Extravadancer C elebrating a C entenar y of Dance
It has been three years since Merici College’s inaugural ‘Extravadancer’ performance and 2013 provided students and Dance teachers with an ideal opportunity to produce the sequel. The College dance production reflected the theme of Canberra celebrating its Centenary. The Dance teachers started to explore the possibilities of ‘A Centenary of Dance’ and decided to portray this through the many film musicals that have appeared over the decades. Film musicals and styles and genres have changed and developed, from the decadence of the Twenties, to the glamour and escapism provided during the war years, the free spirited Sixties and the energy of the modern era. This theme allowed the Dance teachers to educate the students about the history of dance in film and provided them with the opportunity to explore a diverse range of music and dance styles to represent each decade and every style of dance. This was an ambitious challenge and we were not able to include every style in a two hour show, so ‘Extravadancer’ was a tribute to the many film musicals that have inspired us over the years. This production was largely led by the students of Merici College. They were responsible for much of the choreography, costume and music choices which provided them with valuable opportunities to develop their leadership and creative skills. They worked enthusiastically for over four months to prepare for their performances. The production featured over 80 students from Years 7-12 and included dance styles such as Musical Theatre, Contemporary, Classical Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Irish and much more! This production was open to any student from any year group regardless of whether they study Dance as a subject at Merici College.
We would like to thank all our students for participating in the production and for their dedication, commitment and passion for dance.
Hannah Carey, Liza Laird, Laura Pearce, Extravadancer Directors Merici College, Braddon ACT