Four St John's HSC Dance students selected for NSW Dance Callback

HSC Dance students Madeleine Allen, Molly O'Neill, Lily Webster, and Allyx Cornelius have each been selected for the prestigious NSW Dance Callback: a showcase of the top students across the entire state.

The four young women received six showcase nominations between them; Miss Allen and Miss O'Neill each received a nomination, while Miss Allen and Miss Cornelius had two nominations apiece.

Places in the NSW Dance Callback are hard to come by, and most schools might be lucky enough to have one student make the cut.

To have four from a single class selected is an immensely proud moment for dance teacher Savannah Lloyd.

"I'm shocked, but also not surprised because they work so hard and their growth in the last few months has been phenomenal," Ms Lloyd said.

"It's a credit to them because they've worked hard and put to much time in - I'm stoked, and they deserve it."

The young women are part of St John's first ever HSC Dance cohort, and have been guided by Miss Lloyd the entire way through their studies.

At this high level, their dance education goes well beyond a major performance - it also includes choreography and the students' ability to teach others, plus their knowledge of theory components.

The showcase highlights student performances, and also student compositions (works they have choreographed and taught to others).

Miss Cornelius said each of the dancers had put in a massive commitment to their studies to make it this far.

"It was a lot of work [to get here]," she said.

"People usually look at Dance and think it's a bludge subject, but it's very hard, because it is so heavy content wise."

Miss Webster added that they had been constantly improving form and techniques to reach such a high level.

"You have to have constant commitment to it - you can't just work hard one term and then leave everything, you have to be consistent ," she said.

For Miss Allen, making it to the Callback is a testament to resilience; during her studies, she had to bounce back from medical challenges to be fighting fit one again.

"I think a few of us had some issues throughout the years, but it was persistence that got us through," she said.

"It was very hard to get back, but it was good to be challenged like that."

Lily, Allyx, Madeleine and Molly will perform at the NSW Dance Callback in February 2023, at Sydney's Seymour Centre.