By Tanya Faulkner
As a big performance looms over the heads of our community’s younger generation, excitement is building amongst several state schools around the City of Knox.
This year’s annual Victoria State School Spectacular (VSSS) is a mere weeks away from opening night at the John Cain arena, as our local schools, teachers and students have all recently participated in their final mass-rehearsals before the big day.
This year’s show is called Happy Travels, following an intrepid group of hapless tourists as they traverse the globe in a cavalcade of circus mayhem.
Many of Knox’s school students will be participating in the Mass Dance performance this year, including Emerald Primary School, Ferntree Gully North Primary School, The Basin Primary School, Upper Ferntree Gully Primary, and Upwey South Primary School, alongside many more schools from around the state.
Upwey South Primary school will also be participating in the Mass Choir for 2023, and the schools have several other students participating in individual or specialty performances, and as part of the backstage crew helping bring the show together.
Earlier this month, these schools completed their final group “hub” rehearsals, with the students fine tuning their steps, entrances and exits, and interacting with the other schools in attendance.
These hub rehearsals are led by world-class choreographers Deon Nuku and Hara Papoulias, who between them have 21 years of choreography experience with VSSS.
The pair, who crafted the routines for this year’s spectacular, said the final pieces have been put into place.
“The students have been absorbing their information so quickly, their brains are like sponges,” said Ms Papoulias.
The pair said, when it comes to creating the routines for the kids, is finding the balance for the different ages, skill sets, and keeping up with what they will enjoy and be passionate about.
“The music is the hardest part, because it has to inspire the students and the choreography.
“We have to make sure the steps aren’t too easy that the students get bored, but not too complex that we lose them, and we try to incorporate social media trends – like different dance moves from TikTok, so the students get excited about the routines,” said Ms Papoulias.
They noted that, since Covid19, the students are much more eager to learn everything involved in the routine before they feel settled, which is quite different from the students’ attitudes before Covid.
Mr Nuku said this year, the students had learned all of their steps by the end of the third hub rehearsals, which had never happened before.
“The kids are absorbing more complicated steps and information than ever before. They’re all very focused learners, and have a much bigger sense of ownership this year,” he said.
Ms Papoulias said anyone watching the show can expect big energy from the students, and a bigger show than ever before.
“These kids become obsessed with themselves on the day, with their makeup and costumes, and seeing all of the seats filled.
“They feel like superstars, and they deserve to,” she said.
From the students perspective, excitement and nervousness was the common trend amongst those at the hub rehearsals in Heathmont earlier this month.
Upwey South Primary School students Fern McCinty and Charlie Rainey said they have been rehearsing for a long time.
“We have been rehearsing since March this year.
“Since the first day I’ve remembered the steps,” Miss McCinty said.
Master Rainey said his family are looking forward to coming and seeing the show, which was both of the students’ first time being part of the mass dance.
The pair said they had been enjoying making friends with some of the kids from other schools at the hub.
The schools’ performing arts teacher, Penelope Lang, echoed what her students said, saying it was one of the best parts of the performance and having the students come together in this way.
“The students make relationships with students in their school, and other schools, they wouldn’t normally make,” she said.
Upwey South Primary School students have their rehearsals twice a week, with several teachers and parents all getting involved in the process to help the students.
“It’s amazing to be part of something bigger than us.
“They get to experience something that doesn’t just ‘happen’. The students have the build up through rehearsals and the preparations before September, when it all comes together,” she said.
All of the schools involved have dedicated time to their rehearsals which, for Emerald Primary School students, included sacrificing lunch breaks to put in the work.
Jacquie Forsythe, a grade 5 and 6 teacher at Emerald Primary School, said all of the dances are loaded onto a Google Drive that the students and teachers use to run rehearsals and learn the steps.
“These kids have much more energy than they have in previous years.
“The students run their own rehearsals now, getting the screens and videos ready for their rehearsals and taking ownership of their learning,” she said.
Ms Forsythe said this years’ grade 6 students in Emerald have been the most driven to learn the steps and succeed, being much more proactive than in previous years.
The students also have the opportunity to perform their dance at school assembly, which drums up more excitement in the junior students who are heading into grade 6 in future years to want to do the show.
Ms Forsythe had previously been a teacher in Pakenham, who also participated in the performances, and said it was her idea to involve Emerald Primary School.
“When I moved to this school, I pitched the idea to the principal, and now this will be our sixth year participating in the mass dance,” she said.
All three of her students had gone through Emerald Primary School, and all participated in the spectacular – simply because they wanted to.
Ms Forsythe said she is excited to take the rest of the schools’ grade 6 teachers to the performance, which they do every year,
This year’s VSSS marks the first year that Ferntree Gully North Primary School will have students participating in the mass dance, not just individual performers.
Ferntree Gully North’s Natalie Blenheim said this has been a long journey for the students.
“We’re not sure what to expect yet.
“Each new rehearsal is like an extra piece to the puzzle, that just gets bigger and bigger with every rehearsal and group hub,” she said.
Ms Blenheim said it’s been amazing how the choreographers can feed the information in smaller pieces to the students, and build on it with each rehearsal until it all comes together.
The 2023 Victorian State School Spectacular shows will be held on Saturday 9 September, at 1pm and 6:4-0pm at John Cain arena, and broadcast on a later date on Channel 7.
Creative Director Neill Gladwin said this year’s show will be nothing short of special.
“The show offers our wonderfully talented students the tremendous opportunity to perform in front of an audience of thousands,” he said.
Tickets to this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular are on sale now at www.ticketek.com.au/spectacular
