Barker College Curriculum Dance Presents
Elective Dance Showcase
An evening that showcases the class work of our Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 Elective Dance students
Rhodes Theatre | 25 June | 6:00pm
Welcome
Dance is a vital part of every known culture throughout time, it is a tool for physical expression, a device to tell a story, express emotionally, solve creative problems and think collaboratively.
Barker’s elective Dance course provides students with the opportunity to study Dance as an artform as well as offer performance experiences such as this evening’s Showcase.
We are delighted with the ever increasing interest in our Curriculum Dance program and the commitment and passion of our dancers to perform. Our brilliant and dedicated staff work tirelessly with our students to ensure the performances are first class.
We give thanks to God to our students’ giftedness and their dedication to our community.
Phillip Heath AM Head of Barker College
Onwards - Program
About Elective Dance at Barker
This elective course provides students with the opportunity to study Dance as an artform. They study three interrelated components; Performance, Composition and Appreciation, and develop an understanding of dance practice in relation to a wider appreciation of dance artists and dance works in various social, cultural, and historical contexts.
In 2025, Barker College marks a significant milestone in the development of its Curriculum Dance program. Now in its fourth year, the program proudly sees its inaugural cohort - who commenced their Dance studies in 2022—undertaking Dance as a contributing subject towards two units of their Higher School Certificate. This achievement reflects the growing academic stature of Curriculum Dance and its integral role in fostering artistic excellence within the College.
This evening showcases the Performances, Compositions, and HSC Major Study Works that students from Year 9 to Year 12 have been working on throughout Semester One. Please enjoy reading each of the concepts below, in these descriptions the choreographers will explain how they portray their original ideas.
Items
Lightning - Year 9 Performance
Claire Yeomans
This dance was part of the Year 9 Performance Dance Assessment Task in Term 1. The students learnt this dance as a solo and were assessed on their dance technique, performance quality, and knowledge of dance specific body skills. This dance takes us through the stages of a storm: calm before the storm, lightning strikes, and emotional despair.
Noughts and Crosses - Year 10 Composition
Janelle Chai, Alex Oakey, and Vivi Sykes
This Composition showcases the concept of the classic noughts and crosses board game. This concept is portrayed through three sections: noughts, battle, and crosses.
The
Echo After the Last Step - Scarlett Jones
HSC Major Study Performance Work
TThis HSC Major Study Performance dance is a nod to the human journey and the ‘cycle of life’. Throughout the work, the shape of a circle is consistently observed to emphasise the cyclical echo as we step into each stage of life. This concept is conveyed through seven sections: birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, ageing, death, and afterlife.
The
Shape of Years - Year 9 Composition
Charli Blundel, Olivia Gidis and Valentina Polistina
This Composition presents the idea of how time sculpts and shapes our minds as we grow old. This concept is unveiled through three sections: wonder, wisdom, and weary.
Stained
Hands, Stained Soul - Year 11 Composition
Alicia Kim
This composition conveys a retelling of the classic Shakespearian play Macbeth Structured in three sections, the dance delves into the whispers of prophecy, then the hunger for power and illusion of the dagger that corrupts the throne. It culminates in the rubbing of hands, a symbolic attempt to cleanse the guilt and blood that can never be washed away.
Crazy - Year 12 Core Performance
Rachael Tait-Owens
This dance is part of the HSC Core Performance component and in examination conditions, is performed solo. The candidates are assessed on their dance technique and performance quality. This dance explores the concept of emotional manipulation and deception through three sections: regret, reflection, and revenge.
The Shadow Beside Me - Year 10 Composition
Chloe Conulty and Neve Parker
This composition explores the theme of living in another’s shadow, conveyed through three distinct sections: the experience of life within the shadow, the struggle to break free, and ultimately, the attainment of freedom.
Carried By Clouds - Year 9 Composition
Sasha Caus, Catriona McDonald, and Ivy Wu
This composition presents the concept of the water cycle, unfolding through four interconnected sections: the dynamic energy of river rapids, the transformation through evaporation, the release of rain, and the return to the river’s flow - completing the cycle.
Built From Nothing, Left With NothingYear 11 Composition
Ruby Williams
This composition explores the transformative journey of a homeless woman, tracing her path from destitution to wealth, and ultimately to emotional isolation. In three sections, she begins by begging for survival, rises to affluence and generosity, and ends in loneliness—now begging not for money, but for connection.
Youth - Year 9 Performance
Rachael Tait-Owens
This dance was part of the Year 9 Performance Dance Assessment Task in Term 1. The students learnt this dance as a solo and were assessed on their dance technique, performance quality, and knowledge of dance specific body skills. This dance explores the themes of youthfulness, taking chances, and living in the moment.
The Scream (1893) - Year 12 Core Composition
Choreographer: Scarlett Jones Assistant Dancer: Janelle Chai
This dance is part of the HSC Core Composition component and is required to be choreographed for an assistant dance to perform. The HSC candidates are assessed on their ability to create original movement with a unique concept. This dance traces the life of Edvard Munch, creator of the iconic 1893 painting The Scream. Presented in three parts, it explores Munch’s early years and his deep passion for art, the emotional and psychological forces behind The Scream, and the eventual decline of his mental health—a powerful meditation on the link between creativity and suffering.
Sky Without Mercy - Abby Moore
HSC Major Study Performance Work
This HSC Major Study Performance dance explores the life of a domesticated woman living on a farm during drought season. This concept is conveyed through three sections showing a woman living a mundane day to day life waiting for the rain to come, a blissful deluge of rain pouring down from the sky, then back to a merciless life of drought and frustration.
Fosse - Featured Year 12 Performance
Caitlin O’Connor
This performance features Year 12 Dancers who were in the inaugural Curriculum Dance class in 2022 and the Co-Curricular Barker Dance Program. We celebrate and thank them for their contributions and passion, inspiring the future of Barker Dance. This routine is inspired by the stylistic characteristics of Bob Fosse’s signature jazz style including curved shoulders, hip rolls, and insistent finger snaps.
Midnight Mindstorm - Year 9 Composition
Tatum Haesloop, Ben Lee and Gemma Woodhouse
This composition explores the concept of insomnia, conveyed through three distinct sections: restlessness, the racing of the mind, and relaxation—surrendering to sleep.
Medusa - Year 11 Composition
Georgie Pallister
This composition presents the concept of the Medusa, a Greek mythological tale of a woman living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her was turned to stone. The work is presented in two sections: her divine beauty and sacred role as priestess, followed by her terrifying transformation.
Pulse of New Life - Year 12 Core Composition
Choreographer: Abby Moore
Assistant Dancer: Neve Parker
This dance is part of the HSC Core Composition component and is required to be choreographed for an assistant dance to perform. The HSC candidates are assessed on their ability to create original movement with a unique concept. This dance explores the process of a heart transplant through three sections: depletion of the coronary arteries and lack of blood flow, finding a matching donor for the heart transplant, and the revival of the heart providing a second chance at life
Growing With Time - Year 9 Composition
Isabel Li and Charli Sheppard
This Composition presents the concept of two friends and their journey as lifelong companions navigating through challenges as they grow up together . This concept is unveiled through three sections: childhood, adulthood, and old age.
Cardio-Neuro - Brodie Haesloop
HSC Major Study Performance Work
This HSC Major Study Performance dance explores the internal functions of the human body. Throughout the work, the fluid movements represent the blood pumping around the chambers of the heart, and the sharp movements are symbolic of the rigid structure of the neurons tracking around the nervous system. This concept is conveyed through two sections: heart (cardio) and neurons (neuro).
Radium Girls - Year 11 Core Performance
Claire Yeomans
This dance was part of the Year 11 Performance Dance Assessment Task in Term 1 where the students were assessed on their dance technique, performance quality, and knowledge of dance specific body skills. The work follows the story of the “Radium Girls” who were a group of women who worked in factories painting luminous watch dials with radium paint in the 1900s. The work is in three sections conveying the narrative of painting dials with radium, the internal decay of the body as a result of the radium poisoning, and the glowing ghost girls.
Eat Your Young - Zara Kellahan
HSC
Major Study Performance Work
This HSC Major Study Performance dance explores the harsh reality of a dystopian existence and the extreme measures taken in moments of despair. It unfolds in three distinct sections: the yearning for a life free from scarcity, the torment of relentless hunger, and the primal instinct to endure— where survival overrides morality and every action carries a cost.
Frida Kahlo - Year 10 Performance
Rachael Tait-Owens
This dance was part of the Year 10 Performance Dance Assessment Task in Term 1. The students learnt this dance as a solo and were assessed on their dance technique, performance quality, and knowledge of dance specific body skills. This dance portrays the life of famous Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, in three sections: pain and portraiture, her vibrant Mexican culture, and illness leading to the end of her life.
Held in the Wanting - Tahlia Crewe
HSC Major Study Performance Work
This HSC Major Study Performance expresses the silent emotional battle of the desire to belong but feeling unable to as a result of social anxiety. It unfolds in three parts: isolation and loneliness, a hesitant attempt to reach out, and the frustration that follows when connection feels out of reach.
A Note from the Teachers
We extend our warmest gratitude to the talented students who have made this performance possible. Working with each of you has been an absolute joy, and we are continually impressed by your dedication, creativity, and passion for dance. Your choreography has brought this showcase to life, and we could not be prouder. Thank you for sharing the gift of your artistry with us and the wider Barker community.
Claire Yeomans and Rachael Tait-Owens