Year 9 Odyssey Dance Performance

Since the beginning of this Term 2 all Year 9 boys have been asked to step outside their comfort zone and learn to dance. The result of all their practice being on display last Wednesday evening when they performed in front of an 800+ audience of family and friends.

WHY IS DANCING INCLUDED IN THE YEAR 9 ODYSSEY PROGRAM?

The experience of learning to dance offers numerous physical, mental, and social benefits for boys. Physically, dance enhances strength, flexibility, coordination, and overall fitness in a fun and engaging way. Mentally, dance helps develop self-discipline, perseverance, and focus as it requires practice and dedication for boys to learn and perfect the choreography. Socially, boys who dance develop teamwork, communication and collaboration skills, as well as enhanced interpersonal skills through participating in a group performance, hence strengthening the bond with classmates. Additionally, participating in dance can boost confidence and self-esteem, helping boys to feel more comfortable in their own skin and reducing the stigma around male participation in the arts. Dance challenges gender stereotypes and promotes a healthy, inclusive attitude towards diverse interests and activities. Overall, dancing provides a holistic development opportunity, enriching boys' lives in diverse and meaningful ways.

HOW DID THE BOYS FEEL ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE?

“When we were first told about how we were going to learn a dance to perform in front of 800+ people I was a bit nervous thinking about it. When we were rehearsing, I felt like Iwould look dumb on the night if I messed anything up or did anything out of time. When we got to the night the nerves started to kick in a little bit and I was getting more and more aware of what if I did something wrong all eyes would be on me, but I ended up performing everything correct and it was very fun. After the dance challenge I was over the moon with how well I did. I think the dance challenge is a great thing to get boys out of the man box, get them moving and have some fun.”

Zavier McDonald

“The 29th of May was the night of the Dance Challenge, a great experience compared to similar events I participated in when I was younger at different schools with different education systems to Aquinas. When I was first introduced to the Dance Challenge in Term 2, I was unfazed and uninterested in the Dance Challenge because my thinking at the time was once it was done, I would forget about it as I’d move on. During the night of the performance, I felt slightly nervous about performing in front of a crowd that Mr Dempsey said would have 800 screaming people, but the crowd felt smaller to me and that helped me become more confident along with knowing the dance moves to my song. The Dance Challenge was a good opportunity to get noticed and stick out from the crowd, it also provided a great time to get outside of the classroom, although learning about the Man Box was a great life lesson, Dancing taught me a fun way to step further out of the Man Box.”

Owen Spinley

“At the start of term 2, I found out on the first Monday we were going to do a major dance off. When I first heard this, I was not expecting it and it was a surprise to me as I had not done such an event before. We practiced from week one all the way to the performance night. At first, we learnt the song we were going to be dancing to and we were not all good the first time we practiced. We started off small with simple moves and then graduated to the larger steps involved. After practising for a month, we got told we were going to practice in front of other Year 9 Veritas classes. I was feeling mild confident because we had a high numberof practices. The first time we did the dance in font of many, we were all nervous but then after days of tutor practise I eased out of the anxiety and had more fun than quick nervous moves. The final week we were practising we started to really get into it like we were performing on the night and started acing our moves. On the night we were the first ones up, I was a little nervous at first, but I lost that and got hyped up ready to dance. We finished with no people making mistakes and everyone felt relieved and happy that they had achieved something they dreaded in the beginning.”

Zac McGrath

“Before learning to dance I initially felt very hesitant towards dancing. However, I slowly started to ease into it and found it was quite fun. On the night of the performance, backstage Ifelt excited with a touch of nerves, but all the work we put in beforehand was worth it. I had a blast and at the end of the performance I was happy and relieved that we all performed well. Participating in this event put me out of my comfort zone, which built character and never would I had ever thought I was going to do dancing in my schooling years.”

Noah Tomka

“I remember Mr Dempsey telling me I had to dance in front of 800+ people. At first I was flooded with scepticism and a huge range of emotions. The first thought that came to me was dancing, that’s for girls! As we went further down this journey, I realised that you must try it to realise that it isn’t just for girls. On the night of the performance, I was mainly excited, but the nerves were there. Waiting backstage the nerves began to outweigh the excitement but as soon as I stepped on that stage the nerves were gone. For that moment it was only excitement. There were many positives to take away from this but the main one being dancing isn’t as bad as it sounds. The number of weeks leading up to the dance were packed with fun and exciting moments with an awesome group of boys.”

Jed Fitzgerald

“When I first learnt I would be dancing in front of a huge audience for the Dance Challenge, I felt a rush of nerves and excitement. The thought of performing on such a big stage was intimidating, but also thrilling. On the night of the performance, standing backstage with my heart pounding, I felt a mixture of fear and exhilaration. As I stepped into the spotlight, the audience's energy propelled me through every move. When I finished, the applause was overwhelming, and a wave of relief and accomplishment washed over me. Participating in the Dance Challenge boosted my confidence and taught me the value of stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing new experiences.”

Caesar Calcei

“When I was first told we had to do a dance in front of 800 people I was equally nervous and excited. I haven’t done much dancing before so I was worried, I wouldn’t perform well. After we had finished the dance, I felt happy that I had done it and proud of myself to step outside my comfort zone. Something that benefited me from the dance challenge was confidence, I had to overcome the nerves and do something that I wouldn’t normally do. I would share that the dance challenge is a nerve-racking experience that builds your confidence and helps you take a step outside the man box and outside your comfort zone.”

Mack Seton

“When I was introduced to the Year 9 Dance Challenge and told we had to dance in front of a large audience, I was nervous. I had never expected that I would have to dance in front of an audience of more than 800 people, especially in an all-boys school. The idea of a Dance Challenge was also intriguing and exciting. On the night, the Br Paul was filled to the brim with both people and excitement. After performing our dance, I realised that dancing wasn’t something I should’ve been nervous about. The Dance Challenge was a fun experience that allowed all students to have some fun. You don’t have to be super good at sport or get good grades to enjoy the dance, and being able to have some fun with my friends was awesome. A positive I took away from the dance challenge was that sometimes making a big deal out of things can often make things worse. Even though I was very nervous to do the dance, I realised that it wasn’t all that bad. The Year 9 Dance Challenge was a great opportunity to break male stereotypes and have fun with friends.”

Lucas Ho