Schools Registering for Wakakirri Story-dance Festival in Record Numbers

Registrations for Wakakirri 2023 are near capacity as enthusiastic schools shrug off Covid and return to the performing arts. Festival Director Adam Loxley said “It really shows that life is back to normal. Principals are telling us that they see Wakakirri as a great program to help students reconnect after the isolation created by Covid.”

Wakakirri is an award-winning performing arts program and festival that helps schools develop student engagement and well-being. Participating schools each create their own unique ‘Story-Dance’ (a creative combination of dancing and acting) and present in Term 3 at one of over 30 Wakakirri festivals held in live theatres around Australia. Schools unable to attend a live event can send in their performance via video.

Schools’ Story-Dances can be inspired by the Wakakirri ethos ‘great stories inspire change’ and the annual Festival motif. Environmental, social, cultural, health, historical & reconciliation stories are all popular themes. Each year hundreds of schools across Australia create and perform Story-Dances for Wakakirri that reflect students’ thoughts, ideas and aspirations.

Wakakirri has chosen ‘CHANGE’ as its festival motif for 2023. After two years of Covid impact, the world today is still experiencing rapid change and this change has endless possibilities, no matter the outcome. Change can allow us to meet new people, create new experiences, knowledge, achieve great feats and transform lives. The Wakakirri team are excited to see how schools are inspired by CHANGE when creating their story-dances for 2023.

Australia’s Largest Award Winning Performing Arts Event
Wakakirri is Australia's largest Performing Arts event for schools and was awarded the Australian Performing Arts Teachers Association (APATA) 'Excellence in Performing Arts Education' Award in 2021 based on the following outcomes for schools;
• Wakakirri is an inclusive Performing Arts opportunity in which all schools and all students can take part.
• Wakakirri provides an enriching and unique opportunity for all students to develop connection, engagement and well-being.
• Wakakirri allows a creative outlet for both teachers and students that is fun but also supports arts-based learning.
• Participation increases school pride, strengthens student culture and builds community within schools.

Any School in Australia can Participate in Wakakirri
Wakakirri is open to all schools: primary, secondary, government, catholic, independent, community groups (i.e. dance studios), remote, regional and metro. Schools can choose to perform live at one of our many different locations or send in their performance via video.

Schools can participate in Wakakirri in two ways:

Wakakirri In-House Program: Wakakirri can provide your school with programs, resources, workshops, online tutorials and over the phone support to help create your own Story-Dance.

Wakakirri Artist in Residence Program: Wakakirri can provide qualified Performing Arts Facilitators that can come to your school and help create your story-dance performance. Teachers can still be involved in the creative process but without the pressure of doing it all on your own! Wakakirri’s Artist in Residence Programs can be used for both Wakakirri Live or Video events.

If you are a new school the first step to getting involved is to register your interest below and have a chat with the Wakakirri team. Once you have all the correct information and selected your program you can then confirm your registration.

Costs
• Schools performing live cost $35 per student.
• Schools entering via video cost $200 per school.
• Artist in Residence Programs costs range from $815 to $3,850 depending on the school's needs. Contact us for more information.

Contact Wakakirri at 02 9669 3777 or check out www.wakakirri.com