The West Gippsland Dance Festival will return for its 31st year over the September school holidays.
From Friday September 15 to Sunday September 24, dancers ranging from under six to 17 and over will grace the stage at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, showcasing their talents in ballet, jazz, tap, neo-classical, song and dance, contemporary, hip hop and more.
Festival president, Chloe Smethurst said there had been an increase in dancer entries from previous years.
"We're expecting over 500 dancers over the nine days of the festival," she said.
Ms Smethurst said the festival saw a drop in teenage competitors after the COVID-19 lockdowns due to the difficulties of remote dance classes, but the increased entries this year was a positive sign for the festival and for local dance schools.
"2019 was a bit of a peak year for us, it will take some time for us to return to pre-COVID entry levels. Where we are at the moment is a nice sustainable level for the festival."
While being on stage in front of an audience can be a challenging experience for young dancers, Ms Smethurst said the festival was designed to help improve their skills
"It's all about building confidence and getting out on stage," Ms Smethurst said. "Dancers can build friendships and learn life lessons about teamwork and resilience."
The West Gippsland Dance Festival has attracted dancers from both Gippsland and metropolitan areas since its inception in 1991. In keeping with the ever changing dance industry, the festival has this year created a hip hop solo section.
"Hip hop is a big part of the dance industry, we see it all through pop culture and music videos" Ms Smethurst said. "We'll keep expanding our festival to adapt to the industry."
The festival committee and volunteers have worked tirelessly to organise the event.
"It's a massive effort," Ms Smethurst said. "Hundreds of hours of work have been done by the time the festival is wrapped up."
More information about the festival and the running sheet for competitors is available at http://westgippslanddancefestival.org.au.