Bishop Druitt College has a long and well-recognised tradition of providing outstanding teaching and learning in Music, Dance, and Drama, with its Performing Arts Faculty being highly respected and regarded among the performance and school communities of the Coffs Coast.

Dance at BDC has evolved, with a set of new pathways made available for students, including the option to study Dance at HSC level as well as a host of other classroom and Dance Club experiences. 

Congratulations to the first HSC Dance cohort at Bishop Druitt College in 2022. 

Year 12 HSC Dance student Kate Clerkin said. ‘HSC Dance at BDC with my peers and our teacher, Mrs Johnson allowed me to explore the creative process of choreography. Creating my Major Study Composition was a fun and insightful component of the syllabus, which allowed me to express my creativity and ideas through dance as an art form.’ 

Kate also said that she received a greater understanding of the pioneers of dance, which furthered her understanding of how dance was formed and has developed over time. 

‘Learning about the different components of dance has allowed me to expand my knowledge.’ 

Teo Ross is also studying HSC Dance and he said. ‘HSC Dance at BDC gave me an insight into new facets of dance. I have been dancing my whole life, and now after completing my HSC course, I have developed a better understanding of how I am moving my body and what muscles I am using. 

‘I am internally aware of structured body movements and apply these concepts to physical movement. This gives me an insight into everything my body is doing whilst I dance.’ 

Teo also said that coming into HSC dance already being a dancer really broadened his knowledge of dance choreography and dance as an art form. 

HSC Dance student Emily Hodges said. ‘The subject of dance hasn’t just taught me about dance, it has helped me through the facility of the Dance Studio, and learning the correct way of doing things to prevent short-term and long-term injuries. I use these learnings in my dance teaching job outside of school.’ 

‘Not only has it allowed me to highlight something I have worked towards my whole life but it has also given me skills I can put in my career and future.’ 

HSC Dance at BDC is led by Teacher Hannah Johnson who said. ‘I was really proud of how the students approached the exam. HSC Dance challenged their preconceptions of dance. They had to break down and intellectualise their performance and compositional processes. Whilst challenging for students who have been dancing for a long time they rose to the challenge and came out of their exams smiling.’

The BDC HSC Dance exam provides students with the opportunity to undertake a study of Dance as an art form. Students study three interrelated components; Performance, Composition and Appreciation. The students have now completed the practical component of the examination. This involved performing their dance works followed by speaking to the examiners about their processes. 

‘Through the study of dance students are communicating abstract ideas, embodying concepts, and improvising to test ideas and solve problems. These are all high-order skills. After the examination is over, the skills that students learn, through investigating, doing and making dance are absolutely essential skills for whatever pathway students choose to take in life after school.' said Hannah Johnson. 

Hannah also said ‘It is exciting to think of the future of dance at BDC. The HSC Students this year were new to academic dance. With the establishment of our Dance Academy program, new Dance Studio, and curriculum dance from K-12 we are able to start developing these skills from Kindergarten’.

Learn more about Performing Arts at BDC via https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/student-life/beyond-the-classroom

Photo from left: Teo Ross, Hannah Johnson, Kate Clerkin, Emily Hodges.