130. Mental Skills of Auditioning and Performing in NYC with Courtney Ortiz

In this episode, I’m talking with New York City-based professional dancer, Courtney Ortiz. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to audition and perform in New York City, she shares some great advice on the mental aspects of being a professional adult performer and how to pick up choreography quickly.  Courtney’s career spans from stage to screen with credits including the Broadway National Tour of Finding Neverland, Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring The Rockettes, and so much more. Outside of performing, Courtney is an international dance educator and in-demand dance adjudicator as well. She’s been teaching on faculty with numerous dance conventions and is currently on guest faculty at the legendary Steps on Broadway. Courtney has some great points about being able to pick up choreography quickly in an audition and adapt in a professional setting. Spoiler alert: you have to count! There’s even more to the conversation when we discuss teaching, judging, how you build your confidence as a judge, and if judges can really tell if you're nervous based on your walk on. Enjoy my conversation with New York City-based professional dancer, Courtney Ortiz! Episode Resorces and Courtney's Info: https://chelseapierotti.com/130

Om Podcasten

You train extensively as a dancer, but what about mental training? Have you ever trained your mental skills like confidence, focus, or resilience? When you tune in to Passion for Dance, that mental training is precisely what you get. You can learn from a sport psychology expert who understands the dance industry and can teach you how to elevate your performance and truly thrive on and off stage. Welcome to Passion for Dance, where your host, Dr. Chelsea, will bring the science of sport psychology into the dance studio. Each week, you will learn actionable strategies and new mindsets to build happier, more successful dancers. Dance teaches us to push through the pain to reach our goals, and we are used to criticism, tears, bleeding toes, and sore muscles. But now, psychological research has taught us more about mental health and resilience than ever before, and it's time to change our industry for the better. Being a dancer teaches us critical life skills, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer before we can build ourselves back up. Dance can teach us self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, grit, and resilience without destroying our self-esteem. The path to personal growth is full of joy, self-discovery, and challenging roadblocks, but we don't have to figure it out alone. This podcast is for all of us to connect, learn, and share our passion for dance with the world.