Dance

Our dance teachers draw upon a wealth of professional experience, traversing many genres.

Our focus is to cultivate each dancer’s potential. We work with students to build their knowledge, help them discover their unique brand of artistry, and refine their technical skills.

This is all during a regular school day while they continue to work towards their HSC in an inclusive, safe, and supportive place that they enjoy coming to every day.

Our dance students graduate as well-trained, artistic performers who are versatile in multiple dance genres and prepared for the next level of pre-professional training.

What you will learn

Our holistic and thorough training program focuses on developing the attributes necessary for a performance career, progressively developing technique and artistry. The program encompasses:

• safe dance practices
• musicality
• creativity
• well-being – both physical and psychological
• nutrition
• strength and conditioning and
• opportunities beyond school, including audition techniques.

Performance opportunities

We offer performance opportunities to our students to help prepare them for real-world performance careers:

• High Performance Season
• eisteddfod groups in commercial, contemporary and lyrical jazz styles
• Open Days, formal functions, and assemblies
• Local community performances, from time to time.

As opportunities arise, excursions are offered to see performances staged by preeminent companies such as with our partner, Sydney Dance Company and Bangarra.

In addition to the technical skills required to be a dancer, students will develop vital and transferrable ‘soft skills’ such as

• punctuality
• discipline
• concentration
• teamwork
• precision, and
• confidence.

Program structure

Years 3 – 6

Up to 6 hours of dance training per week including classical ballet, and contemporary, with an option of jazz dance.

Years 7 – 12

Up to 10 hours of training per week including contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, tap, and classical ballet.

Students may elect to take a different performance option one day per week such as sport, acting or music to balance their week.

Years 11 – 12

HSC Dance is offered as a two-unit subject, separate from the Dance stream. 

Dance students may also choose to participate in our After Hours program, which offers additional training opportunities in all dance genres, as well as performance and eisteddfod work.

Possible career paths

• Professional dancer
• Musical theatre performer
• Choreographer
• Teacher
• Examiner

Some graduates choose to tread a different path by undertaking tertiary study or successful careers in completely different arenas while harnessing the life skills acquired through their performance training.

Get in touch with our Registrar

02 9752 0507 | registrar@mcdonald.nsw.edu.au