the concept that you chose for this because it doesn't make any sense with the song. Exactly, exactly, exactly. Yeah. It's just I feel like everything about it the competition world is so subjective that when you are pinning titles and um like scholarships and weird names for awards that you get, and emerald, ruby, high gold, double platinum. Like no, like what's the other one? Um Can I get an encore? That was the other one that I just I just said encore, and that was the one that I thought was really funny. Um but like it's just you know what I mean? Yeah, like as much as I appreciate the values that it can teach a dancer, there comes a point where you realize that it really isn't anything real. And it's just like it's made up to give experience, which is great in itself, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 57:57

It's literally just because it makes us happy, right? Like that's it. That's the whole point.

SPEAKER_00 58:02

And then to bring these people in and have them knock down children and give them rubies and tell them that their costumes are ugly. It's like that defeats the whole purpose of why we're doing this, because it's supposed to give them an opportunity to perform, it's supposed to make them feel happy and good, and it's supposed to be a good time for sing songgy dance friend time. You know? Like it's just it's that's what's getting lost, too.

SPEAKER_03 58:21

Yeah, that's genuinely why I am so grateful for Odyssey, is because it taught me that dance is not that serious. Right like half of our jobs is just like being stupid. Right!

SPEAKER_00 58:35

Walk around and work on your zombie walk.

SPEAKER_03 58:38

Like zombie walking! Let's roll around on the floor. We're literally like giving each other a back massaging class. Or we're like on stage screaming at dancing scarecrows, or like acting drunk, like acting drunk in both of our spring teams. And like it's the coolest thing in the world because you can like connect your craft with something that like genuinely makes you happy, and like you're not taking it that seriously. Obviously, we all do because it's our livelihood. Like because this is what we've been doing for so long, because it makes us happy. Like, we will take it seriously, but like it's also not life or death. Right. Like, it is not the end of the world when you don't get first place solo, when you don't get first place overall with your contemporary dance, when you don't get like all of this recognition um for something that's not gonna matter in the next season, right? Right, like that dance is now gone for the next competitive season. Yeah. Or like none of my awards from my compet competition years matter anymore. Right. Like none of it does. All that I took from the competitive world is growth. Yeah. Like that's the only thing that matters in this like entire episode is like that we take away that competition dance is for dancers to continue to excel. Is like to get feedback from the judges who need to be so honest with us on like, is this age appropriate? Is this like a good concept? Like, is like what is something that we can continue to work on moving forward? Like, that's the whole point of a competition. That's the whole point of taking convention classes, is to go learn from somebody that's not your dance teacher you see every day. Right. Um and like we all take it seriously, but also like it's not as serious like it's gonna be life or death if you don't get the scholarship. Right. Or all these things. Like, it's just for the opportunity of growth. Yeah, and like to propel you into whatever your next career path is. Um, and I had a conversation with one of my seniors last week um who she actually just got recruited to a dance team, a college dance team in Utah.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:52

Yes, I saw. I'm so happy for her. Incredible, Reagan. We love you.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:57

Um, I had this conversation with her last week before we went into um the dance week, her last convention ever. And I was like, the cool thing about this weekend is it doesn't matter. Right. I was like, I will not tell this to one of the minis ever. But for you now, like, this is literally just an opportunity to go and have a blast. And to like go and take classes and just dance, and like just have so much fun when you dance, and like have zero pressure when you dance. And like that was the most free I've ever seen her dance in my life. Like, she is such a like muscly, like takes everything serious dancer, and like that, she was so free, she got the scholarship of the weekend. Like, yeah, she just let it go finally. Right, and I think that's something that we just like need to take as a principal in general, like, not just when you're a senior, is like you go and you take classes to get better, you don't go and take classes to get called out in every class, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:58

Yeah, I so I'm gonna share a story really quick. Please I'm gonna shout out my soloist that I have. Um, her name is Mox. I love her so very dearly. We have a little solo for her. And um, I so when we were in Germany, they had a competition, they went to heat, and um I couldn't watch her do her solo because I think she went on at like seven o'clock on Thursday, and that would have been like four o'clock in the morning for us while we were in Germany. So I couldn't watch it. So I texted her like earlier in the day before she went to the comp and I was like, Hey, Lake, good luck, love you so much, can't wait to like hear about how it goes, whatever. And then afterwards, when it was like an appropriate time in Germany and in the States, I was like, Hey, Lake, how did your solo go? And she said, Loki got high gold, but in such an amazing way. And I said, That is incredible. Beautiful. I am so happy for you. You know what I mean? Like, that is the kind of like perspective that these children should have. Right. Because, like, yeah, you might not have gotten double platinum, showstopper, judge's choice, hundred million dollar scholarship.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:59

But did you feel good when you walked off stage?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:01

And she sure did. Right. And she sure did. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like it's now become such a status war. And everyone wants to have the highest award. They want to have like their name in everyone's mouths, they want to have the most vulnerable on Instagram, and it's all because it's like the the people above, like the dance teachers wish that they would have gotten the opportunities that they're giving their children. So that they're really invested in it. So then the children think it's literally life or death, like you said, and then they are going to grow up and they're going to have that mindset, and that's gonna carry them into the professional industry, and then the wheel and cycle will continue. You know what I mean? Like we need to start teaching dancers that it really is nothing but an opportunity for you to grow and learn and experience. Because, like you said, it's uh it's an opportunity for you to see uh have someone else give you their opinion and their perspective that you don't get to see every day. Like, one of the things that I really admired about this dance competition that I just um was a judge for was they had like a category in their scoring system for showmanship and the way that you perform and the way that you smile and exude the confidence and the ability to dance. You know what I mean? Like that I feel like is something that can get so lost these days that it's never about the performing anymore, it's all about what you can do and how you can show off to be the best in the room.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:17

Yeah, like and I feel like this is like a lot of this goes back to having like a strong supportive teacher. Yes, because like you might not have gotten first, you might not have placed it all, but it's about like what you're greeted with when going back into the studio. Yes, like I feel like I feel like that's why I look back on competition and convention so fondly because I had like candy, she would like kick our butts with our group dances, but they always won first place because she was drilling in like it was they were real jazz dances, mind you. They were like actual, like like jazz dance, Riverdeep, Mountain High, Proud Mary, like yeah, we were going back to the roots, okay? They were real jazz dances, they always won first place because she worked us so hard in the studio because she was like, You're gonna work hard right here, and you're gonna give it your all, and you're gonna go in first to competition because of what you're doing right here. If you do win first, whatever. If you don't win first, whatever. But you're going to because you're putting in the work right here. And then even if we didn't, we would come back to the studio and she'd be like, okay, you didn't win, why? Let's work on it. Right. It wasn't like, oh, I'm angry at you. Well, there was this one time that she actually got really mad at it was our first competition where we competed river deep and it was a hot mess. It was so bad. And she came, we came back in the studio and she was like, I'm embarrassed. She was like, she was like, if you do that again at this next competition, we're I'm pulling the stance. Like, we're just and we but we needed that. We needed that. It wasn't because it wasn't because we didn't win. I think we did play Swip it, even though it was past. Had but like we didn't win, but it was about the fact that we just forgot everything we did in the studio and we didn't put our best out onto the stage. It wasn't about the not placing or competing bad, like it was because we didn't do our best. And so then she kicked our butts in the studio, and at the end of the year we won like first overall, like double triple platinum crystal award, like show stop the clock, blah blah blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:25

Can I get it on four?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:27

Because we like we got the highest scoring dance of the entire weekend at our last competition that season because we were because she drilled it into our heads that you need to just put out your best, you need to put your best before.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:44

Yes, I think.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:44

It is not, it's genuinely at the end of the day, not about the award. It is about what you do on stage. And I feel like, again, like that's why having a good teacher and somebody that understands what competition is actually about is so important. It's not about how many followers you have on Instagram, it's not about like any of that. It's about what you did this weekend and how you're gonna get better because of what you did or didn't do.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:12

And someone who sees your potential. Yes, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. And that's why when Mox got off stage and I congratulated her on her high gold, she added a hat into her solo. And I said, Is that gonna make you happy? And she said, Absolutely. I said, perfect. So go out there with that hat. Work. You better, girl. You know what I mean? Like, if you don't have that, stand in your corner. No, like literally. If you don't have that person gonna corner, then like exactly.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:37

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:39

Anyways, I feel like um we've kind of gotten to where it's good for us to stop. We've really gotten a lot of emotions and feelings out there. No, I absolutely could. There are so many things that I feel like we haven't even touched yet.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:54

We haven't even talked about like convention weekends. Right. You know, like the entire week. And there is something so like, ooh, like I don't even know the word for it, but like you go to convention and you starve yourself, not on purpose, but you just don't have time to eat. And then, but you're gonna somehow like dance for like 24 hours straight, and then at the end of it, you're gonna be like, oh, I can't wait to do it again. No, literally. It's gonna be like that was the best thing I've ever done. Yeah, this convention is so it is such a weird, it's like a different world. Once you enter a dance convention, you turn into a different person. Oh, absolutely. And it's like it's addicting. I miss it. I really miss it.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:37

Well, like I am 23 years old, and I just went and took like senior jazz with all of them last week, and it like kicked my butt. Right. Like, it's hard. It's so hard. I was like struggling in the back corner. Um, my favorite place. My favorite spot. I was just like struggling back there. Um, but like picked up the combo, was living my life, and like had so much fun with it. And there were like so many talented kids next to me who like weren't trying. Um and then I would like dance the combo next to them, and teacher was like, Who are you? in the back corner of like all these like 300 plus kids, right? Um, next to all of these talented dancers who like really weren't giving it their best. He was like, Who are you? Why don't you have a number? And I was like, I am 23 years old. I am an adult super. Super duper senior. Super senior. Yeah, he was like, I am a teacher, and he was like, You are dancing. And I was like, that's the point! That's the point.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:46

That's kind of what I'm here to do.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:48

This entire weekend. Thank you. Like, I really hope that like somebody was like had their moment of just like dancing.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:55

Right. I love dancing.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:58

I dance, well no, it's just about being able to let go and just dance. And I feel like if anybody takes anything away from this episode, it's like you just have to let everything else go and just dance.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:11

Let the artistry speak for itself.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:12

Those are like those are the best dancers. Like, even if like sorry, I hate to bring Candace back up again, but she let me do it with my entire competition experience. But like, she would all in her classes, she would always harp on like I don't her combos are insane, first of all. They are like incredibly technical and like just wild, okay? But she would always harp on the fact that like she does not care if your foot is pointed or if your leg is straight. She wants to see you dance, she wants to see the emotion. She would always like give a speech explaining the combo and like what each move means in the context of the piece. And she would always call out the dancer that was like giving it their all. She might not have had her leg behind her head, she might have forgotten the combo in the middle of it, but it's because she was performing and she was dancing for her. That's what matters. And she always had the last class of the convention because she was a showstopper event. Yes, very much. But like that's like those were my biggest takeaways from convention weekends were when you see that one dancer, even if they didn't get called out, if you see you always find that one dancer that's like actually just dancing. Yes. I think that's the point of convention, is like dancing with other dancers that love it so much and like loving dance together. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:37

You know, there's an aspect of community.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:39

Yeah, and I do think that that is still very much there. It's just we've gotten so like competitive and obsessed with like internet fame. It's like, oh my god, there's that girl over there. You know that girl, she's the one that did that. So, Molly Long dance. She is Molly Long dance. That's her radio video. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:01

Or it's always about like the what studio you think is doing the best, or how can I compete with this studio, or my studio is good enough, how can I be like hers? You know what I mean? Like it again, if we're doing takeaways from this episode, just be yourself. Right. Immerse yourself fully in the art of dance, go to the competition, get a Ruby, and run. Put your feelings first. Always put your feelings first. So with that, I gotta thank you so much for coming on here today. It was an honor and a pleasure. Um, and with that, we'll see you later. Bye.