Pulse Alive

Individual dancer (massed dance)

An opportunity individual students whose school is not involved as a group in this category the opportunity to participate in massed dance at Pulse Alive 2025.

How to apply

Applications are now open for individual students to nominate to be part of the massed dance cast.

Please complete the Pulse Alive 2025 – individual dancer (massed dance) nomination form by Monday 28 October (Term 4 Week 3).

Eligibility and selection

For the first time in 2025 we are offering individual students whose school is not involved as a group in the massed dance category the opportunity to participate in this category.

Participation as an individual dancer (massed dance) is open to individual students who currently attend a NSW public school from: 

  • Year 3 to Year 6 in 2025 (primary dance)
  • Years 7 to 12 in 2025 (secondary dance).

Students of all backgrounds and abilities are encouraged to nominate. The Pulse Alive team will work with students, parents and schools to any modifications or special provisions required for students with individual needs are met. There is no audition video required to be part of the massed dance cast.

Following the close of applications, students will be informed if they have been allocated as Cast A (performance on Thursday 20 March) or Cast B (performance on Friday 21 March) as well as the preliminary rehearsal date they will be expected to attend.

Students will be provided with video resources to help them learn the choreography in November 2024. Students will then need to attend one preliminary rehearsal in February or March 2025. It is expected that students participating in this category will have learnt the choreography prior to this rehearsal.

Please note, it is not possible for a student to participate as an individual dancer (massed dance) as well as another category. Successful students will require the endorsement of their school principal to participate. Students are encouraged to discuss their nomination with a teacher at their school prior to submission.

Students participating in this category will be supervised by members of the Pulse Alive team. Schools will not be expected to provide a teacher for duty of care of these students. 

Please note, this category is for individual students. School groups wishing to participate in massed dance should apply via the massed dance category.

Additionally, talented dancers should consider applying for the Pulse Alive Dance Company.

large group of students in a stadium, wearing yellow t-shirts and with one fist up above their heads, looking up

 

large group of students in a stadium, wearing purple t-shirts and with arms stretched out and legs akimbo

 

Key dates

Date Term/week Details
Mon 28 Oct 2024 Term 4 Week 3 Nominations close
Fri 1 Nov 2024 Term 4 Week 3 Confirmation of rehearsal and performance date and distribution of teaching resources
Mon 24 Feb – Wed 12 Mar 2025 Term 1 Weeks 4 to 7 Preliminary rehearsal period. Students will be required to attend one rehearsal during this period. The specific rehearsal date will be provided on acceptance.
Thu 20 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 8 Performance day – cast A
Fri 21 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 8 Performance day – cast B
large group of students in a stadium, wearing yellow t-shirts and with one arm above their heads, looking up
large group of students in a stadium stands, wearing orange t-shirts and with their arms above their heads

Rehearsals

Time: 8:30 am – 3:15 pm
Venue: Netball Central – 2 Olympic Boulevard, Sydney Olympic Park

  • All individual dancers (massed dance) must attend a full day preliminary rehearsal in the weeks prior to Pulse Alive 2025.
  • Confirmation of this date will be communicated to students on acceptance into the show in early Term 4.
  • Students are expected to attend their preliminary rehearsal in person.  
  • Students will be required to attend their preliminary rehearsal for the full day. Transport arrangements must be made to ensure students arrive before the start of the rehearsal and are able to stay all the way through until the end of the rehearsal.
  • Provision will be made for students more than 2 hours travel time from Sydney Olympic Park participating as an individual dancer (massed dance) to attend their preliminary rehearsal virtually if required.

Performance day

  • Performance day includes a compulsory final rehearsal, venue rehearsal and performance.
  • Students should expect to be in attendance from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm on their performance day. Final schedule details will be communicated in early Term 1 2025.
  • All students must attend these compulsory rehearsals in person.

Choreography

All choreography for the event will be distributed to students by video link on Friday 1 November (Term 4 Week 3).

Before students arrive at their preliminary rehearsal, they must have learnt:

  1. item choreography 
  2. finale choreography.
large group of students in a stadium, wearing pink t-shirts and with one arm above their heads, finger pointing up

Costume

The costume for all massed dance items will be as follows:

  • Coloured Pulse Alive t-shirt – this is the show t-shirt that is included within your student resource fee and will be a different colour depending on which item you have been allocated.
  • Long black tights/pants – supplied by students. We are pretty flexible on what these are, as long as they are preferably full length. 
  • White socks – supplied by students.
  • White shoes with white soles – supplied by students. See photos for examples.

Any white shoes are fine as long as they also have white soles (this is so we don’t damage the flooring that we will be dancing on). It is fine if the top of the shoes have small sections that aren’t white – as long as white is the dominant colour). White shoes are available at a low cost from stores like Kmart and Big W.

A plain white shoe
A plain white shoe with minimal shapes of blue and red
A white shoe

As with previous years, an optional hoodie will be made available for ordering for students that wish to do so. This information will be distributed in early Term 4.

Hair and make-up

Hair

  • Students with longer hair: High slicked ponytail with no hair on the face. Ponytail should be styled ie straightened, curled, etc
  • Students with shorter hair: Neat, styled hair off the face
  • Optional: coloured accessories to match colour of Pulse Alive t-shirt ie hair ties, glitter, ribbon, bows, gems, etc
  • See the hair tutorial section below for further guidance on appropriate hair styles.

Make-up

  • Make-up is optional. Should you wish for your students to wear it, please consider the following as a guide:
    • Base: stage makeup ie foundation, bronzer,
    • Additions: blush, brown/bronze toned eyeshadow, black eyeliner, black mascara and red lipstick
Image of performer displaying the hair style for performers in Pulse Alive with long hair

Hair tutorial

Students with longer hair

High, slicked ponytail tied tightly on the crown of the head

It is suggested you use:

  • A small amount of water to smooth the hair and flatten any flyaway hairs (no hair to be on faces including fringes)
  • Apply a small amount of gel and comb through the scalp, styling hair up into the high ponytail
  • Secure the ponytail with a minimum of 2 hair ties that match the colour of the hair or are clear
  • Spray into place with hairspray and secure any hair if needed with bobby pins.

Students with shorter hair

Image of performer displaying the hair style for performers in Pulse Alive with short hair
Neatly combed and gelled hair

It is suggested you use:

  • A small amount of water to smooth the hair and flatten any flyaway hairs (no hair to be on faces including fringes)
  • Apply a small amount of gel then comb and style.

Resource fee

There will be a resource fee of $120 per student to participate as an individual dancer (massed dance).

The resource fee assists with the costs involved in the conductors, choreographers and tutors working with the students, supports a number of music clearance costs and the creation of teaching resources and includes a Pulse Alive t-shirt, which will be worn by all performers as their costume during the event.

Individual dancers (massed dance) will be required to pay the resource fee through The Arts Unit student payment portal on acceptance into the show.

Third-party content attributions

Pulse Alive images, photographer: Anna Warr