At Orewa College, we create, perform, and communicate through the Arts
This page brings together Arts learning at Orewa College, including Performing Arts (Dance, Drama, and Music) and Visual Art. It outlines what students can expect in Years 7 to 13, including junior programmes, course options in Years 9 and 10, senior course pathways, scholarship opportunities, and co-curricular activities.
Performing Arts Department
Dance, Drama, and Music
Orewa College’s Performing Arts Department includes Dance, Drama, and Music. Students have opportunities to specialise and develop skills across performance, creation, and collaboration.
Years 7 and 8 Performing Arts
Two semesters of compulsory Performing Arts
In the Year 7 and Year 8 Performing Arts Programme, students participate in two semesters of compulsory Performing Arts. During this time, students engage in one or more disciplines, Dance, Drama, and/or Music, gaining foundational knowledge and practical experience in each area.
- Music: Students develop an understanding of core musical concepts, including rhythm, notation, and composition. They also acquire basic keyboard, woodwind, or ukulele skills, enabling them to create and perform simple musical pieces.
- Drama: Students explore how voice, movement, and spatial levels contribute to storytelling and emotional expression. Through techniques such as freeze frames and spoken word, they devise original scenes that explore character relationships or reimagine classic fairytales with a twist. This work is enhanced through the introduction of performance technologies, including Foley sound, lighting design, and set construction.
- Dance: Students investigate how movement can be used to express ideas and narratives, with a focus on the dance elements. They also develop an introductory understanding of technical skills and stylistic features associated with selected dance genres.
Years 9 and 10 Dance
Developing dance elements, technique, and choreography
Year 9: Students develop an understanding of dance elements, choreographic process, basic dance styles, and techniques. This course is described as a semester-long course.
Year 10: Students develop an understanding of dance elements and choreographic processes. They look at a range of dance styles and create dances of their own. This course is described as a semester course, with an option for a full-year course.
