By Mikayla van Loon
The nerves and excitement are starting to settle in for Yarra Ranges students who have under one week to go until the State Schools Spectacular (SSS) performance.
Having been rehearsing for most of the year, participants will finally get to take to the stage at John Cain Arena on Saturday 10 September in two spectacular shows.
For principal dancer Madeline Coxhill from Lilydale High School, this has been something she has worked towards since starting secondary school.
“My sister did it in 2018 and she was an ensemble dancer and then she did it again as a principal dancer,” she said.
“I remember watching it and being in the arena, and it was like nothing I had ever watched before and instantly that was something I wanted to do.”
Madeline will also be joined by two fellow Lilydale High School students, Heidi Graupner and Erin Allison, who will perform as part of the orchestra.
“I am excited to learn how to truly perform, showing confidence, bringing out emotion, and telling a story through my playing,” Heidi said.
“I would like to come out of this experience as not just a better musician but a better person.”
Playing the clarient, Heidi said performing is an essential part of why music is so important to her and is why she auditioned for SSS.
“I choose to perform at any chance I am given. Music makes you feel emotions more deeply, it brings out the best in you and there is no greater feeling than sharing that with an audience,” she said.
“Being able to express myself on stage has always been an important part of my musical journey. Even when I was still scared of expressing myself in front of a crowd, I would walk away with more emotional intelligence and a braver heart.”
Although auditioning each time, it was only this year Madeline was successful in making the SSS cast but her determination paid off.
“It was so worth the wait. Like auditioning again and again was so worth it. I’m so glad I did,” Madeline said.
The Year 10 student has danced for over 10 years in every style and genre from jazz to contemporary but Madeline said it was still intimidating walking into a room of no one she knew.
“I was quite intimidated going into it, knowing no one, but when I got there it was just such a supportive environment and I made so many friends.
“It was just so stress free and I felt so welcomed by all the other cast and the choreographers. I was really grateful to have that experience with it.”
Madeline said the choreography for SSS was different to what she was used to, leaning very much to the hip hop and commercial dance styles but it was good to try something new.
“I was never quite comfortable in that style but I feel I’ve grown so much doing it this year at Spec and it’s really grown my passion for it,” she said.
“It’s given me such a different kind of training compared to what I’m used to and working with these new choreographers, it’s very different to the training I’m used to.”
As someone who is normally a competition dancer, Madeline said the SSS experience has been “different and refreshing” and something she would have never had the chance to do if not for SSS.
“I get the opportunity to dance alongside vocalists which I feel like we just don’t get that opportunity anywhere else.
“There’s nowhere else to go to do that to get that real hands-on experience and to dance in an arena is an amazing opportunity, with that many people, it’s incredible.”
Feeling a little bit nervous, Madeline said she also feels extremely prepared because of the hard work each of the choreographers have put into this show.
“I’ve been so grateful to them for taking us under their wings and nurturing us, not just teaching us.
“I’ve learned so much more than just about dance from them. They’ve been truly amazing.”
Madeline already has plans to audition for next year’s SSS and the experience is one she hopes can help her pursue dance further after high school.
