Dance Academy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dance Academy
Genre	Teen drama
Created by	Samantha Strauss Joanna Werner
Starring	Xenia Goodwin Alicia Banit Dena Kaplan Tom Green Jordan Rodrigues Tim Pocock Isabel Durant Thomas Lacey Keiynan Lonsdale Tara Morice
Opening theme	"My Chance" by The White Rhinos
Composer(s)	Bryony Marks
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	65 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bernadette O'Mahony Joanna Werner
Producer(s)	Joanna Werner
Cinematography	Martin McGrath
Camera setup	Multiple-camera setup
Running time	24–25 minutes
Production company(s)	Werner Film Productions ACTF
Distributor	ZDF Enterprises (Australia) CBS Studios International (United States)
Release
Original network	ABC1 / ABC3 (Australia) ZDF (Germany)
Picture format	HDTV
Original release	31 May 2010 (2010-05-31) – 30 September 2013 (2013-09-30)

Dance Academy is an exciting Australian TV show. It's a teen drama about young dancers. The show was made by Werner Film Productions. It worked with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF.

The first episode aired on May 31, 2010. The show had three seasons in total. There were 65 episodes. A movie called Dance Academy: The Movie was also made. It came out in Australian cinemas on April 6, 2017.

What the Show is About

Dance Academy mainly follows Tara Webster (Xenia Goodwin). She is a new student at the National Academy of Dance in Sydney. This academy is also a high school for the dancers.

Tara's First Year

In the first season, Tara learns a lot. She improves her ballet skills. She also tries contemporary ballet and hip-hop. Tara makes great friends at the academy. Her friends include Kat (Alicia Banit), Ethan Karamakov (Tim Pocock), Sammy Lieberman (Tom Green), Abigail Armstrong (Dena Kaplan), and Christian Reed (Jordan Rodrigues). She also gets to know her teacher, Ms. Raine (Tara Morice).

Second Year Challenges

In the second season, Tara returns for her second year. She hopes to represent Australia. This is for a big international ballet competition. New students join the academy. They are Grace Whitney (Isabel Durant), Ben Tickle (Thomas Lacey), and Ollie Lloyd (Keiynan Lonsdale). A new teacher, Saskia Duncan (Brooke Harman), also arrives. The characters also face a very sad event together.

Final Year Dreams

The third season shows the characters in their final year. They are all trying to get a contract. This contract is with a professional dance company. Grace and Tara get temporary spots. Kat stars in a dance film. Abigail and Ollie explore commercial dancing and singing. The third-year students also go on tour. They perform Romeo and Juliet across Australia.

Main Characters

The six main characters from series one, clockwise from left: Kat, Ethan, Sammy, Abigail, Tara and Christian

Here are some of the main characters you'll meet in Dance Academy:

Awards and Recognition

Dance Academy won several awards. It was also nominated for many others.

• In 2010, Jeffrey Walker won an award. It was for Best Direction in a Television Children's Program. This was for the episode "Behind Barres".
• In 2011, the show won a Kidscreen Award. This was for its great companion website.
• Dance Academy won a Logie Award in 2011. This was for Most Outstanding Children's Program.
• It won another Logie Award in 2013 for the same category.
• The show was nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2011. This was in the Children and Young People category.

Books About the Show

ABC Books has published seven paperback novels. Each book is based on an episode. They tell the story from one character's point of view. These books are published by ABC Books and HarperCollins Australia.

The Dance Academy Movie

A movie based on Dance Academy was announced in 2015. It received funding from Screen Australia. The movie is a sequel to the TV series. It takes place 18 months after the third season. The story follows Tara as she tries to become a ballet star.

Filming for the movie started in May 2016. It finished in July 2016. The first trailer came out on December 25, 2016. The movie was first called Dance Academy: The Comeback. It was later renamed Dance Academy: The Movie for its release in Australia. StudioCanal released it in cinemas on April 6, 2017. On Netflix, it is known as Dance Academy: The Comeback.

See also

In Spanish: Dance Academy para niños