Our Academy programme has been created for children aged approx 8 – 20 years old who are displaying excellent rhythm, agility, confidence and co-ordination in their development programme and a clear passion for dance. They will be split into different Academy sections based on age and ability. Students accepted into Academy must be taking the general weekly classes as advised by our staff.
Academy students who are nearing the end of their time at High School will be assisted with their next steps as a dancer. This may be through our Dance Arts full time programme, another full time option or straight into work depending what is on offer.
Students who attend our Academy programme are coached to be independent and responsible dancers and are expected to be dropped off outside the gates and organize themselves to get ready for trainings and any performances without having to rely on parents. This is very important to us as we train them to be capable dancers and it also helps our Senior dancers step up to help the younger ones. This doesn’t happen if parents are always close by.
Commercial Jazz, Organic & Commercial Contemporary, Hip hop, Ballet, Lyrical, Acro, Musical Theatre. Some students also cover Aerial Hoop, Partnering and Adagio
The children in our academy programme are given the chance to work in more depth with our tutors and other children of a similar skill level to push their dance over and above what exam work offers them. This is next level dancing and is creating outstanding performers who we believe will hold a lifelong love of dance and be some of the most inspiring performers of the future generation. The development of our dancers to convey emotion, deep feeling, storytelling and passion on top of their technique is a strength at Silhouette and we are very proud of this attribute. These skills are so important as it stands a dancer out from the rest at auditions and performances.
Another strong focus is working in a team to reflect the majority of dance career jobs.
A typical training will consist of a combined warmup, followed by a training session on either dance conditioning or choreography. Students will then have a combined dinner followed by a session working on choreography for upcoming performances & regional competitions.
Any child in our academy programme is welcome to do solos/duos/trios as part of our in-house comps. We will also be considering them for regional solos/duos/trios, however, this is by invite only and only if we feel it is the best step for them and their dance journey. The graduation from in-house to regionals is completed by our Term Four in-house comp. Students in our Senior Academy may not be required to graduate.
April 22nd – 26th – CTDTA Comps Christchurch
July 7th – 9th – EVO Regional Comp
Sep 11th – 14th CTDTA Comps Rangiora (possibly a couple of squads if we need the stage time)
Jan 2026 – EVO International Finals (proposed trip)
We are once again offering the opportunity to head to the Gold Coast for the Evolution Finals. This was a trip we did in Jan 2024 and it was an absolutely fantastic experience for our dancers. This is not compulsory for our Academy students, however, we will need to be advised in advance so we can pre-plan the squads to take over. It is a great chance to double up and have a holiday but we are also more than happy to take students without families if it makes it more financially achievable.
There may also be other opportunities that arise during the year but information for these type of events will be emailed out before you commit as they are not part of our official calendar.
Children in our Academy programme will have the chance to perform in these shows…..there may also be other opportunities offered.
August 1st – 3rd – Academy Dinner & Floorshow
November 29th – Christmas in the Park (selected group only)
December 12th – 14th – End of Year Showcase
The fee for this programme is $225+gst per term and is invoiced with your general class fees invoice each term.
Students accepted into Academy will receive 10% off their Development package fee if they are doing a minimum of five additional classes per week.
Each year in January we run a week long training programme called the Academy camp where we push through the majority of our competition choreography and drill technique. We also include some fun activities to break it all up.
This camp is an opportunity for our Academy dancers to get to know each other and bond as well as getting a good head start on technique for the year and choreography. This camp is compulsory and is typically held in the final weeks of January
Due to academy being so reliant on a team effort we require each parent to sign an agreement on behalf of their child committing to the year ahead. It can be really upsetting for fellow students and the staff if we have a lack of commitment from some and then have to pull the group out of performances so please read the full contract before signing.
The Academy contract will be emailed out to you mid January.
If you think you have what it takes to join the Academy programme and wish to be considered then register your interest below. There are a lot of things we look for in a student before they are accepted into this programme. If you would like some more information about this then please email us to discuss.
The 2026 intake will be based on there 2025 class work and the End of Year Showcase. We do not run physical auditions as we already know the dancers well. We may also offer places in Academy to students who shine during our in-house comps through solos or performance squads.
Existing Academy members and any new applicants will be notified after the End of Year Showcase if they have been accepted into the 2026 year intake.
