The students will take part in the State Dance Festival on Tuesday, September 15 at the Seymour Centre in Sydney, where they will represent the Central West.

For most of the 13 dancers in the Orange High Junior Dance Company it will be their first performance at such an elite level.

Choreographer and school dance teacher Mel Hope said it was a big achievement for the students and the school.

“It’s an exhibition of dancers from across the state,” Miss Hope said.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in with them yet.”

They will perform a contemporary dance to Murcurio’s Acoustic.

“The piece is based around when you pick up a handful of paperclips and drop it and it forms different shapes. I’ve used that to come up with the choreography,” she said.

Miss Hope said most students in the group were in year 7 but there was also one from year 8, one from year 9 and one from year 10, and they all danced outside of school.

The school also has a senior dance company, but they did not make it past the regional level at Bathurst in June, where the juniors were selected to represent the region.

Miss Hope said it was the first time one of her choreographies has made it through, after she worked on and off with dance at Orange High School for six years.

Among the students taking part in the dance festival is Taylah Allen who has been dancing since she was three years old, but only joined the group this year.

“This is the first time [she tried out for it]. I always kind-of wanted to join, because all the really good dancers are in it and I wanted to try it out,” she said. 

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au