Stars of the future wow eisteddfod

HARD work and dedication paid off for thousands of students at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod on the weekend.

More than 200 groups performed in front of Australian and international adjudicators on Sunday at the Gold Coast Arts Centre in hotly contested dance groups.

For veteran Ipswich-based team Performance Plus Dance Centre the chance to dance and sing at the largest eisteddfod in Australia was a winning combination of “working hard and having fun.”

“Lots of rehearsal goes into (each performance),” principal Janine Tirant said.

“If someone is out, we have to repattern. If you don’t come, you have to repattern the team. There’s a lot involved if something goes wrong to change it.”

Ms Tirant said most of the children involved in eisteddfod rehearsed for at least an hour each week and a lot of commitment was required.

She said the Gold Coast Eisteddfod tended to be particularly competitive.

“There are a lots of studios here,” she said.

“You’ve got to bring your A-Game here (but) our 15s group did really well (on Saturday).”

Ballina-based Total Image Dance studio owner Kira Anderson said her group made the hour-long drive to take part in the event.

She said her group had done well yesterday.

“It’s their first time on the Gold Coast, they’re nervous about it,” she said. “They did awesome to dance on that big stage, they don’t get that opportunity in our small town.”

Ms Anderson said 24 of her 300 dance students were involved and had put in at least four hours each week just to rehearse for yesterday’s performance.

She said some of the students practised even more on top of that, working on their jazz, ballet or hip hop moves.

National Academy of Performance Arts director Kim Reynolds said she was proud of how her studio had performed after they took out first place for song and dance 12 years and under.

“They’re such a hardworking team,” she said, adding they had been polishing the performance for the past eight months.

Event organiser Judith Ferber said the Gold Coast Eisteddfod ran for seven weeks and would conclude at the end of the month. The event is open to all to watch and costs $10 for an adult.

Pictures: Jerad Williams Dance Tech perform at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod at the Gold Coast Arts Centre yesterday.

Isabella de Carlo, 11, from Theatre and Dance, Brisbane, adds the final touches before performing yesterday.

This dancer from Academy Dance Studios turned herself inside out at the eisteddfod.

Charlotte White, 11, and Emma Blake, 13, were among the smiling performers at the Gold Coast Arts Centre.

Alani Adamson, 10, Hannah Saito, 9, Indiana Martin, 10, were in character well before their performance.

Dance Tech delivered a polished performance at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod yesterday.

Emily Stenzel, 13, Jada Wright, 13 and Katie Stenzel, 11, from Performance Plus Dance Centre.