Awards > Award Showcase
2024 APATA National Award Winners
STATE RECIPIENTS: QLD & VICDrum Roll Please…And a Round of Applause for the 2024 APATA National Awards Winners!
It’s been an amazing start to 2024 reading through incredible award applications, especially hearing from champions in the performing arts community supporting teachers, educators, and students. A common thread across everyone’s story has demonstrated how communities have come together for arts education and rallied behind each other to make a difference, and developed ‘safe spaces’ for students of all ages to learn, grow and harness their talents and passions for the performing arts.
What has truly struck us about the 2024 award applications, is the opportunity provided by teachers in performing arts education to drive and provide a plethora of programs for their students. We’ve loved the opportunity to serve our community and showcase your passion, expertise, remarkable generosity, and achievements.
We’re incredibly proud of our teachers, educators and students continuing to lead performing arts practice and supporting those developing in their craft.
Congratulations to all who entered or were nominated by champions in the community for the Australian Performing Arts Teachers Association (APATA) 2024 National Awards Program. The high calibre of applications, dedication and passion for each and everyone’s vocation was heartfelt and exceptional. The judging committee have commented on several occasions the outstanding applications received this year has been truly inspiring.
Congratulations to our winners, their schools, and communities! We’re very proud to share your story!
Performing Arts School of the Year
St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace Does It Again!
Awarded for the second year running, St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace does it again by taking home the Performing Arts School of the Year Award!
St Joseph’s College is deeply committed to enabling their students to explore and discover an extensive range of programs in the performing arts. From music, speech and drama, theatre sports, debating and public speaking through to college productions to the likes of Jazz Night and the school’s annual musical theatre showcase where all students are encourage to ‘Don’t Just Watch, Participate’.
Gregory Terrace celebrates performing arts in all facets of their school culture to enable participation in varied cultural activities to further enhance the development of self-confidence, emotional intelligence, communication, higher order and creative thinking skills, self-discipline and teamwork. Most Terrace students are involved in cultural pursuits within the College, with many taking on a variety of the offerings and gaining from the talented staff and tutors, including industry leaders who specifically come together to give students a specialist education. The Terrace Performing Arts pedagogical approach identifies three elements of learning: enable, grow and transform. It is centred on relational pedagogy within a high engagement, collaborative and feedback orientated environment.
All 325 students in Years 5 and 6 are provided access to experience a band or string instrument within their first two years at the College. This immersion program is designed to inspire students with a musical experience and also enable those yet to commence their musical journey. The musical balance of instruments for this immersion program is intentionally weighted to preference the instruments that are typically absent in sufficient quantities within music programs in Australia. Favouring low brass, double reeds and low strings has allowed more students to continue on these instruments providing a greater future balance.
To support students grow, the College has implemented recording projects. The approach enables a collaboration of students from the choral, band and string departments giving them hands on experience in a professional recording studio. This exposure provides students with a valuable learning experience that goes beyond traditional rehearsals and private instruction. By combining this practical application, collaboration and exposure to new technology, this project significantly enhances critical listening, personal and ensemble growth, and student confidence leading to a very successful performance in front of the wider school community. The College has also diversified their keyboard students with the introduction of a talk box pushing the boundaries of sound education and technology.
Professional development is a consistent approach by the College ensuring that teams of staff are supported to collaborate and discuss initiatives to deliver a modern program. Initiatives supported in the last 12 months have included safe hearing works with education on safe hearing and staff completing safety modules on manual handling and working at heights for musical productions. The percussion program also lead the way with workshops from Dr James Whiting from University of Las Vegas and Dr Gifford Howarth from Bloomsburg University. Through the incorporation of safety modules, professional workshops and collaborations the College has improved teaching outcomes and continue to be innovative.
St Jospeh’s, Gregory Terrace is proud of its strong acceptance of the colleges performing arts pursuits. Like many schools the college participates in athletics days and swimming carnivals, however, at Terrace July sees the annual House Choir night held at Pat Rafter Arena. This night sees all 9 houses compete for the People’s Choice Award and the House Choir Cup as the students sing and dance a 6 minute performance choreographed and taught solely by the students. This night is a unique event that unites all elements of the school community around the
performing arts encompassing 1,700 boys and an audience of over 3,000.
“Students are free to be the best they can be. One person can make a difference, walking together for the common good. We talk the talk and walk the walk, as a servant leader shoving compassion and humility. I am because we are, treating others as I want to be treated.”
– Mr Fred Leone, Yirimi Gundir
These are the touchstones that underpin core values that a Terracian takes into the community. St Joseph’s partnerships to indigenous beginnings are very important to the College and its community. The music department take Acknowledgement of Country further by collaborating with Mr Fred Leone in his original work of Yirimi Gundir where the integration of solo cello and modern pop orchestra in his traditional piece with Fred at the helm singing and leading the indigenous troupe who danced their totems around the solo cellist. This was performed at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre receiving resounding comments from school staff, community parents and our cultural mentors.
Congratulations to the faculty, teaching team and students at St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace. We are honoured to celebrate with you the 2024 Australian Performing Arts Teachers Association National Award – Performing Arts School of the Year.
Performing Arts Teacher of the Year
Deepa Mani, Chandralaya School of Dance
“At Chandralaya, we bring the classical Indian dance to Melbourne both in its purest and contemporary forms. The School of Dance strives to nurture and develop the inherent artistic interests of each student, giving them a friendly environment to dance, express and be inspired…”
– Deepa Mani
Deepa Mani has distinguished herself as a talented and versatile dancer and teacher in both Classical Bharatanatyam and Contemporary dance. With thirty plus (30+) years of training and experience, Deepa is a consummate dancer with acclaimed performances in India, United States and Australia.
Deepa derives her roots from Chennai, India where she started her training in Bharatanatyam at the age of 6, under the tutelage of Kalaimamani Srimathi. Padmini Dorairajan. She is trained in the Pandanallur and Kalakshetra styles, graduating in 1998 with the title “Nritya Kala Ranjini”. Deepa has performed in acclaimed establishments in India including the National Dance Festival, Mamallapuram Dance Festival, Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan and Tamil Sangam.
Today Deepa balances her time between sharing her knowledge and talents with schools and students at her own school, while continuing to share her culture and performances with audiences across the nation including showcases as a lead dancer at Metro DC Dance, Capitol Fringe and Alexandria Performing Arts, to name a few.
At the Chandralaya School of Dance, Deepa leads her students to explore and celebrate heritage through creativity where the students are at the heart of the school. Offering a plethora of classes to learn her artform, Deepa is driven to share her cultural heritage, knowledge and talents from being in the studio with her students, providing masterclasses and dance workshops, taking to the stage to share her journey as both an artist and guest speaker through to collaborations with schools and productions.
“Chandralaya joined our school on Multicultural Day leading a workshop for Year 4 & 6 students. Deepa engaged the students brilliantly providing a detailed explanation of the cultural background of the dance styles. Students observed a range of key movements and then had a go themselves with smiles on their faces as they immersed themselves into another culture.”
– Ryan Fede, St. Paul’s Primary Melbourne
“Deepa is an amazing dance teacher. Deepa shared the different Indian art forms and demonstrated the dances to 300 students during our Cultural Festival. Deep also conducted dance workshops and engaged all our students effectively. They love her workshops.”
-Wai Ling Lee , Geelong Grammar
“Introducing our students to a rich cultural program was excellent and not something we regularly access. Chandralaya engaged our students engaged in dance, drama, movement, music, mindfulness – fabulous! Focussing on fitness through dance and exercise was excellent. Relaxation/mindfulness exercise was really well received. The whole session was positively received by our students and seen as a highlight – certainly supporting wellbeing.”
-J.Hayward , Strathewan Primary School
Over the past 12-months Deepa has been busy bring to the stage ‘TOUCH’ a new performance fusing the worlds of ballet and bharatanatyam. With Co-Artistic collaborator Sheena Chundee who trained as a ballerina under a scholarship at the Royal Ballet School in London, ‘Touch’ has garnered sold-out seasons at Dancehouse Melbourne as part of the 2023 Melbourne Fring Festival and was hailed as one of the top 10 performances to see.
‘TOUCH’ is a piece which promotes diversity, community, and multiculturalism. It allows individuals to come together, celebrate their differences, and create a shared experience that transcends boundaries. Through dance, ‘TOUCH’ fosters understanding, appreciation, and unity in our increasingly diverse world.
TOUCH is a piece which delves into the stories of two dancers and their experiences. It addresses bias, racism and isolation, and through the intertwining of ballet and bharathanatyam promotes the beauty that transpires when we, as a society, take the time to understand and connect with one another.
By incorporating diverse styles and movements, the choreographers challenge existing norms and inspire conversations about inclusivity and acceptance. By showcasing the juxtaposition between art forms ‘TOUCH’ highlights the differences between cultures and beliefs. Through dance this work shows how people can honor their roots, express their unique identities, and educate others.
“Touch begins with an airing of grievances but develops into a celebration of cross-disciplinary collaboration and the potential for solidarity between women whose experiences of discrimination are different but resonant.”
Andrew Furhmann, The Age
We are honoured to celebrate the 2024 Australian Performing Arts Teachers Association National Award – Performing Arts Teacher with Deepa Mani.