Wow what an amazing start to Term 2. The College Musical, The Little Mermaid, came to fruition in the first fortnight. The cast performed 8 shows over 4 days to sell out audiences and the comments from those who came to see the show were all positive. The students did an amazing job and we are all so proud of every single student involved in the production whether they had a lead role, part of the ensemble, or backstage and sound crew. Thank you to all of the staff who assisted in any way, under the direction of Ms Rachel Caesar (Musical Director). The students are so lucky to have such amazing staff to work with them and the time and effort you gave has certainly been appreciated. Thank you also to the parent helpers who assisted with costumes, make-up and backstage changes. You were invaluable. Finally, a massive thank you to Nanette Backhouse who did the costumes for the show. They were absolutely amazing!!!!!!

Thank you to all of the students who auditioned for Performing Arts Scholarships. These were held in Week 1 and staff on the audition panel were pleasantly surprised by the talent of the students and the improvement overall in the past 12 months. Parents will be notified in the coming weeks of the outcome of these scholarships and we hope that those students who were not successful will re-apply the following year.

In Week 2, the college also held the annual Mother's Day Breakfast in the Branson Centre. Thank you to all of the students who performed at this event. We appreciate you getting up so early and being prepared to perform for the students, mothers, grandmothers and special friends at this event.

As we start a new term, it is also a timely reminder that students who are involved in instrumental tuition, ensembles or academies are to advise staff if they are going to be absent and will miss a rehearsal or lesson. We are moving into a very busy term with Eisteddfod and Foundation Day preparation underway. It is therefore crucial that all students are at all rehearsals. Also, if adequate notice is not provided for instrumental tuition, make-up lessons or credit/refunds may not be provided. This includes if a student is on a school excursion - notice does still need to be provided to the music tutor for absence.

This year, we have the following groups entering the Eisteddfod. We wish them well in their preparations and also the event:

• Kindy Dance Academy
• Junior Primary Dance Academy Year 1
• Junior Primary Dance Academy Year 2
• Primary Dance Academy
• Secondary Dance Academy
• Dance Club
• Indigenous Dance Group
• Primary Drama AcademySuperstrings
• Highly Strung
• Selected students from 7-12 Classroom Music
• Primary Drama Academy

In the Term 1 School Holidays, many of the dance students participated in workshops at Brent Street in Sydney.

Take a look here!

BDC Alumni Teo Ross also returned to Coffs Harbour in the holidays and ran a dance workshop. Many past and present BDC students, as well as Ms Johnson attended. See the video below:

I have been approached by volunteers at the Boambee East Community Centre regarding their annual event, The Winter Solstice on Saturday 22nd June. They are seeking musical items throughout the event, which runs from 2pm - 9pm. If you are interested in performing, please come and see myself in the Music Staffroom for more details. Thank you to those students who have already agreed to perform.

Jersey Boys is the latest Coffs Harbour Musical Society production at the Jetty Theatre. This musical follows the life of Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons. Many BDC staff, students and parents are involved in this production. We wish them well with their shows. Tickets are available via the Jetty Theatre website with shows running until Sunday 2nd June.

Upcoming Dates for your Calendar

This term we would like to welcome Ms Zara Hawkes to the Performing Arts Faculty. Zara is teaching a range of Dance, Drama and Music classes, replacing Ms Rachel Crismale who left at the end of Term 1. She is a familiar face for some students through her capacity as a casual teacher at the college previously and is also an ex BDC student herself. Welcome Zara!

Rebecca Day
Head of Performing Arts