James Fallon High School has been hosting the Riverina Dance Camp, an annual three-day camp bringing together students from across the state.

Students from Wagga, Balranald, Leeton, Young and various other areas have travelled to Albury for the camp.

James Fallon arts teacher and dance instructor Katrina Joss said the camp represented a crucial opportunity for aspiring dancers from around the region to learn alongside their peers.

“This is a major event on the Riverina arts calendar, kids have come from all over the region to be here,” she said.

“We’ve got three very qualified teachers from the Sydney Dance Company teaching three varieties of dance.

“It’s exciting because a lot of these kids are from remote or rural areas and don’t get this type of opportunity all that often. 

“It’s important to give them a chance to dance alongside kids who are at the same skill level with really experienced teachers guiding them.” 

NSW Education Department arts coordinator for the Riverina Di Alexander said the camp was an important way to ensure arts pathways remained open for all regional students.

“We call it the pathway to excellence,” she said.

“It's giving them a chance to step up a little bit and work with not only the instructors from Sydney, but locals like Katrina and like Graham Smith.

“It’s really good for the kids to see a different face and work with professional dancers.

“There have also been opportunities for teachers to learn and develop through the camp.”

The ultimate goal is to empower the students to return to their schools at the end of the camp and utilise what they've learned within their own programs.

“The kids respond to the camp really well,” Mrs Joss said.

“They go back to their schools with a lot of knowledge gained – a lot of them don't actually have programs at their schools.

“They can take what they've learned back and hopefully develop dance programs themselves.

“It's all about expanding their knowledge of composition and performance.

“It's a lot more than just learning a few new routines and techniques.

“This is a way we can bring them some of the resources metropolitan students have much easier access to.”

Participants in the camp will undertake training in theatrical, contemporary and hip-hop dancing.

Sixteen schools have students in attendance.