A great story can change the way people think about the world around them. Wakakirri is a Story-Dance festival where schools aim to do just that!  Wakakirri is an incredible experience for Secondary Schools.  The Wakakirri aims are to;

• Develops student’s creative thinking, school and self-pride, teamwork, self worth and life skills.
• Develop students’ career aspirations via an appreciation of the commitment needed to create a successful production.
• Provide a platform for students to express their thoughts, ideas and aspirations.

Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they can either;

• Perform in live theatres in capital cities and selected regional areas around Australia or
• Schools unable to attend a live event can send in their performance via video.

Schools can choose to tell any story that they wish. Schools’ performances are often inspired by the Wakakirri ethos ‘great stories inspire change’ and the annual festival motif (in 2023 the motif is CHANGE). Environmental, social, cultural, health, historical & reconciliation stories are all popular. Each year hundreds of schools across Australia create and perform Story-Dances for Wakakirri that reflect students’ thoughts, ideas and aspirations.

A Wakakirri Story-Dance is a 3-7 minute performance by a group of students who theatrically tell a story using a combination of dancing, creative movement and acting to pre-recorded music. Schools can tell any story and use any combination of dance, creative movement, acting, music, live singing, props, costumes, sets and film projections. The possibilities are endless! Incorporate the annual signature item into the story for an extra challenge.

Any Secondary school can enter.  Wakakirri encourages Secondary School productions to be created by students or be a 60:40 collaboration between students and teachers.  Groups sizes for the live event can range from 20 to 120.  There are no minimum/maximum group size restrictions if submitting in the video event.

Free Careers Day – All schools are invited to attend this online event featuring keynote speakers and workshops for participating students. Click here to register or to find out more.

1. Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they can either perform live at theatres in capital cities and selected regional areas around Australia or for Schools unable to attend a live event can send in their performance via video.
2. A Wakakirri Story-Dance is a 3-7 minute performance by a group of students that theatrically tells a story using any combination of dancing, acting, creative movement, sets and props, costumes, projection, pre-recorded music (and special effects for video entries).
3. Schools can tell any story they wish. The story should be progressive (orientation, complication, resolution) engaging, easy to follow, appropriate, and relevant to the performers.
4. The story should be mainly told through Story-Dancing. Story Dancing is the creative combination of dancing, creative movement and acting to tell a story. Creativity and characterisation are important elements of Story Dancing
5. The soundtrack should enhance the telling of the story but not relied upon to tell the story.
6. A Story Dance item can have sets, props, costumes, projections, live singing (and special effects for video entries) that enhance the telling of the story (not tell the story), well utilised and are not gratuitous.  Wakakirri encourages schools to minimise their environmental footprint when creating props and costumes for their performance. Special awards are available to schools that excel in this area.
7. Schools can incorporate the annual festival motif into their story for an extra challenge. This is not compulsory.
8. Wakakirri encourages Secondary School productions to be created by students or be a 60:40 collaboration between students and teachers.

Do you have a story to tell? Want to tell it through dance? Created for dance schools and community groups who love the Story-Dance format, Wakakirri Dance is an amazing opportunity to perform in a professional theatre to a live audience.  Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they can either perform in live theatres in capital cities and selected regional areas around Australia or submit a video.

The aims of Wakakirri Dance are;

• To provide dance schools with a professional public performance opportunity that showcases the creative capacity of the school and its students.
• To provide a platform for students to express their thoughts, ideas and aspirations.
• To develop student’s creative thinking, school and self-pride, teamwork, self worth and life skills.
• To develop students’ career aspirations via an appreciation of the commitment needed to create a successful production

Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they can either;

• Perform in live theatres in capital cities and selected regional areas around Australia or
• Schools unable to attend a live event can send in their performance via video.

Schools can choose to tell any story that they wish. Schools’ performances are often inspired by the Wakakirri ethos ‘great stories inspire change’ and the annual festival motif (in 2023 the motif is CHANGE). Environmental, social, cultural, health, historical & reconciliation stories are all popular. Each year hundreds of schools across Australia create and perform Story-Dances for Wakakirri that reflect students’ thoughts, ideas and aspirations.

A Wakakirri Story-Dance is a 3-7 minute performance by a group of students who theatrically tell a story using a combination of dancing, creative movement and acting to pre-recorded music. Schools can tell any story and use any combination of dance, creative movement, acting, music, live singing, props, costumes, sets and film projections. The possibilities are endless! Incorporate the annual signature motif into your story for an extra challenge.

1. Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they can either perform live at theatres in capital cities and selected regional areas around Australia or for Schools unable to attend a live event can send in their performance via video.
2. A Wakakirri Story-Dance is a 3-7 minute performance by a group of students that theatrically tells a story using any combination of dancing, acting, creative movement, sets and props, costumes, projection, pre-recorded music (and special effects for video entries).
3. Schools can tell any story they wish. The story should be progressive (orientation, complication, resolution) engaging, easy to follow, appropriate, and relevant to the performers.
4. The story should be mainly told through Story-Dancing. Story Dancing is the creative combination of dancing, creative movement and acting to tell a story. Creativity and characterisation are important elements of Story Dancing
5. The soundtrack should enhance the telling of the story but not relied upon to tell the story.
6. A Story Dance item can have sets, props, costumes, projections, live singing (and special effects for video entries) that enhance the telling of the story (not tell the story), well utilised and are not gratuitous.  Wakakirri encourages schools to minimise their environmental footprint when creating props and costumes for their performance. Special awards are available to schools that excel in this area.
7. Schools can incorporate the annual festival motif into their story for an extra challenge. This is not compulsory.
8. Dance school and Community group students must fall within the age range of 8 – 24.

• Wakakirri Live: End of Term 1
• Wakakirri Video: Term 3 Week 9

Term 1

• Masterclass Webinar 23rd February and 30th March

Term 2 [ Wakakirri Live only ]

• Week 1: Schools receive an email with the next steps to confirm their entry.
• Week 3: Student numbers and payment of participation fee due
• Week 6: Performance show date and rehearsal times announced
• Week 8: Item and music information due

Term 3 [ Wakakirri Video only ]

• Week 9: Video entries and Entry Fee due

• Participation fees for Wakakirri Live are $35 (incl GST) per student which includes pre season workshops, certificates and a streamable copy of your school’s performance. 
• Optional costs to consider include props, costumes and transport to the theatre. 
• Parents and friends are invited to watch students perform. Tickets prices start at $36

• Entry fee for Wakakirri Video is $200 per school (incl GST) which includes pre season workshops, and certificates. 

• The Wakakirri Inspiration Fund was established to encourage and assist disadvantaged schools to participate in Wakakirri. The fund is filled each year by public donations and grants. Schools can apply for funding each year which can be spent on subsidising Wakakirri student participation fees for the Live event or the Wakakirri entry fee for the Video event. Click here to apply.  Applicable to Primary and Secondary schools only. 2023 applications close 15th March.

Schools can choose to tell any story that they wish. Schools’ performances are often inspired by the Wakakirri ethos ‘great stories inspire change’ and the annual festival motif (in 2023 the motif is CHANGE).  Wakakirri acknowledges schools who exemplify the Wakakirri ethos ‘Great Stories Inspire Change’ (schools efforts in raising awareness, community building and excellence in performing arts).  At the end of the season a special selection of schools are showcased on the Wakakirri website.

Reconciliation Australia Award presented by Reconciliation Australia. Awarded for the creation of an inspired Wakakirri Story-Dance AND community work to increase respect, reduce prejudice or strengthen relationships between the wider Australian Community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  Reconciliation Australia resources will be made available for registered schools.

Muffin Break Raising Awareness Award presented by Muffin Break, Awarded for the creation of an inspired inspired Wakakirri Story-Dance AND community work to effectively raise awareness about an important community issue.

National Story Award – Awarded for excellence in performing arts and raising awareness in a story category (Environment, Mental Health & Well-Being, Animal Welfare, Society or Cultural Diversity, Human Rights, History

Wakakirri has chosen CHANGE as the motif for 2023.  The world today is experiencing rapid change. This change has endless possibilities, no matter the outcome. Change can allow us to meet new people, create new experiences, knowledge, achieve great feats and transform lives.

“Schools that complete the Wakakirri Masterclass always get better results.”

The 2023 Teacher Masterclass series involves a 60-minute Q&A webinar presented by the Wakakirri Festival Director, Adam Loxley. Come along and meet the Wakakirri team and we will talk you through various topics related to Story-Dance, answer questions, and give you lots of tips on how to make your Wakakirri experience fun while avoiding the common mistakes most first-time schools make! To get started, watch our Masterclass Tutorial Videos below which give insight into how to begin the process, including important information that all schools should know. Teachers are then invited to register their attendance for the live session, held via Zoom, to expand knowledge and help to get your Wakakirri Story-Dance off to a flying start!

Available Sessions

• Thursday 23rd February at 5pm AEST
• Thursday 30th March at 5pm AEST

Register your spot here for the 2023 session

An invaluable resource for participating Wakakirri schools.  These tutorials will cover all you need to know about creating and performing your Story-Dance item.

Click the button below to register or to contact us for more information.