Dance and Drama Faculty

From the Co-ordinator of Dance and Drama

Welcome back to our Dance and Drama students, it has been a fabulous start to the year with such positive energy in all our dance and drama classes from kindergarten through to Year 12. We are looking forward to the year ahead, developing skills in creativity, collaboration and communication in our lessons. 

We have had some staff changes in the Dance and Drama department for 2025. I am pleased that Mrs Rebekah Humphries is continuing from taking Ms Lucy Eaton’s maternity leave and I would like to welcome Ms Ebony Cerone who will be job sharing with Ms Humphries. I would like to thank Ms Eaton for the work she contributed to the Pittwater House Dance and Drama department and wish her all the best. 

Extra-curricular questions should be directed to: 

• Dance:  Mrs Rebekah Humphries: rebekah.humphries@tphs.nsw.edu.au

   

• Drama:  Ms Gabrielle Wenman: gabrielle.wenman@tphs.nsw.edu.au

A huge congratulations to our 2024 HSC Dance and Drama students, we are extremely proud of their efforts. Their successful achievements in both results and project nominations are evidence of the continued hard-work put in by all students. Phenomenal effort by one of our Year 11 Dance accelerants, Adele who received first in the Dance course for 2024. 

A few words from Adele, that was included in an article shared with the Dance Education Teachers Association: 

Q. What advice would you give to other students aiming for excellence? 

My key advice for the upcoming students aiming for excellence in dance is:

1. Get to know the syllabus, and practise interview technique. 
2. Get started on your Core Composition [projects] early. 
3. Don’t leave the Core Appreciation (the written aspect) to the last minute! 

Q. What life skills have you gained from studying dance? 

Honestly, I have gained all these life skills plus more. Dance is such a well-rounded subject that allows you to build teamwork skills with your classmates and build immense resilience and discipline when setting goals and deadlines for Major Works. 

Throughout my HSC year, I built resilience through intensive training for my Core and Major performance. I focused on strength training, particularly for my lower core, to correct my anterior pelvic tilt, which caused lumbar pain and balance issues during turns and landings due to hypermobile ankles. My regimen included core and calf training, full-body conditioning, and weekly 3-5km runs for cardiovascular endurance. Additionally, I collaborated with my teacher to achieve correct pelvic alignment and effectively communicate my strategies in performance interviews.

Furthermore, I developed a great deal of discipline throughout the process of planning, timing, and refining my Core Composition. Interestingly, I began with a completely different idea than what I ultimately presented for my HSC. However, I never scrapped any choreography created along the way. Every day I made something new, whether I used it or not, I logged it into my Core Composition logbook, both as videos and written notes in OneNote. This detailed documentation became a crucial tool during the final stages of refinement, allowing me to reflect on and refine my work thoughtfully.

To balance my major work and other studies, I set personal goals and deadlines. One of my best decisions was to aim to finish the "bones" of my composition by the end of Term 2 in my Year 12 studies. Achieving this goal meant I had plenty of time left for selection and refinement, which turned out to be the most valuable phase of my project. The greatest life lessons came from this process of selecting and refining. I learned how to take constructive feedback and, even more importantly, when to stop refining. This was challenging because you become so attached to your composition. At times, it was difficult to let go of elements I loved, but ultimately, the feedback I received from peers and teachers elevated my work. 

Through my journey in dance, I gained invaluable life skills that extend far beyond choreography and performance. Discipline, time management, and perseverance became second nature as I balanced rehearsals with academic responsibilities. I learned the importance of taking constructive feedback with grace, adapting to challenges, and knowing when to let go of perfectionism in pursuit of progress. Most importantly, dance taught me resilience, creative problem-solving, and the value of collaboration—lessons that will continue to shape my personal and professional growth.