School Immersion Experience 2026
Symphony Orchestra: Music and Musicality in Dance
Term 1, Week 10
Thomas Dixon Centre
#Program Overview
The Queensland Ballet invites Primary and Year 7-10 students to the Thomas Dixon Centre for an engaging day focused on the intricate relationship between music and dance.
This unique School Immersion Experience offers students the opportunity to explore how musical elements like tempo, rhythm and dynamics influence and impact choreography and performance.
Students will also be provided with an authentic concert environment in which to experience famous dance repertoire performed live by a symphony orchestra.
What to Expect:
- Q&A Sessions: Engage with Queensland Ballet musicians to learn how they create music for ballet classes and rehearsals, including their process for determining tempo and rhythms. Gain insights from a member of the Artistic and/or Music Department, exploring questions like the relationship between movement and music in the creative process.
- View a Company Class: Observe the Queensland Ballet’s company in class on stage, noting how dancers and Rehearsal Collaborators (pianists/accompanists) respond to the teacher’s musical direction, timing, and description of movement quality.
- Practical Dance Workshops: Participate in a movement workshop that explores elements such as time signatures, rhythm and musicality through movement. Students will experiment with tempo, accents, and the qualities that bring choreography to life.
- Orchestra Collaboration: Experience a live performance by the Brisbane State High School Symphony Orchestra, and take part in a seated dance workshop, inviting students to feel how music and movement intertwine.
Student Benefits:
- This immersive day aims to inspire Dance, Arts, and classroom and extra-curricular Music students, offering a deeper appreciation of how music influences movement. Students will exercise critical observation skills, analyse how dancers adapt to musical changes, and understand the collaborative process between musicians and dancers in creating a performance. They’ll leave with a richer understanding of the art forms and the magic that happens when music and dance come together.
- Aligned tightly with the ACARA Version 9 Dance curriculum, this experience also connects to the Music learning area by exploring music as a means of communication and expression, and by deepening students’ understanding of how music concepts are applied in performance and composition.
- The content and learning experiences connect to the General Capabilities of Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Understanding, offering a dynamic, whole-body learning opportunity that encourages creativity, curiosity, and collaboration.