A NATIONAL dance competition is calling for students at Parkview Public School.
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Wakakirri is Australia's largest performing arts event schools and includes challenges for both primary and secondary students.
It is a storytelling competition through dance and Parkview Public was lucky enough to qualify to take part, with a large group of students putting in the hard work for many months in the lead up to the stage extravaganza.
"It's a little bit different to the dances we do for the Riverina Dance Festival or KROP because it has that storytelling element to it," Parkview's Julie Axtill said.
"The competition is national, so each state holds its own competition within a larger competition.
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"We go to Canberra on August 1 and perform at the Canberra Theatre, which is a first for all of our children.
"It's a massive production the students haven't experienced before."
Parkview Public is the first Leeton school to take part in the competition.
The dance group's routine looks at the drought and its impact on the Leeton shire community.
They will be judged by a panel, but will face some stiff competition in the process across the many different categories.
A Wakakirri "story-dance" is a three-to-seven minute performance which uses a combination of dancing, creative movement and acting to pre-recorded music.
Schools can tell any story and use any combination of dance, acting, music, sets, props and costumes.
"Our dance is six minutes long ... the students have been working very hard," Mrs Axtill said.
"They are here most lunch times, after school and they'll be rehearsing in the school holidays too.
"The effort they've shown is amazing. The experience of being on such a big stage will be great for them.
"They get to walk the red carpet and meet the judging panel, which includes people like 'Emma Wiggle', Justine Clarke and Alex Papps.
"So there's some pretty big high-profile names in there."
Every school's story is recorded during the event and will go online at "Wakakirri TV" where family friends back in Leeton can vote for Parkview Public in the people's choice category.
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