Congratulations and welcome to the 2026 Far South Coast (Merimbula) Primary Dance Ensemble! 🎉
Being selected for the ensemble is a fantastic achievement. With so many talented dancers auditioning this year, our choreographers had some very tough decisions to make. You should be extremely proud of the focus, energy, and enthusiasm you showed during the audition workshop.
This year is going to be an exciting dance adventure! As part of the ensemble, you will have the opportunity to:
Learn exciting new choreography
Work with expert choreographers
Dance alongside talented students from schools across the Far South Coast and Snowy Monaro regions
Build your confidence, teamwork and performance skills
Perform on stage at the Far South Coast Dance Festival and Snowy Monaro Performing Arts Festival ✨
Most importantly, this is a chance to have fun, challenge yourself, make new friends, and share your love of dance with others who are just as passionate as you are.
We can’t wait to see the energy, creativity and teamwork this amazing group of dancers brings to rehearsals and the stage this year.
Get ready for an incredible year of dancing! 💃🕺🌟
Let the dancing begin! 💃✨
To confirm your place in the ensemble, parents/carers must complete the FSC Merimbula PDE Acceptance Form.
Please complete this form by Friday 20 March (Term 1 Week 7) to confirm your position and enable us to correctly order your costume for use as part of the Ensemble.
This form confirms that:
The student accepts their position in the ensemble
Families are aware of the rehearsal and performance commitments
The student can attend all required dates
Relevant student and contact details are provided
As rehearsals are limited and choreography relies on the full ensemble being present, attendance at all rehearsals is expected.
All important information relating to the Ensemble will be shared through this Ensemble Information Site.
Families are encouraged to check this page regularly, as updates, rehearsal details, and important notices will be posted here throughout the year.
In addition, emails may be sent to families prior to rehearsals, performances, or key events to ensure everyone has the latest information.
Please ensure the email address provided on the Ensemble Acceptance Form is checked regularly, as this will be our primary method of contacting families if important updates arise.
Keeping up to date with the information on this site will help ensure rehearsals and performances run smoothly for all students.
Please contact Sue Dawson - Arts Coordination Officer should you have any further questions or concerns:
E: susan.i.dawson@det.nsw.edu.au
P: 0402 992 897
Students selected for the Ensemble are expected to attend all rehearsals and festival performances. As we have a limited number of rehearsal opportunities, full attendance is essential to help the ensemble learn the choreography and work together as a team.
Please ensure these dates are recorded in your family calendar.
📍 Merimbula Public School - 47/55 Main Street Merimbula
🕘 9:30 am – 2:30 pm
📅 Rehearsal dates
Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 March – Term 1 Week 9
Thursday 30 April – Term 2 Week 2
Tuesday 26 May - Term 2 Week 6
Tuesday 4 June - Term 2 Week 7 - Rehearsal in Cooma prior to festival
Students will work with our choreographers during these rehearsals to learn and refine the ensemble choreography.
⭐This ensemble will perform at both the Snowy Monaro Performing Arts Festival and the Far South Coast Dance Festival.
This is an exciting opportunity for students to perform on stage alongside dancers from across the regions. Ensemble members may also perform with their school in a school item at the festivals if applicable.
📍 Location: Monaro High School - Cooma
📅 Performance date - Thursday 4 June - Term 2 Week 7
Evening show - 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Tickets will be available to purchase closer to the festival.
$20 per adult
$12.50 child, concession and seniors.
📍 Location: Yuin Theatre - Bay Pavilions - Batemans Bay
📅 Performance date
Wednesday 24 June - Term 2 Week 10
Evening show A - 5:00 pm to 6:15 pm
Evening show B - 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm
The Ensemble will perform in both shows.
Tickets will be available to purchase from the performance venue closer to the festival.
$20 per adult
$12.50 child, concession and seniors.
The Far South Coast (Merimbula) Primary Dance Ensembles will submit a nomination to perform at the State Dance Festival.
📍 Location: Seymour Centre - Chippendale Street Sydney
14 to 18 September 2026 - Term 3 Week 9
If selected, the ensemble will perform on one night of the festival, representing the incredible talent and dedication of dancers from across Regional and Rural South and West.
📅 State Dance Festival rehearsal dates
If selected, the following additional rehearsals will be scheduled in the lead-up to the festival.
Friday 4 September - Term 3 Week 5 - TBC
The State Dance Festival brings together the best student ensembles from across the state to perform in a professionally produced showcase. This is an extraordinary opportunity for our young regional dancers to:
Perform on a professional stage in front of a state-wide audience
Represent and celebrate regional and rural excellence in dance
Connect with top student performers from across NSW
Be part of a high-calibre festival known for its artistic and technical excellence
Being selected for the State Dance Festival is a remarkable achievement, providing dancers with invaluable experience, confidence, and exposure. The Southern Tablelands Primary Dance Ensemble will be proud to stand alongside some of the best young performers in the state, showcasing the power of regional and rural talent.
Being part of the ensemble is a fantastic opportunity and also a commitment.
We ask all dancers to:
⭐ Attend all rehearsals and performances
⭐ Arrive on time and ready to participate
⭐ Show respect to choreographers, staff, and fellow dancers
⭐ Demonstrate positive teamwork and encouragement
⭐ Represent their school and public education proudly
Our ensemble program is designed to support High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) opportunities in dance, helping students extend their skills and grow as performers.
To help rehearsals run smoothly, please ensure students arrive prepared.
Students should bring:
Wear your school sports uniform to arrive
Bring comfortable dance clothing if you prefer to rehearse (no bare midriffs or large logos)
Water bottle
Lunch and snacks
Hair neatly tied back
Any required medications
Students should also come ready to work hard, try new things, and support their fellow dancers.
The safety and wellbeing of all students is our highest priority, and all ensemble activities operate in accordance with NSW Department of Education duty of care and child protection requirements.
Families are responsible for arranging transport for their child to and from all rehearsals and the festival performances.
Students should arrive on time and ready to participate in rehearsals.
If families wish to organise carpooling with other ensemble families, this can be done privately between families.
Students will be supervised by Department of Education staff and ensemble choreographers at all times during rehearsals and performances.
Supervision begins once students have signed in at the venue and concludes at the official end of the rehearsal or event.
Parents/carers are asked to ensure students are collected promptly at the end of each rehearsal.
A $120 participation fee applies for each student selected for the 2026 Far South Coast Primary Dance Ensemble.
This fee helps cover:
🩰 Specialist choreography and tuition
👕 Ensemble t-shirt
👗 Costume for the festival performance
Families do not pay this fee directly to the ensemble.
Once students have accepted their place:
An invoice will be issued by your child’s school.
Payment is then made to your school, following your school’s normal payment process.
Please wait until your school issues the invoice before making payment.
Payments due to Friday 8 May 2026 (Term 2 Week 3)
Costumes for the Ensemble will be provided as part of the ensemble participation fee.
Costume Care
When costumes are distributed, families will receive specific care instructions. We kindly ask that these instructions are followed carefully.
Some costumes should not be washed at home, as they require special laundering or handling to ensure they remain in good condition for future use. In these cases, costumes will be collected and cleaned centrally before being used by the next group of students.
Costume Return
At the end of the festival season, all costumes must be returned to the ensemble coordinators.
Many of our previous ensemble costumes are reused by schools for future performances and festivals, helping to support school dance groups and keep costs down for families. While we know some students love to keep their costumes as a special memory, we kindly ask that all costumes be returned so they can continue to be enjoyed by other students in future years.
This year, the ensemble will be dancing in bare feet.
However, some students may prefer to wear foot thongs (also sometimes called foot undies). These are small pieces of dance footwear that sit around the toes and ball of the foot and provide a little extra grip and protection while still giving the appearance of dancing barefoot.
Foot thongs are optional and can be purchased from most dancewear stores or online platforms if students would like to use them.
If you choose to purchase them, good luck with keeping track of them - they’re small and easy to misplace! 😉
Here are some examples for your reference:
No third-party attributions.
Far South Coast Primary Dance Ensembles
artsunit.nsw.edu.au/local-arts-program/far-south-coast-primary-dance-ensemble
Far South Coast Dance Festival
artsunit.nsw.edu.au/local-arts-programs/far-south-coast-dance-festival
The Arts Unit
artsunit.nsw.edu.au