What Judges Want- Episode 1- Gary McIntyre

Speaker 1 Hello and welcome to what judges want. This is episode 1 and I'm extremely excited and extremely lucky to have Gary McIntyre here with me. Gary has won numerous titles in all different dance forms. And is currently three times US, Open winner and I always tease them. That actually it's about seven years now undefeated because of covid, but obviously, there hasn't been a US Open. And for a while, but Gary has judged all over the world and I'm super lucky to have him here. I caught up with him and go dance studios in Austin. Now, there is a lots of music in the background. It's not the best quality, but I'm sure you can still hear us and that brings me on. If you want to make a donation. So I can actually afford some microphones. Please, donate, I will be buying some microphones, so the quality will be better. I promise. Here's over to Gary. Okay. I'm here with Gary on what judges one and I'm going to speak to him. This is going to be quick. We don't want to spend hours and hours talking about this because my point is if we can't describe this in a few minutes then it's too convoluted anyway and I'm going to ask the same questions to each Pro judge and my first question is always going to be, do you judge differently to each division? Speaker 2 Yes, I do. Absolutely from newcomer to Champions on to proem routine. Asian to Rising Star Classic ashoka's. They're all slightly different in my Speaker 1 expectations. So you're looking for something different in each Speaker 2 division. I would say out of the out of the different aspects of dance, whether it's a technical kind of self technique or partnering skills their content, their musicality skills and of course, eventually the performance and dynamic skills. Yes, it might kind of created this dance. We land in this dance. We all my expectations for newcomer would say, what's their content. How is the self technique and how is the partner. And that's really my main focus are they on time is number one of course. And then, of course, sticking in that quadrant of can they lead and follow Foundation, West Speaker 1 Coast Swing Okay, so that's Newcomb eyes timing. And then is it lead follow, does it lately? Speaker 2 Of course, I mean, I want to see lead follow, I want to see the leaders, make an attempt to lead the followers, make an attempt to stay in, in their, in their slotted position. And more importantly, he's trying to maintain some resistance in their connection, Speaker 1 okay? And then, if we move up to novice, what, what's your ideal that you're looking for? Speaker 2 I would say a knob novice, I still expect the same thing from a lead. Follow point of view but I would like like to see. I mean, just a touch more music, Just a Touch of musicality just being aware that we're the ones are in the song, may be aware, maybe a phrase changes. It. I think that's expecting a lot in August, but it's still nice to see that but I'm expecting the quality of what they're doing to be a little bit better. I want to see that they're not kind of bending their knees too much. I want to see that their movement is more flowy from foot to foot and more importantly that they do increase their content, knowledge doesn't have to be difficult patterns but there are To do some variation of footwork and doesn't see variation of timing, but they're able to place their feet and different positions in the in. It's a, like the anchor wheel. Yeah, like crossing over and sidestepping and stuff like that. But, but as well, more importantly than anything, how are they communicating with their partner? I mean, there's a, there's a partnership skill that is needed at all levels because this is a lie, follow dance form that we really want to ceiling. I really want to see partnering skills at all Speaker 1 levels. Yes, and then go. Going up into intermedia. Speaker 2 Well intermediate, I'm starting to have more expectations. So the quality of the dance quality, the of the of your body movement and more importantly, the quality of your musicality and partnership needs to be increased for sure. I mean, I I feel that when I'm judging on all notice that I'm looking at away a person's moving their body and their their the way they're using their feet, using the floor in order to create movement. And unless it's deliberately some type of Popping kind of action. But even in that, in that aspect, I still want to see their feet produce movement, they're standing leg working more and the higher level up. We go the expiation expectations there. That everybody does that. So you know, when we get to something like Champions we're expecting everybody to have good quality and move it. Now, we're looking for other things and their immediate I feel like we're developing that quality. And so I'm going to reward something that has a bit more quality to it. I'm going to maybe Mark something down the feet. Don't look as good example. Speaker 1 And that continues up through Speaker 2 advanced advanced, I'm kind of expecting it now. Okay. I mean, if the foot quality is in there, it's hard for me too. To reward a good dancing but I have given good placement when everybody in the division with. There's a small division everybody doesn't have the best kind of quality. I'm going to reward musicality partnership Showmanship, I'm going to reward that reward the presentation that they give in relation to the song that their dance to happen. And it's going to start to it starts to take over the mark when when at the higher levels when you start to because again, as I said, I Spec the quality to be higher. I expect the content to be more difficult. I expect the timing changes in the footwork in the body to be more interesting. I expect the musicality from a structure and strong specific point of view to be more more and more and more if they don't have that kind of stuff than if they're not going to probably even make finals and my side unless it's a small event, no one in the finals, I'm looking for that. But then, if you really want to separate people, I'm going to say OK of these three couples are doing that. I'm going to pick the one that has a better quality for me that occur. That just looks better from Movement point of view and a connection and Panda and partnering one. Yeah. Speaker 1 And I guess that's the same with All-Star, it just keeps going up. Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean, I in alster, I'm looking for a bit more creativity. I'm looking for a bit, a better partnership. Definitely definitely. Very, very important and awareness of Music, especially verse, the chorus introduction just generally understanding the structure of the music as they're dancing to it. And then, of course, song specifically they're really Speaker 1 working as a team to communicate Speaker 2 some type of like partnership that says, hey We're working this song Together rather than being a little too independent. I feel that sometimes we see the independence and prelims and I'd love to see that partnership throughout that division because they're all, they're all good dancers, they all costs that division for a reason. So I want to see that quality. I think that As we get into the higher levels. Again I think the expectation is a quality should be there already but some people got there and they didn't have they don't have that quality. So it's difficult for me to take them to the next level if they don't present a dancer look. And I see dancer look. I mean I mean that movement from foot to foot, that looks good, that everybody goes. Oh that looks like good. I like the way they move. If you can't say you like the way they move them, probably it's not going to do well in my ballot, you've got to you gotta practice moving from foot to foot between feet. So you get that could understanding of Weight Speaker 1 transfer. Yeah, so let before we go back to the lower levels. How does that differ from spotlights to an all-skate format or heated? Format, is it the same? Do you expect more Showmanship? Do you expect differences, one of my Speaker 2 coaches. Susan. As coaches said to us one time. Inconsistent marks means inconsistent dancing. I would hope that the judges in a spotlight format would be very, very similar in their marks. And I expect judges sadly at the lower levels, especially I expect judges to be inconsistent in the enough, heated format and the reason why is I'm looking at one couple for 10 seconds and I'm seeing them dance really well. And I'm like, wow, they're really impressed, I turn away and then they start falling apart and I don't see it, but the judge be sees them dancing. They're having a little bit of trouble and that is like, while they're falling off time or or they're just struggling and getting through this movement, they're stumbling a bit and they mark Last and you're like, so I would my biggest recommendation to the lower levels up into at least at least intermediate would do the moves that you can do every single time with every single follower that you dance with be consistent. Be do stuff that, you know, you can do as we get two All-Stars and champions and even Advanced, you starting sometimes for fun, trying to reinvent the wheel. I wouldn't say you're Reinventing the wheel totally though. I think they're worth. Easton is a great example of just being consistent movement that he knows, he can lead to every single follower pretty much and I feel Jordans the same way. Kyle's very, very consistent with what he's doing. He'll dance different follows differently, whether he trusts them or he has to? So, this is an example of These Guys. These guys are the these top Jack and Jewelers in the world. And, and I feel that they really understand with event Morrison. The veggies, of course, they understand what their followers can do, and they adapt their dancing to that follow one. Lower levels of times, we don't know our follow. So we want to do patterns that are Li double patterns that, that we're not trying to reinvent the wheel on the floor. And I feel that's what I see a lot in novice, intermediate, people trying to reinvent the wheel, trying to think of something new, when they're on the floor. And I think that that creates that inconsistent dancing that gets inconsistent marks from the Speaker 1 judges. Yeah, that makes sense. So then people come to me a lot students come to me and I almost want the true or false answer from you and then you can explain it. So I get a lot of my followers. H come to me who are in novice and my leaders and they'll say, we have to do, triple so-and-so told me. It has to be tripled. No timing changes. Would you agree or disagree Speaker 2 to that? I disagree. Okay, Speaker 1 and explain. What are you happy seeing? So Speaker 2 I'm seeing that your body represents a triple step. So the weight transfer going over the foot, you're not going there and standing there still, and then trying to keep them move from there that you're moving through your foot. So, we all know that the higher level dancers can do a triple step in their And not necessarily do a triple step in their in their weight transfer. So I would say if you were a little bit weak in your during transfers and you can't, then then you should do more troubles and they're probably that particular judge might be saying to you, hey, I think you should do more triples because you're not really understanding your way transfer from foot to foot and then other other people really understand their weight transfer from foot to foot. So you won't see them do as many triples. But I still think because they understand how their body works and their triple, it still looks like they're triply in their body. Movement. So, I just feel that when a judge says that to a competitor most likely they don't think that that competitor can dance very well without doing way transfers. And so, they're wanting to see that competitor do way transfers because I promise you, they see another competitor. Have a good movement from foot to foot that represents a version of how that Rippling in your body. And I think that you'd have to see that visually to understand that, but then, the judge won't have a problem. Saying, you have to Triple, they would say, you know, would like you. Good body movement that represents a triple to a stretching or to whatever whatever you're doing. But if you're not able to roll through your feet, if you're not able to create that body movement between feet, then tripling is your best way of continuing to make your body look like it's movie. Yeah. Speaker 1 So this might be a similar one. My next one is I get told and asked this a lot about I've been told to dance on straight legs and then the student will say well, so and so dances on dead. Lex, what's, what would, what do you look for? What are you happy? Accepting. Well, I need them follows. I Speaker 2 think this is a tough question because I think that as you get to a higher level you understand what a bent leg can do to create stuff on your on, your free leg and so, the you can, I definitely will bend my legs went but but at a higher level, you start to understand your body alignments. And you start understanding the usage of your of your leg - can't I find. When most people bend their legs, they're doing something like throwing their knees forward and their shoulders are way back. So they So I personally like straight legs. I personally straight legs and 1246 for both leader and follower doesn't mean it has to be straight when it strikes but it's straightened by the end of forward by the end of six. But clearly, if you're doing something abstract or contemporary, or maybe hip-hop is, you can't train you like to do that movement, of course, you can't train your legs, you have to keep it bent. So it's just a matter if you're doing a very like, acoustic kind of a song and you really want a lot of shaped what you're doing. But again, I think people are trying to To copy people that do that and do that extremely well, but they're not copying it, and making it look good with their legs. So their legs are in bad positions. And as a result, people are saying, well, you don't look good because I've coached a lot of guys where I just said, like, you've got to, you've got to get, you can't triple with two knees bent because there's no articulation there that you look like you're squatting. But yes, they'll say but so and so does it and I'll say well I do it but I can do it because I've earned the right to do it through to understanding how my leg action works. And so when I bend it, I know how to use it, I Speaker 1 totally understand. Okay, we were going to go on to routine stuff but actually I feel like we should do a whole other podcast and routine because I feel like that's a whole other ball park where we can talk about Pro-Am 22 classic to Showcase to rising star and I feel I only want to kind of keep these throughout 50 minutes to get you to speak about routines and two minutes would be unfair, so will you join me back for another one? Sometime couple weeks When the Music's not playing as loud and maybe I'll have afforded some microphones by them as well. So thank you so much Gary. That was awesome and don't forget right in if you've got any questions and you can find Gary on Facebook and you can reach out. If you've got any questions about the wording, the terminology he said and clarify and obviously we're here in Austin, Texas. Exes come and see us soon.