From Experience to Impact: Jamie Hodgins–Building a Stronger Future for Dance

Jamie Hodgins shares his career journey and vision for strengthening dancer recognition, verification, and opportunity.

In a March 2026 episode of The Business of Dance Podcast, host Menina Fortunato welcomed Jamie Hodgins, Executive Director of the International Competitive Dancer Registry (ICDR), for a dynamic conversation. Together, they explored his extensive career journey and his forward-thinking vision for the evolution of the dance industry.

Throughout the episode, Jamie reflected on the diverse experiences that shaped his career. After discovering dance at the age of 16, he quickly transitioned into teaching and choreography. He went on to build a multi-faceted career spanning performance, production, management, and industry leadership, working on notable projects such as Triple Sensation, Mini Pop Kids, and Camp Rock 2. These roles provided him with deep insights into both the creative and business sides of the art form.

Underlying much of his success was a strong commitment to building professional relationships. Jamie emphasized the value of surrounding yourself with people who inspire growth, staying open to learn from others, and creating opportunities through relentless hard work.. He noted that early in a career, offering to help and shadowing busy professionals is an invaluable strategy; by doing so, he was frequently able to step in and take on additional work when new opportunities arose.

Jamie also tackled the topic of dancer advocacy, stressing how crucial it is for dancers to understand the true value of professional work. Drawing from his own lived experiences, he discussed the need for performers to make highly informed decisions about the opportunities they pursue, while recognizing that continued advocacy remains essential to moving the entire industry forward.

The conversation then shifted to ICDR and the systemic challenges it was created to solve. Jamie described the International Competitive Dance Registry as a "single source of truth" for the competitive dance sector, built to securely document a dancer's entire history–including competition results, convention participation, and formal examinations.

He explained that unlike traditional sports, competitive dance has historically operated without a universal system to verify participant information or maintain consistent records. As a result, when dancers progress through years of intensive training, their tangible accomplishments and participation history can become difficult to track, verify, and preserve over time.

ICDR was built to bridge this gap through age and participant verification, creating permanent, verified records that dancers can carry with them. Rooted in the belief that safety is a fundamental right and not a privilege, the organization offers its baseline protections for free, ensuring financial barriers are removed for every family. Jamie pointed out that these official records are designed to give dancers the same legitimacy found in traditional athletics, providing credible backing that can support future pathways, such as post-secondary and university applications, professional auditions, and long-term career opportunities. Today, ICDR is actively building the verification infrastructure required to support its long-term vision. Through its current Parent/Guardian verification, and Studio verification processes, the organization is laying the groundwork for a suite of future initiatives, including centralized verified records, specialized accident insurance options, and professional profile features.

Listen to the full episode here.