St John's school to perform in Wakakirri state awards showcase

The 60-strong dance troupe, led by teacher Savannah Lloyd, has been selected to perform at the Wakakirri story-dance festival's state-wide awards show in Sydney next week.

On top of that, the team received a nomination for the national festival's Human Rights Award, to be presented in October at a televised event, and a whopping 15 local awards including Shoalhaven Regional Champions.

Their dance took on the serious subject of organ donation - a cause close to the hearts of many in the St John's community, Miss Lloyd said.

"We have had students and a staff member at our school who, without a transplant, wouldn't be here," she said.

"So we took that as our stimulus, and turned it into a story looking at the bittersweet emotions of organ donation and how it impacts families.

"It was both personal, and something that needs to be spoken about as well."

Hundreds of hours of work went in to the dance team's winning performance, from choreography to rehearsals and fitting costumes.

While Miss Lloyd drove much of the Wakakirri effort, she pointed out that fellow staff and her own class of senior dance students helped immensely along the way.

Ultimately, she said she couldn't be more proud of the young dancers.

"I usually sit and watch [student performances] and can be quite critical, but I was able to watch on the night and was just blown away," Miss Lloyd said.

"They were amazing and really lifted their game... I just wanted to have fun, and they blew me out of the water."

On September 23, the St John's Wakakirri troupe will perform at NIDA - the National Institute of Dramatic Art - in Sydney for the showcase of secondary schools.

St John's was one of just eight groups from across New South Wales selected for the state awards event.