Dance and Drama

From the Co-ordinator of Dance and Drama

It was a very busy last few weeks for all students in Term 2, particularly in Drama. I would like to thank Ms Gabrielle Wenman for her continued dedication to all Drama students in her support, preparation, and attendance at the various events over these past few weeks. 

NIDA – Elective Years 9-12 Drama Excursion

By Kayla, Erica and Tilly of Year 10 Elective Drama 

On Friday Week 6, 7th of June, the Elective Drama students from Years 9-12 went on an

excursion to NIDA. NIDA is the largest drama university in Australia, teaching elements such as prop and costume making as well as directing and writing. This excursion was organized by Ms Wenman and Ms Tamatea and both teachers made sure all students were happy and comfortable the entire day. We started off the day with a tour of behind-the-scenes, exploring the prop and costume rooms. This part of the experience was enriching, allowing people within the School's Drama elective to be inspired by such beautiful and creative pieces of work. Once we had completed the tour, our group split in the second half of the day; Years 9 and 10 worked together, and Years 11 and 12 worked together. Years 9 and 10 participated in a physical movement workshop which was a significant highlight for most people as it was enjoyable and used often in our drama piece at School. Our instructor led us through multiple mind and body exercises, ensuring we were engaged and prepared for the task ahead. The first activity we took part in was an exercise that originated from Japan; Suzuki Theatre,  this included elements of Greek Theatre as everyone has to be in sync with each other and stay emotionless so the audience can fully focus on the body movements occurring. We repeated this exercise multiple times in groups, allowing each individual to become connected to the people around them. Concentration was a major aspect of this exercise, as once one person had lost focus the majority of the group would lose its sync. The last exercise we did required us to wear masks, of which our instructor informed us would ensure the audience wouldn't be distracted from unnecessary facial expressions. In this activity, we would wake up with the sun and go down with it. This exercise helped enhance everyone's body language skills instead of facial expressions as those are used more. This way was new and very challenging but in the end, we were all able to do this very well. In conclusion to this amazing excursion, we returned back to school and had a class discussion as to whether this excursion was beneficial. Students all agreed that this opportunity at NIDA was very beneficial as it taught us the importance of several new drama exercises but also the amazing opportunities NIDA has to offer for students who want to pursue a career in the arts.

By Year 12 Drama Student – Yarra: 

On Friday the 7th of June, Years 9 to12 Drama classes were given the amazing opportunity to go on an excursion to NIDA, participating in a tour of the campus and a workshop with the teaching staff at NIDA. As a Year 12 student, I found this experience invaluable allowing me to not only see life beyond the classroom but gain excellent tips to enhance my performance for the HSC. Within the tour, it was interesting to see what goes into productions from set design to costumes, gaining insightful takeaways. For example, it is important in costume design to ensure an everyday shoe does not look too new, as that will make it less believable for the audience. Within the Years 11 to 12 workshop I participated in, we learnt about the importance of focus and how small details can affect the overall performance. My group for the group performance component of the HSC, were lucky enough to showcase our work so far, gaining feedback to help us progress as we continue working on and finessing our performance for the HSC. Overall, it was an excellent experience, and thank you to the amazing Drama teachers for allowing us to have such an incredible opportunity!

HSC Drama/Music Showcase Evenings

Our Year 12 Drama students have been working exceptionally hard in their classes on both their Individual Projects and Group Performance Project. We had the opportunity to see these in progress, along with some elective Drama and Music performance pieces on both Wednesday 11th June and Thursday 12th June, each night consisted of a different programme, demonstrating the strong calibre of students across both disciplines.

All the best to these Year 12 students in their final preparations for Trial and HSC Examinations next term. 

Years 10 to 12 Elective Drama – Eisteddfod Results

Recently, some of our Elective Drama students competed in the Northern Beaches Eisteddfod in the Speech and Drama section. TPHS Dance/Drama Faculty had great success with students showcasing work they completed in the curriculum and received the following awards: 

On Saturday 22/6 at Mona Vale Memorial Hall, Yarra performed a monologue about the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and received second place or a Highly Commended for her performance. 

On Sunday 23/6 at Curl Curl North Public School: 

In the Duologue or Scene section Liam and Finlay were awarded 3rd place for their performance of ‘The Package’. Tilly and Erica received an excellent mark for their performance of the duologue the ‘Soap Opera’. Both groups of Duologues performed incredibly well. 

In the Group Presentation section, Year 12 students Revelle, Remy, Yarra and Pru were awarded first Place for their self-devised piece ‘The Headquarters’.

Our second group consisting of Ramon, Matilda and Claudia were awarded an excellent mark and performed a very engaging piece. 

Congratulations to all competitors!

HSC Dance Trial Examinations

Congratulations to our Accelerated Year 11 Dance students who completed their final Year 12 Assessment Task on Wednesday 26 June. On behalf of these students, I would like to thank their supporting dancers who have been working alongside them learning choreography as part of the composition component. 

We wish these Year 11 students all the best in the final stages of refinement across all three components, in preparation for the HSC practical examination in August. 

Years 11 and 12 Theatre Excursion 

On Thursday 27th June the Years 11 and 12 Elective Drama classes attended the Sydney Theatre Company’s performance of the play 'Stolen' by Jane Harrison. This is an Australian theatre play that the students are studying for their HSC. 

Stolen tells the stories of Jimmy, Ruby, Shirley, Sandy, and Anne: five members of the Stolen Generation, whose lives are irrevocably altered by their experiences in a social and political system that sought to erase their cultural identity forever.

This was an incredibly moving and powerful production giving students a record of Australian history with talented performers shining a light on the ongoing injustices faced by the First Nations people of this country. 

This was a wonderful experience for our Drama students to attend such a prestigious theatre space and to see such a remarkable performance.

Dance and Drama in the Junior School

Junior Performing Arts Evening

On Thursday 20 June, all Junior School students took to the stage to showcase their Performing Arts talents. This is an evening that presents both the co-curricular and curricular achievements throughout K to 6 in the disciplines of Music, Dance and Drama. The theme for the evening was ‘Alice in Wonderland’, which gave great scope for the audience to be transported down the rabbit hole. The night was a great success full of brilliant costuming, imaginative movement and delightful music making which brought smiles for those lucky enough to be in attendance. We are so proud of all our Junior School Students. they looked fabulous on stage. Thank you to all the Performing Arts and Junior School Teachers for their hard work and dedication to bring such a fabulous night together. 

What’s happening in the Junior School Dance and Drama lessons this term…. 

Kindergarten Dance: Students develop specific dance skills such as balance, strength, flexibility, and coordination through the inspiration of different Circus characters.

Year 1 Dance: Students learning about storytelling and creating dance. Looking at dance through cultures, such as the Indigenous Dreamtime and how dance is used to pass down stories.

Year 2 Dance: Students compose and perform dances, using rhythm, sound, percussion and everyday objects in non-traditional performance spaces.

Year 3 Dance: Students learn how dance supports other sports and how other sports assist in developing dance skills. Students are provided with opportunities to develop skills in a range of environments, the lessons focus on specific body skills inspired by other activities such as Ninja Warrior.

Year 4 Dance: Students learn that social, cultural, and historical dances have a purpose. They study a range of Folk dances such as Bush dance, Tarantella, Cossack, and Mexican Hat Dance.

Year 5 Dance rotations in Performing Arts: Students learn about the history of some cultural or social dance styles through observation and practical experiences and experience. Such as: Indigenous, Polynesian, Capoeira, Chinese, and African. 

 Year 5 Drama rotations in Performing Arts: Students learn about the development of Drama through the study of influential practitioners or dramatic styles. They will learn about and engage in practical workshops around the styles such as Commedia Del’Arte, Shakespeare, Greek Theatre and Melodrama.

Year 6 Dance rotations in Performing Arts: Students will create and perform artistic dance movement in response to stimuli. Learn the basic structure of dance composition.

Year 6 Drama rotations in Performing Arts: Students will engage in practical improvisation workshops and activities that introduce them to playbuilding. The lessons focus on the application of voice, movement, physical theatre, and mime to communicate a message through verbal and non-verbal devices.