Victorian State Schools Spectacular

Months of hard work culminated in this year's Victorian State Schools Spectacular that was held last Saturday, 10 September.

EHPS students performed in the two shows at John Cain Arena in Melbourne in the mass dance and mass choir. Each show featured music, dance, circus arts, puppetry and skating.

Congratulations to the following students for their commitment and participation:

• Mass Choir:  Angela C, Eric C, Cooper H, Kavya J, Rithika K, Justin M, Sophia M, Isabelle N, Partha P, Maya P, Nazli S, Luigi S, Adesh S, Aaliyah S, Raffaello T, Esmond T. Supported by Magdalene Lim and Jessica Wynne. 
• Mass Dance:  Taite B, Cassie C, Alana C, India C, Zoe C, Jailan F, Alysha H, Krisha K, Evelyn K, Alethia L, Olivia S, Celina W, Alexandra K, Ethan N, Chloe C, Myra K, Diya H. Supported by Kirsten Lightfoot and Shona Misso. 

Thank you to the parents of these students for their support and encouragement of their children throughout the rehearsal process and the show on Saturday. 

Mass Choir

Year 5 and 6 students in the EHPS Chorale Choir were chosen to participate in this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular Mass Choir. During the rehearsals and performances, students were singing with thousands of students from state schools across Victoria. Students have been rehearsing regularly throughout the year at school and at rehearsals with other students from the Mass Choir at the Melbourne Town Hall and John Cain Arena. The two rehearsal days and two performances last week were long days but students enjoyed being a part of such a ‘spectacular’ event! It was really lovely to see the students come together enjoying the music and swaying to the beat.

Here are some comments from the students:

It was a really good experience being in the Mass Choir because I got to see the whole show from where we were sitting. I also got to see how the stage crew and lighting crew set up the whole arena before the performances.  Justin M (5L)

It was really fun and enjoyable singing with friends. My favourite song to perform was Pompeii and Eleanor Rigby. While it was difficult to perform singing in high pitch notes, we still found it to be exciting to be a part of the Mass Choir. We recommend that everyone should at least try it once because it is definitely a night to remember.  Luigi S (6T) & Adesh S (6CH)

Mass Dance

17 Year 5 and 6 students participated in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular on Saturday. There were two amazing performances at the John Cain Arena. The students were part of a cast of thousands that came together to give a very spectacular performance. They worked hard all year, practicing twice weekly during their lunch times, to perfect seven stunning dances. There was much excitement and big smiles all round before, during and after the performances. It was in the media last week and was filmed to be airing on Channel 7 in December. 

Here are some student reflections:

It was fun doing the performances even though we could not see the other events happening because we were backstage getting ready. It was a magical experience that we will never forget for years to come. Even though we had to do a lot of waiting, it was all worth it!  Diya, Chloe, Myra (5L)

It was a very fun experience dancing in front of a lot of people. Though the rehearsals were time consuming, it paid off on the day because I had so much fun.  Jailan (6T)

It was really fun performing with all my friends because we were all in it together and we got to spend so much time with each other - travelling on the train, eating lunch and being back stage together. I would like to thank all the teachers for putting in so much time and effort into training us.  Alana (6CH)

Auditions & Broadcast

Auditions for the VSSS in 2023 open in mid October. In Term 4, the search starts for talented government school students who can sing, dance, play an instrument, beat box, roller blade or even rap, to audition for a role in the principal cast. Students benefit from the unique opportunity of working with industry professionals across all disciplines, as well as the amazing experience of performing live at John Cain Arena in front of a large audience. Registration and expressions of interest open in October. 

A broadcast of this year's Spectacular will be on Channel 7 later this year.