As one of Western Australia’s largest & most successful dance eisteddfods, the Mandurah Festival of Dance has built a reputation of good repute on it’s geographical location, the friendly atmosphere and efficient management under which it is run.

The Mandurah Festival Of Dance started with an idea from Dianne Wood and the support of her husband Dave Wood.

When Dianne heard that Mandurah would be getting this beautiful Theatre, she knew she had the opportunity to create this amazing dance competition. It also offered the opportunity to bridge the gap (so to speak) between country based and city based students of dance, providing children the opportunity to do what they love doing in a professional theatre.

With a lot of competition experience and after a great deal of research, the first Mandurah Festival of Dance got under way in 1998 thanks to a strong support team of volunteer committee members. This consisted of a couples of mums and dads of students from Dianne’s Dance School, with Dave being the first Chairperson.

The very first Mandurah Festival of Dance was in July of 1998. The Festival’s adjudicator was a local teacher from Perth with 156 individual performers competing over three days. Today, we are proud to have 30+ participating schools with around 1200 individual performers who compete over a 10-12 day period in front of our interstate adjudicator.

With a wonderful setting at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and the close proximity to accommodation and the surrounding restaurants, marina, cinema and estuary, it was no wonder that the Festival exceeded all expectations.

Over the last 25 years, Dianne has loved watching the festival grow and change, the camaraderie that each school shows one another and the friendships it has created has been sound to none to witness.