Performing Arts 

VCE Drama

Remote learning can be challenging for Performing Arts subjects and students. We thank all Performing Arts staff for working hard to continue to engage and challenge our students.

VCE Performing Arts students in Drama, Dance and Music are preparing for their very important solo performance examinations at the beginning of Term 4. 

Recently, Samantha Hargreaves, past pupil and 2015 College Captain, spoke to the VCE Drama students. 

Samantha was a passionate Kilbreda Performing Arts student, studying Drama and Music through to VCE. She is currently completing her Masters of Opera Performance  at the Melbourne Conservatorium and teaching voice as a music tutor at Kilbreda. 

Sam achieved a perfect score in her VCE Drama solo performance examination.  She successfully auditioned for ‘Top Class Drama’ and subsequently was one of two drama students in the state selected for the prestigious ‘Top Acts’ concert in 2016. Samantha gave a wonderful, inspiring presentation to our VCE Drama students on the process she took for creating a successful solo performance. 

Our students were certainly inspired by Sam’s engaging presentation and have taken on board much of Sam’s advice in preparing for their own solos.

Earlier this term, the VCE Drama students also performed their mini solos, based on a selected sub-culture character. This Unit 4, Outcome 1 task is designed to prepare students for their externally assessed solo performance examination later in the year. The students have a very short time frame, using play-making techniques, to devise the solo with a range of criteria to cover.

The Bald Prima Donna

Congratulations to VCE Drama student Isabelle La Prade for her superb performance in the lead role of Mrs Smith, in the St Bede’s East Bentleigh campus production of Eugene Ionesco’s ‘The Bald Prima Donna’ on Wednesday 17 July 2021.

The director of this production was not only impressed with Isabelle’s performance, but also the way she committed to the production and showed leadership by acting as a mentor to the younger members of the cast.

Well done Isabelle on your performance and for representing Kilbreda in such a positive way.

Cosi

Sadly, we have just been informed that Cosi, the St Bede’s College 2021 School Production, due to open 2 September , has been cancelled due to COVID restrictions. This is the second year the St Bede’s College production has been cancelled. 

Congratulations to Kilbreda students, Michaela D’Abate and Charlotte Lowe for the commitment and enthusiasm they demonstrated throughout the rehearsal process. Both girls gained new performance skills and friendships from being involved.

Keryn Holden

Learning Leader: 

Performing Arts

VCE Dance

It’s solo season for our Unit dancers who have pivoted, both figuratively and literally, into remote learning. Unit 2 dancers are working on duos and trios, also making the seamless transition from the studio into breakout rooms on Teams. Earlier in the year, both groups completed solos in lockdown, and I am so proud of them all. Our VCE dancers work tirelessly both at the College and in their homes, crafting exciting and meaningful dance work. The obstacles are real and so is their collective tenacity.

Starting the process of choreographing a solo always begins with a brainstorm or an epiphany. Some solo ideas come fast, others take time. Processes such as brainstorming, listening to music and creating visual mood boards help the students shape their intentions. Once they have decided on a theme, story or idea to express, they then move to improvisation. These can be teacher-led with a clear framework or more open ended and student-led. Our students are used to coming into class and responding to all kinds of stimulus with movement; paintings, photography, poetry, shapes, emotions, visualisations etc. 

After they have had time to explore their idea fully through improvisation, they begin to select and arrange the movement material to clearly express their intentions through contrasting sections that create a climax and resolve. Students use teacher, peer and self-evaluation to refine the technical and expressive aspects of their choreography. This means lots of drafts being shown to each other with constructive feedback. In a remote situation this often looks like students with a buddy in breakout rooms, showing their work, or uploading it to videos on to Flipgrid so that we can all watch together for feedback.

I am very excited to see the final pieces emerge from this process. They become highly crafted and thoughtful dance works of which each student can be immensely proud. The students will perform these to an audience at Kilbreda. Our Unit 4 students will do so in front of a panel of assessors for their final performance exam. 

I am proud to take this opportunity to celebrate all my VCE dancers, they are demonstrating just how extremely tough, determined and talented they are.

Here are some examples of student work both in class and in lockdown in 2021.

Year 11 student, Erin Carroll adds perspective. ‘We are currently in the midst of choreographing our Unit 4 composition solos for our end of year performance exam. Dealing with the current challenges of lockdown, it isn’t easy to create and choreograph from our bedrooms. Despite this, we are continuing to put in the hard work that will pay off in October. We look on the bright side as a class, that we can express our emotions surrounding this obstacle and channel them into our routines. With the love and support we get from each other and Ms Mitchell, there is no doubt the completion of our solos is possible and will be amazing. 

Cara Mitchell

Dance Teacher