To foster participation, Cowra Civic Centre will make their spaces available for participants to film their entries.

Sharp Short Dance, Sydney's most exciting youth dance festival, offers the best young dancers and choreographers from across NSW the opportunity to showcase their talent to a panel of industry professionals and compete for a variety of prizes and awards.

Registrations for the annual festival have opened, with the digital heats and final taking place from Monday, October 26 to Saturday, November 21.

Registrations are open to those aged 21 years and under.

Participants are asked to submit a dance film or recorded performance of up to three minutes in length.

Mentorship sessions with film and dance experts will be offered to provide advice regarding the technicalities involved in producing an effective digital dance work.

The general public will be able to vote for their favourite works across three online heats from Monday, October 26, and a panel of industry professionals will award the best works in a live streamed final held on Saturday, November 21.

"In our original planning Cowra Civic Centre was going to host a heat of regional entries, but with the impact of COVID-19 that all changed. It's exciting that the festival is still able to go ahead in a digital format," Venue Manager Jonathan Llewellyn said.

"If participants need a space to film their entry, Cowra Civic Centre has offered use of the venue to assist. We don't want young dancers and choreographers to miss out if they don't have a space."

A panel of industry professionals will be judging the submitted works, seeking excellence in performance and innovative choreography.

Awards to be won include Outstanding Performers, Outstanding Solo, Duet and Ensemble Performances, Outstanding Dance Film Production, Best Original Music Score, and the Audience Choice Award. Sharp Short Dance participants are also eligible for highly sought-after industry secondment opportunities with professional dance companies such as the Sydney Dance Company Pre-Professional Year.

Applications to register can be downloaded from the Cowra Civic Centre website: https://cowraciviccentre.mailchimpsites.com/sharp-short-dance-2020.

To book the Civic Centre for your entry, email the Civic Centre at civiccentre@cowra.nsw.gov.au with your name and contact number.

Bookings are essential and COVID-19 Safe Guidelines must be followed.

Key Dates:

Registrations close: Monday, September 14

Submission of final work: October 19

Heat One: Monday, October 26 to Thursday, October 29

Heat Two: Monday, November 2 to Thursday, November 5

Heat Three: Monday, November 9 to Thursday, November 12

Heat Finalists: Monday, November 16 to Tuesday, November 17

Live Streamed Final: Saturday, November 21 at 7:00pm

Final tickets from $15