Dance Academy
Melbourne Diwali Festival
We wish a happy and safe Diwali to all those celebrating! On Saturday 11 of October, the BCDA performed at the Melbourne Diwali Festival. The event draws attendees of over 20,000 making it the largest and most inclusive Diwali event in the state. We were so happy and proud to be part of the Melbourne Diwali event as it is more than just a festival—it's a cultural experience that celebrates light, diversity, and unity across all generations. Thank you to the following students for their dedication in the preparation: Evie Blunt, Jessie Chuang, Elizabeth Lawrence, Hiya Maisuria, Alysia Nicholls and Mikayla Williams.
MJ the Musical
On the 13 October, we went to watch MJ the musical. It was so fun to watch, and it had me dancing in my seat. After watching the performance, it felt like I knew him as a person, and I learnt so many things that I didn't know about him. The characters were so good at acting and dancing. It was such a great experience, and I am happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to go and watch such an amazing performance with all my friends and classmates. It inspired me to keep trying and aim for a chance to perform on a big stage in front of hundreds of people just like them.
Zoe Elliott - Year 8 Dance Academy
Junior Dance Production – Groove Through the Decades!
On Wednesday, the 22 and Thursday the 23 of October, our year 7-9 Dance Academy students performed to full audiences showcasing the progress they have made this year. Students also performed to 150 Grade 5, Berwick Primary students, which was so much fun! Students were singing and dancing in their seats during the entire performance. We hope to see some of these students in our 2027 dance academy year 7 class!
A huge thank you to Miss Occhietti for doing the sound, lighting, costuming and program, Miss Kaur for her choreography and help on the nights and Ms Wotherspoon for all of her support. We could not run a successful program without all of you!
Below is our junior dance captain’s speech from our production.
“My name is Estelle, and I'm the Junior Dance captain for 2025. Most of the dances you'll see tonight have actually been choreographed by us students! Our teachers guided us and taught us choreographic techniques like improvisation, to help us create our dances. We thought about our intention, how to manipulate time, space and energy and worked collaboratively to create dances that we are very proud of.
Our Year 9 class came up with our overall concept and guided the other classes on what styles to choreograph in. We chose this year's theme, "Groove through the Decades," because we've always been fascinated by how music and dance have evolved over time. From the groovy moves of the 70s, to the pop hits of the 90s, and right up to today's viral TikTok trends.
We would like to thank Tara Kaur, Jaylee Vella, Reagan Gay, who are all past BCDA students and Ben Cure for the learnt group choreography. And also, our teachers for allowing us agency over our choreography which we don’t often get at our dance schools.”
Estelle Greene – Year 9 Dance Captain
Farewell Year 12’s!
Congratulations to our VCE Dance students who have completed their performance exams! After six years of dance at school, our students are feeling confident and ready for their written dance exam. Congratulations also to our VET 3/4 students who have also completed their performance exam! These students have worked so hard all year to build their physical skills and prepare for the performance examinations. We cannot wait to follow your future pathway and celebrate you all.
Melissa Quenette
Dance Academy Director