It’s not often that the eight students - who make up the Diocesan Stage 6 HSC dance class which is run by Sarah Purnell from St Catherine's - have the opportunity to come together.
Last week, the group went on an overnight excursion to Sydney for a series of workshops and to attend the 2017 HSC Callback Showcase – a prestigious event that showcases the best performances and compositions from 2017 HSC students
The trip gave students the opportunity not only to bond as a group but also to improve their skills and knowledge ahead of their final HSC performances.
The students started their trip by travelling to the Seymour Centre in Sydney where they took part in a HSC workshop and performed their own choreography for senior markers. This gave the students a valuable opportunity to receive beneficial feedback to help them develop their work.
SFX student, Piper Wilson said: “I learnt a lot about developing composition from the syllabus in the first session and also about the execution of movement through performance quality in the second session.”
St Catherine’s student, Kacie Thomas, was also inspired by the composition session: “Before the session I was blocked but this opened my eyes up to some very interesting ways of using space and shape to create visually creative movement.”
After the workshop, the group attended the Callback Showcase. The event proved to be a great experience for the students who said they were blown away by the variety of talent. They were also motivated to have discussions after the show on how they could improve their work.
Rose Burden from St Catherine’s said: “It has inspired me to delve deeper into my concepts and think about how I can portray this through more unique movements.”
On their final day, the group went to the Sydney Dance Company where they danced with company members for three hours in lyrical and theatre jazz classes.
Alice Haggarty from St Mary’s said: “The choreographers were so creative with what they were teaching and generated beautiful movement that made me step out of my comfort zone.”
St Catherine’s student, Daisy Edwards, felt the overnight trip was a positive experience: “It was an enjoyable and eventful excursion and it has given me both the opportunity and confidence to learn and try new things.”
