Creating your item
Creating your item
Embedded Files
Item length
Item length
Schools need to adhere to the following guidelines regarding item length:
Primary item: 3 to 5 minutes
Secondary item: 4 to 7 minutes
Items may have no less than 8 students and no more than 30 students
Students may perform in only one item at the festival. An exception is made for those students who have auditioned to be part of the Southern Stars Performing Company and high school tap, ballet and/or hip hop specialist ensembles.
Teachers may be asked to shorten or modify their item if the committee feels it lacks variety and development.
Choreographers
Choreographers
Choreographers should be a teacher or other staff member (with Principal approval) at the school involved. However students may assist with choreography but will not be recognised in the program as a choreographer. The hiring of outside dance techers or university students to prepare items is discouraged as it is considered to be counter-productive to developing teacher expertise. Choreographers need to be acknowledged on Form 1.
Safe dance guidelines
Safe dance guidelines
Students must always warm up and cool down before and after they perform. Complete a cardiovascular warm up first before attempting to stretch. This makes the muscles more pliable before flexibility work and before being ready to dance. Warm up all major joint areas and muscle groups.
Students must dance within their own capabilities. Do not execute movement that extends past a student's range of flexibility, strength, endurance or training.
Always dance with awareness of alignment, i.e. knees over toes. Students should use their centre at all times. This means pressing the stomach back to the spine and flattening out the stomach.
The following can be considered to be unsafe, depending on the student's training and you may be asked by the Committee to omit them from your item:
splits
back bends without support
acrobatic tricks or movements e.g. flips, forwards or backwards rolls, walkovers or baranis
heavy landings from jumping or into the floor
rolling up onto the neck / backward ot full neck rolls
break dancing movements such as the worm and head spins
knee slides or drops
Composition and choreography
Composition and choreography
Successful items are those that contain a strong theme, appropriate music choices and movements that are age and ability appropriate for your students.
Refer to the K-6 and 7-12 Dance Syllabus for guidance in the elements of composition. When composing your work, consider the following to vary and contrast the movement:
have different groups of students performing simple varied movements simultaneously
unison choreography should form only part of your dance
solo and duo choreography should be limited
contrasting locomotor (travelling) movement and non-locomotor (non travelling) movement
work on a variety of levels - standing, kneeling, on the floor and jumping
development a movement phrase or motif, which can be repeated throughout your dance
move in lines, circles, triangles, square, diagonals and staggered lines
perform the same movement in different directions
use entries and exits where the dancers are not on the stage throughout the whole item
Style of dance
Style of dance
Schools may explore any style of dance they prefer. We encourage the inclusion of students with a disability and will work in partnership with the school to ensure any adjustments or provisions required are met.
Mentor choreographer
Mentor choreographer
Schools requiring assistance with choreography should contact Festival Coordinator Louise Morgan via email at louise.morgan3@det.nsw.edu.au to have a mentor choreographer assigned to the school to assist.
South Coast Dance Festival:
South Coast Dance Festival:
Choreographer's workshop
Choreographer's workshop
Forming an item - presented by Louise Morgan
Music submission
Music submission
Your music must be submitted into the shared Google Drive by Wednesday 6 May 2026 (Term 2 Week 3).
Drag and drop a copy of your music out of the playlist and into the relevant folder titled 'final music file'
Your music must be saved as "school name - group/company - item name" eg. sample Country PS year 3 - Convergence
Your music must be saved as an mp3 or wav file
Each item is required to be uploaded as a separate file
Playoffs are not permitted on your soundtrack
Please ensure your music is is appropriate for students age and abilities and free of inappropriate language.
Copyright
Copyright
Each school must ensure the correct policies are followed for copyright clearance of all music and/or sound effects used in their soundtrack. To assist you in understanding and meeting copyright requirements, refer to:
NSW Department of Education: Legal Services - Copyright
Please also note that in Form 4 - Item blurb & music information you will be required to provide the details (title, artist, composer, publisher and recorder company) of each music track and sound effect used.
The performance space
The performance space
The IMB Theatre Stage is an 11 metre x 10 metre space. Mark our a similar space in your school as a practice area. There are four legs (wing entrances) on each side. Include these in your rehearsal space to assist students practising their entrances and exists. The wings will be marked 1-4 from front to back on the IMB Theatre stage.
Ensure that students are aware that there is a set of lights on the floor at the very back of the stage and the footlights on the floor at the front of the stage.
Please note - there are no crossovers backstage. Dancers must enter and exit the stage from the wings during the item. Students are not permitted to use the corridor at the back of the stage or go behind the rear curtain during the item.
Props
Props
All props must be able to be lifted by one person. The stage crew has only a few seconds and limited personnel to set the stage between items. Your prop should be able to be moved on and off the stage easily by one person in 5 seconds. All props must be labelled with your school name, item name and contact teacher.
There is a Work Safe limit of 20kg on all props and a height restriction of 2 metres. Please ensure your props comply with this, otherwise they will not be able to be used at the festival. Some large props can be 'flown in' on the lines above the stage. Please check with the committee prior to construction or rehearsals about the feasibility of this.
Please email the Stage Manager - Louise Morgan at louise.morgan3@det.nsw.edu.au to discuss your requirements.
Technical and lighting requirements
Technical and lighting requirements
Consider the following information before submitting your technical and lighting requirements.
carefully considered use of lighting can greatly enhance your item
the predominant colour of your costumes
the mood that you wish to create
colours and shapes can be project onto the white screen (cyclorama) at the back of the stage OR you can choose to use the back tabs, which give depth to the stage
keep lighting cues to a minimum
if you are unsure of what you want, feel free to ask the lighting director during your rehearsal
Click here to download the lighting design ideas template
Costume design
Costume design
Costume design information must be provided in Form 5- Costumes, lighting & props and the Google Shared Drive by Wednesday 29 April 2026 (Term 2 Week 2).
Costumes need not be elaborate or expensive to be eye-catching. Costumes should support your item concept and compliment the movement intention. Any costume design should be appropriate to the performer's age, gender and a range of body shapes, and free of advertising logos. The dignity of students should be respected at all times.
Any questions regarding costuming should be directed to the costume advisor.
South Coast Dance Festival
https://artsunit.nsw.edu.au/local-arts-programs/south-coast-dance-festival
Third party content attributions
Third party content attributions
Image 1 - RG Photography
Image 2 - The Illawarra Mercury
Image 3, 4, 5 and 6 - RG Photography
© State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2025The copyright material published on this website is subject to the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), and is owned by the NSW Department of Education or, where indicated, by a party other than the NSW Department of Education.
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