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Guests - Lauren Gaul and Ashley Thorndike
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor
In Episode 274 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, we're diving into the topic of dance in college, with two experts in the field. Lauren Gaul is the co-founder of the commercial dance program at Pace University in New York City, and Ashley Thorndike is the owner of Dance and College Counseling, a service dedicated to helping high school dancers navigate the college application and audition process.
Topics Include:
- The top tips for researching and selecting your dream school
- The types of audition processes that exist
- The best advice for preparing dancers in high school for success in college dance
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- Lesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance
- Lauren Gaul - @lgfunk2
- Ashley Thorndike - @danceandcollegecounseling
Check out our guest’s current projects!
Visit www.danceandcollegecounseling.com for more information on Ashley's college counseling services
Find out more about Pace University's BFA in Commercial Dance here!
This episode is sponsored by:
YoungArts
Applications are open for the 2027 National YoungArts Competition, available for artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12. Deadline to apply is October 6th, 2026 at 8pm. Learn more at www.YoungArts.org
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