It’s a super exciting time of year in our adult dance community… that’s right, it’s Performance Course time!

Some of you who have performed before know the drill, but we’ve got lots of new members to our awesome Adult Dance Community.

So here’s how it works! 

Inner West Adult Dance Performance Courses

After Session 6, we break for 2 weeks, and in early October, we kick off Session 7 – our 9 week Performance Courses. Over the 9 weeks, we learn a routine to perform on stage at our end of year showcase. I’ll give a little more info on the show in just a moment. 

Not all classes have performance courses, so keep an eye on your emails and our Facebook group to find out which classes and styles are on offer this year. As a guide, we usually have:

Performance Course classes run a little differently.

With a clear end goal (and deadline!) in sight, each class will spend more time working on a dance, and less time doing technique. There’ll be a little more expectation to remember choreography from week-to-week based on the level you’re in. But don’t stress – we’ll also spend plenty of time in class revising. And we’ll post videos in the group so you can practice too.

About the show

When: second Saturday of December every year

Where: Albert Palais, in Leichhardt

What time: Evening show (usually around 6:30pm)

Adult dancers perform in our 3rd show which only features Dance Domain adult and high school students. It will be about 60 minutes long – short, sharp and super fun!

You’ll be required to attend a tech rehearsal at the theatre on the day of the show, somewhere between 5pm-6pm. This gives you a chance to go over the dance on stage, figure out where you’re standing in relation to the new space, and get a feel for the stage. 

At DD, we know life is busy, and our schedules are set, so there are no annoying extra rehearsals other than the tech run on the day. So if you can make your usual class time, and the show day from 5pm or 5:30pm, then you’re set to go! 

What’s the show like?

The show itself is super fun, laid back and just a total vibe. As you can probably gauge, we’re not your typical dance studio, and we like to do things differently. We love a fast-paced, vibrant show. There’s no yawning your way through a 3 hour show here – even I can’t handle that! At DD, we also love a rowdy audience with plenty of encouragement and cheering – and that’s just what you’ll get! 

Your family and friends can buy tickets to the show and cheer you on too – or you can totally do it on the sly without anyone knowing, if that’s more your style. Strangely enough, even though I love performing dance, I love keeping my other activities to myself. So whatever works for you, works for us. 

If you do want to invite your loved ones along, we’ll share the ticketing link with you all in November.

For some of you, it may be your first time dancing on stage, for others it maybe be 10, 20 or even 30 years since you last performed. Regardless, it’s all about fun, community, and having a good old time. And we’d so love to share that with you! 

Some of you may be thinking ahead already and might be wondering:

“Wait, is my teacher dancing with me on stage or are we on our own!?”

Well, we figure this out on a class-by-class basis.

As teachers, nothing brings us more joy than watching you all thrive on stage. But we know sometimes having your teacher with you on stage can provide a lot of comfort and security. Your teacher will discuss this with you and you can come to an agreement in class – sometimes this is decided around week 6 of the course. 

Now… about costumes

The costume is included in the performance course cost. Sometimes it’s fully provided, but, depending on the dance style, sometimes you may provide your own pieces. E.g. we might provide the jacket and you provide black bottoms you’d like to wear.

I’m going to be straight up.

If you’ve danced in the past, you may have had some unpleasant experiences with dance costuming.

Unlike many other studios, at Dance Domain costuming is an open process. We’ll never make you wear something you’re not comfortable in. I’m chief of costumes here at DD and we’ll approach your class for ideas and with some suggestions. Prefer sleeves or a particular length? No problem. Have a sensory preference and can’t do a particular fabric? Don’t worry, we got you.

Dancing on stage should be an incredible experience, and it’s hard to feel incredible when you’re not feeling comfortable. Because of this, we try our very best to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Look, you may not end up with your fav colour, but we do our best! If you have any concerns you can reach out in private or just yell on out during class.

Although if you’re anything like my Level 2 tappers, you’re already making requests! 😂

Sound good? Here’s how you can get involved in a performance course at Dance Domain.

Register for Adult Dance Performance Courses in 2023

We’re taking registrations for our Adult Dance Performance Courses on a rolling basis. Make sure you’re in our Facebook Group because we’ll be posting registrations there first!

1. We’ll open registrations for the 9 week course to existing students first. But just for one week, so don’t delay! 

2. Then we’ll open up performance courses to everyone else for another 1-2 weeks… again, first come, first serve.

3. After that, if there are any spots left, we’ll open 5 week courses. In week 5, if you’d like to extend to the full performance course we can transfer you over. This is a great option if you’re on the fence about performing but still want to dance.

It isn’t just about being on stage…

I want to share a little memory…

It was during our 2020 show. There was a moment when I wasn’t running like a nutcase down 3 flights of stairs backstage at Max Watts. If I had an Apple watch back then I would’ve smashed my step count! In that moment, I saw all our awesome adult dancers getting ready.

Doing each others’ hair.

Helping each other with costumes and make up.

Stretching, practicing…

…and to be quite honest, bouncing off the walls with pre-performance energy that rivalled the high schoolers!

It was honestly the most incredible thing to witness, and it’s why we do what we do.

For me (and I think many other dancers would agree), the strongest memories of dance aren’t about what happens on stage. It’s about what happens on show day.

It’s a vibe like nothing else. It brings an energy, a strength, a connection to your peers, a vulnerability, and a post-performance high that you cannot replicate. And witnessing those feelings coursing through our adult dance community just gave me absolute bloody joy.

I hope you’ll join us at this year’s show and experience it for yourself!

Want to know what it’s like participating in an adult dance performance course? Head to our Facebook group to join the conversation.

Click here to find out more about our regular weekly classes