Synergy Dance Festival

Applications for the 2026 Festival are open now!

APPLICATION FORM

Tickets can be purchased online closer to the festival date.

Teacher information

Audition process

The audition panel will consist of primary and secondary teachers who are members of the Synergy Public Schools Dance Festival Committee.

Items will be selected for the Festival based on quality and style of dance to ensure variety in the program. Unsafe dance practices will not be accepted, but choreographers will be given the opportunity to change any minor movements causing concern if the item scores highly in other areas.

Synergy Walkthrough 1.mp4

Welcome

Arts education is an important platform for students to thrive, express, create, collaborate, learn and excel.

It is with great excitement that we look forward to welcoming your dancers to the Synergy Public Schools Dance Festival 2026.

This Google site is a one-stop space for all information, details and expectations for the festival.

The Synergy Public Schools Dance Festival is an event for public schools across Western Sydney and beyond. The festival promotes dance education by engaging students by offering a performance opportunity to schools in a professional setting. Showcasing students from Kindergarten to Year 12, each performance will display the passion, skills and creativity of students and teachers as they explore the art of dance.

The Festival aims to:

encourage the development and teaching of dance programs at a school level
provide an opportunity for the school and broader community to recognise

dance as an art form

provide an opportunity for students and teachers to work towards a quality performance in a professional venue
presenting an original, entertaining and professional event, providing a positive and memorable experience for teachers and students.

We can't wait to see your students strutting their stuff on the stage!

Festival Guidelines

acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:978315fb-b623-3cf2-a2ce-56d39629a240

Enquiries

Should teachers have any further questions or concerns please contact:
NOTE: Parents/Families must contact your child's school if you have any questions/concerns.

Jai Vella - Festival Executive Committee
E: jai.vella@det.nsw.edu.au
Hailey Brokman- Festival Executive Committee
E: hailey.brokman@det.nsw.edu.au
Claire Leihn - Treasurer E: claire.leihn@det.nsw.edu.au P: 0437275034

Lily Ferres - Arts Coordination Officer
E: lily.ferres@det.nsw.edu.au
P: 0460 924 458

Photo credit:Neaton Photography

Important information

Number of items

Each school may nominate a maximum of 4 items for the festival. We will endeavour to place all items in the festival.

On the “participating student form” the names of the students who will be performing more than once MUST be highlighted.

Regional Ensembles and Cross-Campus groups will be exempt from this guideline as this allows students to also perform with their school groups.

Number of students

Each item should have a minimum of 6 dancers and a maximum of 30 dancers. Exception will be made for small schools and SSP schools where numbers may need to be adapted to suit the needs and/or number of their students.

Style of dance

Schools may explore any style of dance they prefer.

We encourage the inclusion of students with a disability and will work with the school to ensure any modifications or special provisions required are met.

Indigenous dance groups, multicultural dance groups, boys dance groups are actively encouraged to participate.

Schools requiring assistance with choreography should contact the festival executive committee to have a mentor choreographer assigned to the school to assist with preparations.

Length of items

Primary - maximum of 3 minutes
Secondary - maximum of 5 minutes.

Synergy Committee:

Executive Committee – Hailey Brokman, Jai Lee Vella, Kate Byrnes, Bec Harvey-Phillips & Claire Leihn

Treasurer – Claire Leihn

Audition Coordinator - Elise Fletcher

Audition Panel (HS) – Melanie Taylor, Kate Byrnes

Audition Panel (PS) – Sandra Russell, Bec Harvey-Phillips

Apparel Organiser– Monica Corso, Sophia Corso

Music Coordinator – Elise Fletcher

Script / Compere Coordinator – Katie Dynhoven & Monica Corso

Program Coordinator - Bec Harvey- Phillips & Sandra Russel

Photography & Videography Coordinator – Andra Adams

Ticket Coordinator – Sophia Carol

VET Organisation- Terri Lennard

Ensemble Co-ordinator- Kate Byrnes & Keira Borg

General Committee: Ebony Furneyvall, Corrine Harvey-Phillips, Heather Vassilidis, Gonal Kamas, Sharon Wilson, Chris Taylor, Rachel Durkin, Keira Borg & Rachel Berg

Teacher Checklist

Successful Form

Photo Schedule

Upstairs Rehearsal Schedule

Stage Rehearsal

Performance Schedule

Dressing Room Allocations

Synergy Merchandise Form

Duty Of Care Form

Evan Theatre Risk Assessment

Synergy Risk Assessment

Publicity Form To Keep At School

School Matinee Tickets

Principal & Executive Tickets

VET Application Form

Compere Application Form

Compere Application

The Synergy Dance Festival is looking for confident and enthusiastic public speaking students from Years 4 to 12 to act as comperes for one of the shows at the festival.

Students taking up a position as compere should not be a dancer in the festival and must have publicity consent. If selected, student comperes will be allocated to the same show as their school performance/s. Comperes' will be required to attend the festival during the day to rehearse prior to the evening show.

Comperes will be required to wear their school uniform for the show.

Schools may nominate a maximum of 2 students for the compere role, please complete the following form for compere auditions:

Compere Application Coming Soon.

VET Entertainment Application

An opportunity is available for selected students in Years 11 and 12 studying VET Entertainment to complete a work placement as a crew member of the production team for the Festival.

VET Crew would be required to attend all shows 16-20 June 2025 from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm and will work in roles such as assistant stage manager, film crew, backstage crew, sound and lighting. This opportunity will provide up to 60 hours of industry work placement for the VET Entertainment course.

VET Application Coming Soon. For more information email terri.lennard@det.nsw.edu.au if you have students you wish to nominate for a work placement.

Synergy Committee

Synergy Dance Festival is always looking for members to join the committee. If you are interested in joining us please contact jai.vella@det.nsw.edu.au

Festival information

Festival dates

15th-19th June 2026

There will be 2 shows each evening:

Evening show A: 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Evening show B: 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Matinee Shows Friday 21 June 2024

show A 11am and show B 1:00pm

Venue

The Evan Theatre - Penrith Panthers
Mulgoa Road Penrith

Ticketing

Tickets can be purchased online from Penrith Panthers

There may be a service charge from Ticketek if purchased online

Schools can attend the Matinee shows for no cost - matinee ticket application

Cost

There is no cost for schools to participate in the festival. Festival costs will be covered by ticket sales and local arts funding.

Schools are responsible for costs associated with costumes, teacher relief and transport to the festival.

Matinee Tickets

If you would like to attend the matinee performance on Friday at 11am and/or 1pm. We will provide free tickets and some funds towards a bus for each school that applies for tickets.

Please be aware tickets are limited and once full no more will be allocated. Any questions please email sophia.carol@det.nsw.edu.au

Schedule

Following the closing of nominations, schools will be notified of their performance day and technical rehearsal time slot.

The performance schedule for the shows will be made available to schools.

Schedule of day

Technical rehearsals will take place during the day of your allocated performance.

Rehearsals: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Evening show A: 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm
Evening show B: 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Schools are encouraged to watch some or all of the other technical rehearsals on the day.

Staffing

Students will, at all times, be under the duty of care of their teacher/s throughout the festival. Principals must sign off on all staff, aides and parent volunteers attending the festival to ensure they meet Department guidelines for WWCC and mandatory training.

Photography and video

Photography and video by the viewing public are strictly prohibited due to child protection and copyright regulations. Please remind your parents of this requirement.

Teachers may take photography or video of their item/s only during rehearsals. Photos or filming of groups backstage by teachers is permitted, but please be mindful of other schools within the area and limit filming to your school only unless permission is sought from the other school’s teacher. Students are not permitted to film or photograph within the auditorium or dressing rooms.

Video

All shows will be filmed. This video will be available for sale at the festival and all teachers will be given ordering information via a QR code to share with their school community. Each school will get a copy of their performance only. This will be sent to the coordinating teacher following the festival. This can be used at a school level at the principal's discretion. This video cannot be sold to parents.

Photography

A professional photographer will photograph all groups and individuals on the rehearsal days. All images will be available for viewing and purchase following the show. The link and password to these images will be supplied via QR code during the festival.

Schools that have students who do not have permission to publish have the following options for photography:

Not be photographed at all. The school will be responsible for advising their parent body of their decision not to have their item photographed prior to the show.
Photographed. Photos from this item will be sent to the school principal and coordinating teacher to check, and only photos selected by the principal will be made available for purchasing. These images would be password protected for specific school .viewing only. This option allows families to still have the opportunity to purchase images.

If your school has indicated that you have students who do not have permission to publish please advise your preferred option by emailing claire.leihn@det.nsw.edu.au

Social Media

Please refer to the Department’s Social Media Policy before posting to your school's social media platforms. Please tag #SDF2026 and #Theartsunit when posting.

Publicity consent

All students are required to have a completed the Student Publicity Consent Form. This form is to be collected and held by the coordinating teacher at the school.

Items with a student without consent will still be filmed and photographed by the festival. It will be at the discretion of the school principal how this is used.

Costumes and props

Costumes

Costumes need not be elaborate or expensive to be eye-catching. Costumes should support your item concept and complement the movement intention.

Rehearse in costumes prior to the festival to ensure fit and comfort issues for the students have been addressed.
Costumes should be appropriate to the performer’s age, gender and a range of body shapes. The dignity of students should be respected at all times.
Undergarments should not be seen when dancers are performing in costume.
Midriff, cut-away tops, plunging necklines and high-cut leotards are not acceptable.
Tights/stockings are required for leotard leglines.
Changing costumes on stage is not permitted.
Good grooming is an essential part of an onstage presentation. Hair should be well-groomed and pulled back from faces
The use of aerosol hairspray is not permitted in the building.
Non compliance may result in removal from the festival. The final descision is at the discretion of the Synergy Committee.

Props

If using props, they should appear as an integral part of the item, complementing, not dominating it.

Please consider:

there is a Work Safe limit of 25 kgs on all props
they should be able to be safely carried by one student
free-standing props must be secure and weighted at the bottom if necessary
props on wheels must have safety locks
coordinating teachers and choreographers will be directed by the stage management team on the safest most logical way that props are set and removed from the stage
keep in mind there is limited time to set up props and often limited light.

Please note: Items who fail to follow these guidelines at dress rehearsal will be asked to source appropriate costume to perform at the festival.

Staging and lighting

Staging

The stage space is approximately 11 m wide x 10 m deep
The stage is a traditional proscenium-style setup.
Entrance to the stage is from stage left only. Dancers entering from stage right must cross the stage in the blackout.
Due to limited wing space, crossovers behind or under the stage during the dance are not permitted. The wings are also very narrow at the front of the stage, so entrances are better from the second and third wings. There is no back wing on the OP side (stage right) due to the stage lift.
Movement that travels backwards can be potentially dangerous for young and inexperienced dancers. The coordinating teacher and choreographer are responsible for ensuring that dancers are aware of stage dimensions and how to orient themselves in the space.

Stage diagram

Lighting

Schools will be supported during their rehearsal by the Evan Theatre technician to design a lighting plan for your item/s.

Lighting background

Think about which background you would prefer to use throughout your item. The choice will depend on the mood and atmosphere you wish to achieve.

You will have 3 options for a background for your performance:

Black curtain - this helps to create vivid lighting effects, or a darker, more concentrated atmosphere.
Black Star Curtain - this creates a soft mood, with twinkly lights on the curtain.
White cyc

Please note: you cannot change between the white cyc and the black curtain throughout your performance.

Music guidelines

Selecting your music and music reproduction

The music you choose drives the theme and provides inspiration for your movement. Try to be original and creative when choosing your music.
Music and lyrics help communicate the intent of an item, your music choice should be appropriate and support the intent/theme of your work.
Music must be legally purchased on behalf of the school with your principal’s acknowledgment of the purchase.
Please ensure each track of music selected is appropriate to the age and abilities of your students.
Music should be selected and screened carefully with the school principal endorsing both song choice and song lyrics.
Songs with inappropriate lyrics or intent will not be accepted.
When selecting your music or creating your soundtrack from multiple songs, try to avoid variation in sound levels or any audible clicks or pops on your soundtrack.
Ensure your music stays within the time allocations
It is recommended that you bring a backup thumb drive to the rehearsal and performances.

Soundtrack

Your final soundtrack will be required to be uploaded to the successful form.

Please submit a separate music file for each item.

Copyright

The Synergy Public Schools Dance Festival adheres to all copyright laws.
Schools should choose commercially available sound recordings. Once the sound recording has been purchased, the school is not automatically covered for copyright under the educational copyright agreement.
Choreography must be original work created in accordance with choreography and copyright laws.
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:

Please also note that in your application form you will be required to provide the details (title, artist, composer, publisher/record company) of each music track and sound effect used.

Composition and choreography

Successful items are those items that contain a strong theme, appropriate music choice and movements and are age and ability appropriate for your students.

When creating your work, it is important to identify the intended concept / intent or theme. Spend time reflecting on what you are trying to communicate to the audience and how you are going to communicate it – through movement, music, costuming, props, staging and lighting.

All items must be appropriate for young audience members to view.

Sensitivity should be displayed in the treatment of themes such as romantic relationships, depression, suicide, racism, sexism, drug and alcohol abuse etc. If these themes are explored by senior students, they should be treated in an abstract context rather than representational. These themes are not suitable for primary or junior secondary students.

Performances that have disturbing, violent or culturally inappropriate content or costuming may possibly be removed from the festival.

All performances must be viewed in full by the school principal prior to the festival and have their endorsement of the content.

Criteria for Success

Questions to explore throughout the choreographic process:

What is the dance about?
What is the concept/intent, theme or narrative being developed?
How do you intend to develop your idea?
Does the movement support the concept/intent, theme or narrative?
How do you intend to develop the relationship between dancers/characters?
How will you explore the elements of dance? e.g. shapes, space and formations?
How will you create variations or dynamic contrasts? e.g. variations in time - frantic rush to a moment of stillness
Does the movement help to convey the intent of the piece?
Does music choice and costuming enhance the concept/intent, theme or narrative?
What atmosphere and ‘feeling’ do you want to create?
Is the concept/intent, theme or narrative clear to the audience from beginning to end?

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
contrast locomotor (travelling) movement and non-locomotor (non-travelling)movement
work on a variety of levels – standing, kneeling, on the floor, jumping
develop a movement phrase, which can be repeated throughout your dance
move in lines, circles, triangles, squares, 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.

Refer to the Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus, Dance 7-10 Syllabus and Dance Stage 6 Syllabus for guidance in the elements of composition relevant for your students.

Item description

On the SDF 2026 - Item information form you will be required to provide a description (no more than 3 sentences) about your item for the comperes to read in the blackout while the stage is being set for your item. For example: “The sea is a mysterious and ever-changing part of our world. On the floor of the ocean crabs, fish, lobsters and mermaids live in harmony. Join the students from XXX Public School as they take you to the wonderful world “Under the Sea”.

Safe dance guidelines

Students should always warm up and cool down before and after they perform. Do a cardiovascular warm-up first before attempting to stretch. This makes the muscles more pliable before flexibility work and before being ready to dance. Be sure to warm up all major joint areas and muscle groups.
Students must dance within their own capabilities. Do not execute movements that extend 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:
- splits
- full neck roll
- sustained forward flexion or back arches without support
- gymnastic tricks/movements - for example: flips, forward/backward rolls, walkovers
- heavy landings from jumps or into the floor
- rolling up onto the neck/backward or full neck rolls
- break dancing movements such as the ‘worm’ and head spins
- falling/landing on knees rather than lowering down to the floor
- unstable or under-rehearsed lifts or weight-bearing movements
- quick and repetitive plies.

COVID-19

The SWDF is committed to offering a COVID safe event in 2026.

The festival committee works in conjunction with the Department of Education and supported by The Arts Unit to ensure that the operation of this program is contingent on the COVID-19 advice provided by the department in consultation with NSW Health.

Additional resources

You might like to explore the following 2 Creative Teacher resources developed by The Arts Unit to assist in your preparations for the festival.

Starting a primary dance group

The choreographic journey

Third-party content attributions

Synergy Dance Festival 2022/23 images, photography by Neaton Photography

NSW Department of Education

Synergy Dance Festival

https://artsunit.nsw.edu.au/local-arts-programs/synergy-dance-festival

The Arts Unit
artsunit.nsw.edu.au

theartsunit@det.nsw.edu.au

Produced by The Arts Unit © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2024.The 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.

[WARNING]Some of this material may have been copied [and communicated to you] in accordance with the statutory licence in section 113P of the Copyright Act. Any further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act.

Page updated

Report abuse