Performance Team 2025
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Our performance team are dancers from our recreational classes who attend an extra lesson each week to learn routines specifically for eisteddfods (dance competition). Being a part of the troupe team is fun, rewarding & will advance both dance & performance skills at a much faster rate than if they were attending only recreational classes.
​HOWEVER..being a part of the troupe team involves a lot of hard work & commitment, it is not suited to all dancers. The information below will help you decide if being a part of our 2025 team is the right fit for your family.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​Everybody Dance Now will be entering 6 eisteddfods in 2025. All eisteddfods are privately run, they are not governed by any organisation, so selection is a long, difficult process for teachers as eisteddfods choose their own dates, venue & general rules. The selection needs to be as evenly spread out as possible over the eisteddfod season. And they need to be good eisteddfods ie; organised, run on time, have plenty of studios entered so we are not just dancing against ourselves. We do not select any eisteddfods that run during long weekends or during the middle weekend of school holidays. Due to our location, we are limited to eisteddfods that run in either Wollongong or Ulladulla (there are no eisteddfods held in locations between). No eisteddfods are held South of Ulladulla, & further north of Wollongong is too far. Unfortunately, as Ulladulla is a holiday location, any eisteddfods that come here opt for school holidays & long weekends. We will not be entering any that run on the long weekend, but we are doing a couple that are 1st/last weekend of school holidays. Otherwise, it's Wollongong 6 weekends a year.
To be eligible for a jazz troupe, dancers must attend 1 x weekly jazz lesson plus troupe lesson.
To be eligible for a hip hop troupe, dancers must attend 1 x weekly hip hop lesson plus troupe lesson.​
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If your dancer is in both the hip hop troupe & jazz troupe for their age, it is considered just one class (for purpose of calculating fees). Our 2025 Registration & Fees are already on our website.
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​​​​Each troupe routine your dancer is in will require a separate costume, these can range anywhere from $60-$90 each. I do my best to keep the cost as low as possible. They wear this costume at every eisteddfod plus the concert, so you are getting value for money. ​​​
What is expected of your dancer?
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​Troupe is a full season commitment. There is no dropping out or cutting back your prerequisite classes for the duration of 2025.
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All dancers must be in attendance at every dance lesson - both recreational classes & troupe lesson. Recreational classes are where the skills & techniques are learnt, troupe lesson is where we create the routines. If your dancer will be away for a family holiday throughout the school term, please email us the dates before tryouts. If your dancer will be absent due to school activities, please email us dates as soon as you are aware. If your dancer is tired/injured/under the weather (but not contagious) they are expected to come & watch the lesson. When students return from an absence, it is expected that they have watched & learnt the missed choreography from the practice video.
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When I am aware of planned absences ahead of time, I can better plan my routines choreography & formations.
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Every single lesson is important, whether it is days before an eisteddfod or days after. Even after an eisteddfod, there is much work to be done before the next one:
-analysing the video & discussing what was amazing about it, as well as areas we need to work on for next time.
- practicing the routine to maintain the high standard we have worked hard for (it only takes one week of not rehearsing a dance before it begins to slip from dancers memories)
- continuing to clean & polish parts of the dance
- if the group is achieving this, there is the possibility of them learning a second routine of the same genre to compete with at eisteddfods
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Troupe routines are not one hit wonders. We work all year on the same routines to keep improving them.
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Dancers are expected to put in practice time & effort at home. Troupe routines are learnt at a much faster rate than recreational classes. After dancers are taught choreography at each lesson, they must work on it at home until they are confident enough to perform it without the help of the practice video, Miss Sarah or fellow students. Every week. This is non-negotiable. This is exactly how tryouts will be run - 1st week is learning the choreography, 2nd week is coming back & showing Miss Sarah that you have mastered it. Yes, our lives are busy, they will always be busy, so it is also about developing time management skills & making your commitment a priority by allocating the time at home for revision. As little as 10 minutes a day is all some students will need. This is what it means to be a part of a troupe team.
Please understand that some students already do this in their recreational classes - they return every week having mastered the choreography from the previous week, ready to be taught more. This is the exact type of dancer who would be suited for performance team, someone who is already doing this in their recreational class(es). If your dancer is not a fan of practicing & mastering their steps then performance team is not a suitable choice for them.
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Please also understand that these tryouts are not for me to "see what my dancers can do", I already know their potential. I can tell who practices at home. Tryouts are for the students, to make them aware that performance team is not just something you opt into. It takes hard work & commitment to earn the privilege of representing our studio at eisteddfods.
All troupe lessons as well as Disneyland rehearsal are on Wednesday afternoons. Times cannot be confirmed until after tryouts when we know how many troupe teams will be formed. Dancers must please keep the whole afternoon free for troupes only (please do not book other extracurricular activities) as times will fluctuate throughout the year - lessons could be longer when learning choreography, shorter when in the polishing stage, combined when eisteddfods are finished for the year. This is very important.
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All team members must have an EDN hoodie (original jumper or new jacket) that they will wear with their EDN bike pants & EDN shirt/leotard to every eisteddfod.
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2025 Tryouts
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​Wednesday 4 December, 2024
Junior students choreography 4:30pm - 5:15pm
All parents & students 5:15pm - 5:45pm
Intermediate/Senior students choreography 5:45pm - 6:30pm
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Thursday 12 December, 2024
​Junior students performance 4:30pm - 5:00pm
Intermediate/Senior students performance 5:00pm - 5:30pm
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All students must be in attendance both days to be eligible.
All parents & students must be in attendance Wed 4 Dec from 5:15pm - 5:45pm to be eligible.
All parents are strongly advised to come in & watch Thurs 12 Dec
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After Thursday 12 Dec, all age groups & team members will be decided & 2025 eisteddfods will be entered (some are closing soon)
Please understand this information is not designed to scare you or deter you from being a part of the team - I would love to see every student at tryouts & to experience being a part of this team. I have seen amazing progressing in our 2024 team dancers in just 4 months!
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But It is essential that every student & parent are aware of what is involved before they make the commitment.
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Please follow the link below to register your child for 2025 performance team tryouts: