Moreton Bay College’s inaugural Dance Showcase and Performing Arts Awards event recently held in October was an outstanding success. The evening demonstrated the power of the Performing Arts in confronting challenging and current issues, while also displaying the technical and expressive prowess of students training within our curriculum and co-curricular programmes.
Following the online performance in 2020, this year's programme intertwined with the College's 120th celebrations and the Performing Arts Awards, stirring excitement in the community. Students and teachers embarked on delivering two shows in response to the immense popularity of the event, and the shows did not disappoint. Both the afternoon and evening performances were outstanding - testifying to the talent and hard work of the performers and choreographers.
The Dance Showcase featured routines from our Primary, Junior A, Junior B and Senior Dance Troupes. Choreographed by Ms Kate Fitzgerald, Ms Hannah Bliss and Miss Kim Smith, these award-winning co-curricular pieces highlighted the talented dancers in various styles. The audience enjoyed Contemporary, Jazz and Lyrical routines - all of which stunned the audience in their respective ways. The troupes are to be commended for their dedication to producing routines at such a high calibre.
The evening also featured a multi-faceted range of curriculum works. Whole class performances included the Year 9 and 10 Dance classes, who performed an array of works including Fosse-inspired Jazz movements and Hip-Hop respectively. The Senior students in Year 12 presented impressive self-choreographed solos, which expressed different societal issues in emotive forms. The Year 11 students also raised powerful messages through small group routines, and Year 7 and 8 students showcased digital works, including entertaining creations of original Just Dances.
The evening also contained the Performing Arts Awards, where students were recognised for their achievements in their respective Arts fields. The awards celebrated selected students in our Dance Troupes who excelled in the genres of Lyrical, Contemporary and Jazz, while also highlighting the Most Promising and Outstanding Junior and Senior dancers. The Combined Colleges’ musical, The Wiz, recognised a plethora of Award winners who were celebrated for their wonderful achievements in this domain. Long-standing Dance and Drama awards were presented to Year 12 recipients and honoured the College’s alumnae trophy donations.
In alignment with the college's 120th celebrations, the 2021 Dance Showcase and Performing Arts Awards strived to emphasise the motto "History is Her story too". The night was opened by the current Year 12 students, and closed by the MBC Dance alumnae, who presented a sentimental testimony to the history of dance at the college. This beautiful continuation of dance throughout history was showcased in the finale titled These are the Women. The piece illustrated the significance of female role models and represented the women who have shaped MBC Dance and the community in general. The final moments saw all dance students on stage, led by MBC alumnae students from 2004-2020, and finally Trish Clarke-Fookes - the founder of Dance at the College.
This year's showcase was unlike any other and successfully honoured the MBC community of dance and the performing arts, both past and present.
