What is it really like to perform at the Youth Dance Festival? Two dancers share their story from the stage

Posted on 15 October, 2026

Ever wondered what it’s like to perform in the Ausdance ACT Youth Dance Festival? Here, two of this year’s participants share their experience for other students thinking about taking the stage.

Youth Dance Festival is back for another year, with the theme ‘The Metaverse’. Playing a large and impactful part in Canberra’s performing arts community since 1984, the entirely student-led project is ready for three days packed with new and original performances.

Commonly referred to as “Dance Fest” or YDF, the festival has a history spanning more than four decades. Following its inaugural year as a secondary school dance competition, it transitioned to a non-competitive format and has remained so ever since.

YDF has provided performance opportunities for over 45,000 young people in a professional setting and evolved as part of dance’s incorporation as a subject into the National Australian education curriculum led by Ausdance.

Being a part of YDF is exciting and meaningful thanks to this long history and culture. For many of the students involved, contributing to its legacy is incredibly fun and its accessibility means that no matter your background in dance, everyone feels welcome.

We asked two of this year’s participants, Helen and Sophia, to tell us about their experience leading up to the shows running from Tuesday 27 until Thursday 29 October.

What was it like participating in YDF?

Helen: Participating in Youth Dance Festival has given me an amazing opportunity to collaborate with others and create a routine with everyone’s unique ideas and perceptions of the metaverse. During the process of choreographing my section, drawing inspiration from real aspects of the metaverse significantly helped with creativity as I was able to take visual and physical effects and use them as a blueprint for choreography. I often find myself with a creative block when choreographing, and although this did happen multiple times, it was very helpful having a theme to go back to. Not only did I get the chance to choreograph, but I was also given the role of costume designer with Sophia. Having the responsibility to decide the look and vibe of costumes was such a fun experience, and I loved having permission to take that initiative.

Sophia: Participating in the 2026 Youth Dance Festival has given me a lovely opportunity to creatively collaborate with others and work on an original routine. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to work on my own choreography, as well as having the opportunity to work on the costume process and design for this task. This overall experience was the highlight of my year, and I cannot wait to show all the hard work my class and I have done at this year’s 2026 YDF.

How do you know if you have a place in YDF?

Sophia: Since stopping competitive dance a few years ago, I have been looking for an opportunity to dance again for fun, which is when Youth Dance Festival came in. I decided to take dance as a course for my last year in college to have a subject that brings me enjoyment. Our teacher, Kimi, told us about YDF as an opportunity for us to choreograph a fully student-led routine. Also, a part of the creative process is the opportunity to design costumes, lighting, and sound.

What I love about the process for YDF is its non-competitive environment. This creates a lovely atmosphere full of fun and enjoyment in the dance space. Given YDF revolves around a heavy focus on creative concepts, there is no worry or pressure to have technique and formal training, as people of all skill levels can participate. While there is a big focus on the students choreographing and dancing, there are also opportunities for work experience, where students can apply for backstage crew roles. This brings a great sense of community to the space, as everyone has their specific roles to fulfil.

Helen: Youth Dance Festival is a very inclusive event that allows participation for everyone, no matter their skill level. Rather than focusing on technique and structure, its main priority is on creative concepts. It is meant for fun and enjoyment purposes and has a welcoming atmosphere for diversity; it is very accessible for people with disabilities. Previous experience and background in dance are not required – if you have a passion for it, that’s all you need!

This event also offers many other experiences. Year 11 and 12 students can apply for backstage crew roles as part of the work experience (WEX) program Youth Dance Festival offers alongside their showcase, providing an amazing opportunity for students wanting hands-on experience. There are also multiple opportunities for students interested in filming and digital editing to create dance films with the possibility of getting screened during the live showcase.

How do I gain professional experience from YDF?

Sophia: YDF is giving me and many others the unique opportunity to experience and perform in a professional theatre environment. I am getting the opportunity to see how backstage works, and all the work that goes into it. While we get chances to work on a lot of the backstage details, we will also get the chance to perform on stage. Performing on stage used to be my favourite part of dancing competitively. There is a certain connection you feel when on stage, especially when you exchange energy with a live audience that you cannot get in a studio environment. This is giving me and many other students the opportunity to experience this, which is a very special opening.

Helen: It’s a unique opportunity for students to perform in a professional theatre and experience what it’s like to be part of a live show. Students can see how lighting, costumes and backstage management work while gaining real theatre experience and learning. For those who are new to the performance scene and have never performed onstage, Youth Dance Festival provides that chance without the competitive and intimidating setting.

Do you actually get to contribute to the performance?

Sophia: One of my favourite things about the YDF process is how much input us students have. From the get-go, we do all the original work – from choreography to lighting choices and costume choices. It allows students like me to express ourselves and our understanding of the theme through movement, music and art. We have been able to expand our independent thinking and choice-making skills. I had the opportunity to work on the costume choices, which was a fun way to show my creativity. In class, we had to give a completely student-led costume pitch every couple week which was nice as we were responsible for a part of the final piece.

Helen: The student-led concept is an aspect I love. In a sense, it gives students a creative voice and space to showcase their skills and talent. Having the chance to choreograph and choose costumes according to my own interpretations of the metaverse theme allowed me to be independent and take initiative and express my wants for choreography and costume design. Generally, Youth Dance Festival gives students the chance to express themselves and their understanding of themes through movement, music and art.

How is the metaverse relevant for our generation?

Helen: With the fast growth of technology, the metaverse theme is relevant to young people, as it is a significant factor that shapes how they learn, socialise and show their creativity through a 3D platform. Especially with concerns of children becoming dependent on technology and losing originality, the mMetaverse is a great solution.

The metaverse theme has helped with choreographing the routine as it allows us to draw on our personal experiences with technology. Personally, I have never experienced the metaverse, however I have watched many movies such as Jumanji that give similar vibes and reflect the concept of it. These movies inspired certain movements that I used as a theme and blueprint in my choreography. When a creative block occurred, visualising aspects of Jumanji and coming back to themes greatly helped overcome that block.

I also believe the metaverse is relevant to young people as it shows endless possibilities which encourages thinking outside the box.

Does it really help you build confidence and connections?

Sophia: While YDF has allowed my confidence to grow – especially coming back to dancing after some time – I think the main thing that I have gained and will continue to gain from this experience is the connection. Our dance class is small, with only eight of us, so everyone has been able to form a genuine connection over the past eight months. I have found some of my closest friends through this experience for YDF, which contributes to my love of the event. Through this preparation time, there have been lots of opportunities in class to collaborate with each other, as well as communicating and sharing ideas. As everyone is working towards a shared goal, it further creates a sense of teamwork, giving me déjà vu from when I was in a dance troupe. While this process has created more connections for myself, I have also felt my wellbeing increase. Moving and being active boosts my overall mood, so dance is a great way to relieve stress while helping my mental, physical and social wellbeing by engaging my brain and body simultaneously.

Helen: Dance can often initially feel intimidating, however is an amazing way to boost confidence and overall wellbeing. Whether you are stressed or in a bad mood, dancing is a great way to combat that. It is no surprise there is a common shared fear of judgement and failure within the dance community – personally, I was worried about not being able to make choreography suitable to the metaverse theme. However, through this task I realised I needed to step outside of my comfort zone and experiment with new and different ideas. This was a great way to discover new capabilities, which greatly helped build my confidence and left me feeling satisfied with my result.

What advice do you have for students thinking about participating?

Helen and Sophia: Youth Dance Festival is a great experience, and we definitely recommend it! The two of us have had an unforgettable experience in the process leading up to this year’s Youth Dance Festival. Through this process, we have enjoyed not only the practical tasks of choreography and designing costumes, but also the friends we made along the way, our boost in confidence and collaboration skills, and the initiative we got to take. We hope to see you at YDF in October!