Dance

Mount St Benedict College offers the opportunity for students to engage in Dance through both curricular studies and cocurricular activities.

Curricular Dance

Dance can be studied as an elective subject in Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) and Stage 6 (Years 11 and 12).

Dance in Stages 5 and 6 is designed for students to experience, understand and value dance as an artform through the study of the performance, composition and appreciation of dance.

Students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills about dance as an artform through:

• Dance performance as a means of developing dance technique and performance quality to communicate ideas
• Dance composition as a means of creating and structuring movement to express and communicate ideas
• Dance appreciation as a means of describing and analysing dance as an expression of ideas within a social, cultural or historical context.

Students have the opportunity to perform their repertoire through Assemblies, the annual Creative and Performing Arts Showcase and the HSC Dance Evening.

Each year the NSW Department of Education and Training presents Callback, a selection of exemplary performances and projects from HSC Dance students. Mount St Benedict College has been honoured to have several individual nominations including Core Performance, Core Composition and Major Study Performance as part of their Board of Studies practical examinations. The HSC Dance candidates on the honour roll are:

• 2014 - Keira McEntee - Core Performance and Major Study Performance
• 2012 - Alicia Gardoni - Core Performance and Major Study Performance
• 2012 - Jessika Fisher - Core Performance
• 2012 - Madeleine Silsby - Core Performance, Core Composition and Major Study Performance
• 2011 - Emma Martin - Major Study Performance.

Academy of Dance

The College offers a range of dance programs to cater for a range of abilities. All students can participate in the College-based dance programs which may include jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, ballet and strength and conditioning classes. Students can also audition to be part of one of the Representative Dance Ensembles that compete against other schools throughout the school year.

Ensembles are allocated based on technical ability, stylistic strength and pastoral needs. The ensembles are taught by industry professionals. They run before school and cater for a wide range of abilities - from beginner to elite level dancers. Students have the opportunity to perform their repertoire at events which may include assemblies, the Bennies Festival of Arts, Food and Design and eisteddfods throughout the year. Further opportunities to extend students’ engagement in Dance include the College Musical, the Independent Dance Festival, the Interstate Dance Tour and the CAPA Tour to New York and Los Angeles.