NAPA News - Week 5, Term 3, 2026
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to Week 5 of Term 3!
This weekend we saw our Performance Team perform at their first Gold Coast Eisteddfod event in choirs and dance groups. We are so proud of everyone and how they performed, on and off the stage.
This week we have Pre-senior Tread the Boards class hitting the stage with their play So Much To Tell You. This is a deeply moving play and the cherubs are doing such an amazing job with it. If you haven’t booked yet, get in quick!
Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead!
QUICK REMINDERS
please read!
Lost property - Please be sure to check this regularly throughout the year.
Jewellery - a quick reminder that excessive jewellery is not to be worn to any NAPA classes and that any earrings worn in dance class should be small studs or sleepers only. No other jewellery should be worn in dance classes, as this creates a safety hazard for dancers and their peers. PLEASE LEAVE AT HOME to avoid losing anything precious.
Footwear - please note that there will be strict guidelines around footwear at NAPA this year. This is for the safety of our young dancers - Jazz, Combo, Technique and Performance Team students must wear jazz shoes - Hip Hop, Tread the Boards and Broadway students must wear sneakers or jazz shoes - Ballet students must wear ballet shoes and Tap students must wear tap shoes. The only class where bare feet will be allowed is lyrical/contemporary, and we recommend students wear black dance or NAPA socks to these classes. Students will not be able to participate in class if they do not have the appropriate footwear.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
GOLD COAST EISTEDDFOD GROUPS
Great first week at Gold Coast Eisteddfod! We started the week off with our College choir and then moved to The Star for dance “small groups”. We are super proud of our cherubs who placed in every section.
College choir: 2nd
8s Any Style: HC
10s Any Style: 2nd
10s Lyrical: 2nd
12s Any Style: 2nd
12s Lyrical: 2nd
Opens Any Style: 2nd
Opens Contemporary: 2nd
It was the week of 2nds!
Well done cherubs and teachers. We are so proud. A big CHOOKAS to all those who are still to perform.
A NOTE FROM THE P&F
Father's Day Raffle - Help Us Make Something Beautiful!
We will be running a big online raffle in the lead up to Father's Day, with all funds going toward a courtyard makeover for our NAPA community. More details coming soon, but trust us, it's going to be a good one.
If you're a local business and you'd like to donate a prize, we'd absolutely love to hear from you. Every contribution helps us create a space our students and families can enjoy for years to come. It's also a great chance to get your business in front of our community throughout the raffle period. Reach out, your support means the world to this community.
Watch this space for raffle details!
Backstage Magic needed for our Youth Shows
Next month we have Broadway Kids Jungle Book shows coming up, and we're going to need plenty of backstage helpers to make it all happen. If you'd love to be part of the behind-the-scenes crew, now is the perfect time to put your hand up.
One important thing to flag: all backstage volunteers need a current Blue Card or a Blue Card exemption. If you don't have one yet, now is the time to apply, the process takes a little while so don't leave it too late!
Broadway extension and broadway kids
tickets and t-shirts!
CAST T-SHIRTS
Cast t-shirts are now available for our Broadway Extension and Broadway Kids classes. These are not compulsory, but are a nice souvenir for the students and perfect to wear to classes and performances. T-shirts are for sale in your parent portal in the online shop.
Please note the cut-off dates for ordering are:
BRING IT ON: AUGUST 21ST
THE JUNGLE BOOK: SEPTEMBER 4TH
Once orders are closed we cannot order more, so please ensure you get your order in by the cut-off date.
TICKET INFORMATION
Please see your emails for important ticket information, sent home today.
Wellbeing
Your Body Is Your Instrument
As performers, we ask an enormous amount of our bodies. A typical week might involve several hours of dance, singing, acting, rehearsals, performances, school or work, and sometimes all of those things in the same day! It is no surprise that our bodies can sometimes start to feel the pressure.
Looking after your physical wellbeing isn't about looking a certain way or achieving a particular body shape. For a performer, fitness is about strength, stamina, mobility, coordination, balance and resilience. The stronger and more prepared our bodies are, the better equipped we are to handle the physical demands of training and performance and hopefully reduce our risk of injury along the way.
One of the best things a performer can do is develop a well-rounded approach to physical conditioning. Different forms of exercise can support different aspects of your performance.
🩰 Ballet — control, alignment and strength
Ballet develops incredible body awareness. It teaches us about alignment, balance, control and how to use our muscles efficiently. Even for performers who don't intend to pursue a career in ballet, these skills can translate beautifully into musical theatre and commercial dance. A strong understanding of placement and alignment can also help us move more safely and efficiently.
🤸 Pilates — your body's support system
Pilates is fantastic for developing core strength, stability and control. Your core isn't just about having strong abdominal muscles, it helps support your spine and pelvis and provides a stable foundation from which you can move. For performers, that stability can be incredibly valuable when you're dancing, lifting, jumping, singing or simply repeating choreography over and over again.
🏃 Cardio — building your performance stamina
Performing can be surprisingly cardiovascular! Singing while dancing, running around a stage, performing multiple numbers or completing several shows in a weekend requires stamina. Incorporating age-appropriate cardiovascular exercise can help your body become more efficient at handling sustained activity, meaning you have more energy available for the actual performance.
💪 Strength training — preparing for the demands of the job
Strength isn't just for gym-goers. Performers jump, land, lift, carry, tumble, hold positions and sometimes perform the same physically demanding movement hundreds of times. Developing appropriate strength can help prepare the body for these demands. This should always be age-appropriate and taught with good technique, particularly for younger performers.
🧘 Mobility and recovery — just as important as the workout
One of the biggest mistakes performers can make is thinking that more training is always better. Our bodies need time to recover and adapt. Gentle mobility work, stretching where appropriate, adequate sleep, hydration, nutrition and rest days are all part of physical preparation.
And this is particularly important when you're already feeling tired or sore. Pain isn't something we should simply push through because we're performers. Learning the difference between normal muscle fatigue and something that needs attention is an important part of becoming a professional.
Think like an athlete
Professional performers are athletes. We might express ourselves through music, movement and storytelling rather than playing on a sporting field, but the physical demands can be just as significant. The goal isn't to train as much as possible. The goal is to train intelligently.
That might mean adding a Pilates class to your week, building some age-appropriate strength, improving your cardiovascular fitness, taking ballet to develop control, or simply making sure you're allowing your body enough time to recover between demanding rehearsals. The strongest performer isn't necessarily the one who can do the most. It's the performer who understands their body, prepares it properly and knows when it needs to rest.
Your body is your instrument. Look after it, train it, listen to it and give it the tools it needs to keep performing for the long haul.
CHERUB OF THE WEEK
CONGRATULATIONS, 12’s Small Group!
This week, our Cherub(s) of the Week goes to our incredible 12&U Small Groups Teams! 💙
These cherubs have had to re-block their routines so many times over the past three performances that I’ve genuinely lost count! Between injuries, illness and unavailability, they have had to learn and perform different formations for practically every single show… for multiple routines!
And yet, not once have they faltered, complained or let the constant changes affect their performance. Instead, they have simply adapted, trusted each other, got on with the job and gone out there to perform brilliantly every single time.
This is true professionalism.
Things don't always go according to plan in this industry. Performers have to be adaptable, reliable, resilient and willing to support the people around them … sometimes with very little notice. Our 12s Teams have demonstrated all of these qualities in spades.
We couldn't be prouder of the way you have handled every curveball thrown your way. You have shown us that being a great performer isn't just about what happens when everything goes right … it's about how you respond when it doesn't.
Congratulations, teams! You are very deserving Cherubs of the Week. ✨
This award goes out to Gracie, Kaiya, Maddie, Mila, Alex, Zarah, Ruby, Colette, Charlie, Anaya, Lois and Mia. I do not have a group picture as they’ve not been together for one performance yet. Also a special shout-out to Makayla who has been to every class, even in her double moon boots!
PERFORMANCE TIPS
Your Digital Presence Is Part of Your Performance Career
Social media is here to stay and for performers, it can be an incredibly powerful tool. It can help you showcase your work, connect with industry professionals, celebrate achievements and even create opportunities that may not have existed before.
But just like any other professional tool, it needs to be used thoughtfully.
For our senior students, your social media presence can become part of your personal brand. That doesn't mean you need thousands of followers or a perfectly curated Instagram feed. It means thinking about what someone in the industry would see if they looked you up.
Ask yourself: Does my online presence reflect the performer I want to be?
If you're hoping to work professionally, consider using your platforms to showcase things such as performances, training, special skills, professional headshots, reels and projects you're involved in. You don't need to turn your entire account into a resume, you're still allowed to be yourself! But remember that casting directors, choreographers, agents and potential employers may see what you choose to share publicly.
Think about your digital footprint. A post might only take a few seconds to upload, but it can remain online for a very long time. Before posting, ask yourself:
Would I be comfortable with a future employer seeing this?
Does this represent me well?
Am I sharing something that belongs to someone else?
Am I posting because I genuinely want to, or because I feel pressure to?
Could this be misunderstood without the context I have in my head?
And for our younger performers…
This is where we encourage parents to be particularly mindful.
We love seeing our younger students celebrating their achievements, performances and milestones, and social media can be a wonderful way for families to share those memories. But it's worth remembering that children don't necessarily understand the long-term implications of having their lives documented online.
Before posting, consider how much personal information you're sharing. School uniforms, studio locations, regular schedules, birthdays, locations and information about where a child will be at a particular time can all contribute to a surprisingly detailed picture of their life.
There is also a difference between celebrating your child's achievements and creating their entire online identity for them.
As they get older, give them increasing ownership over what is shared. Ask permission before posting photos or videos, particularly when they're older, and let them have a say in what they are comfortable with being online.
And remember that other children are involved too. A beautiful backstage photo might contain another student who doesn't want their image shared publicly. When in doubt, ask first.
Social media isn't going anywhere.
Our goal isn't to tell young performers to avoid it. In fact, learning how to use social media responsibly is becoming an important part of preparing for a career in the performing arts. Instead, we want our students to understand that their online presence is an extension of themselves.
For our seniors, use it as a tool to build your professional identity.
For our younger students, let them enjoy the experience of performing without feeling like every moment needs to be documented and shared.
And for parents, remember that you are helping shape a digital footprint that your child will eventually inherit.
Post with purpose. Share with care. And remember: you never have to put your whole life online to be successful.
Welcome to Week 5 of Term 3!
This weekend we saw our Performance Team perform at their first Gold Coast Eisteddfod event in choirs and dance groups. We are so proud of everyone and how they performed, on and off the stage.
This week we have Pre-senior Tread the Boards class hitting the stage with their play So Much To Tell You. This is a deeply moving play and the cherubs are doing such an amazing job with it. If you haven’t booked yet, get in quick!
Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead!