By Tasmyn Haynes
DANCE
School spirit was evident at the 2022 Sydney Catholic Schools Dance Competition where fancy-footed students from all conferences competed in a diverse range of dance genres.
With passion, poise, and partnership, the day saw categories composed of tap, hip hop, contemporary, and jazz styles.
The all-boys school, Marcellin College Randwick, made the girls event possible with a revolutionary decision to host the competition for Conference 1 and 3. The routines were saturated with colour and polished technique.
Leader of Sport at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Kensington, Anthony Taylor, remarked that the day was an “opportunity for the dance students to be able to engage their passion within the school context.”
“A lot of students are able to do sport and various other activities, but sometimes there is not a lot of opportunity for the dancers” said Mr Taylor.
Performance smiles were on as the students faced a panel of three adjudicators. One of which was celebrity judge, Jason Duff, who has worked with pop stars such as Kylie Minogue.
“I know that the schools have more talent than the dance schools themselves” Mr Duff noted and in-formed he was on the lookout for “a really hot jazz number.”
“PERFORMANCE SMILES WERE ON AS THE STUDENTS FACED A PANEL OF THREE ADJUDICATORS. ONE OF WHICH WAS CELEBRITY JUDGE, JASON DUFF, WHO HAS WORKED WITH POP STARS SUCH AS KYLIE MINOGUE”.
After having 30 years of experience in the sport and specialising in tap, adjudicator Yvette Maloney was excited to see “lots of energy, good technique, everyone having lots of fun and just entertaining the audience.”
The combined conference competition lent itself towards healthy competitiveness and sportsmanship.
The stars of the show were OLSH College who leapt and bounded to overall winners for Conference 1, and Marist Catholic College Penshurst took out Conference 3. Creativity within the routines was brimming amongst the girls that competed and it is hoped to see the inclusion of male performers in years to come. The stunning production saw SCS make the transformation from school sport to art form.