After an excellent first series, Dance Academy returns (finally) to ABC3 with the same cast along with some new kids. It’s a unique Australian series offering excellent teen drama with some great actors that can actually dance. From the press release:

It’s a rollercoaster year for Tara Webster (Xenia Goodwin) and her friends at the National Academy, during the new series of ABC3’s awarding-winning teen drama Dance Academy (26 x 30”). As they begin Second Year, friendships and relationships fall apart as new ones are being forged; and rivalry and jealousy kick in as the students are forced to work harder than ever before in preparation for the world’s premiere ballet competition, the Prix de Fonteyn.

Shaking things up this series are three new characters – Grace Whitney (Issi Durant), an ex-Royal Ballet School student, gorgeous new boy, Ben Tickle (Thomas Lacey), and Saskia Duncan (Brooke Harman), an extraordinary dancer from The Company.

Grace effortlessly assumes the title as best student in the class, if not the Academy. Brilliant and dangerous, Grace is the sort of person who always gets what she wants, manipulates people without them knowing and is very difficult to catch out when she does something wrong.

In contrast, Benjamin Tickle is a breath of fresh air at the Academy. He’s like a puppy – boundless energy, a short attention span and the potential to lick you if he likes you enough. He has a tendency to say the wrong thing, has an aversion to personal hygiene and he’s hiding a secret that he’s not willing to share.

Saskia’s onstage injury has put a temporary stop to her stellar dancing career, so while she recovers she is appointed a teacher to the Second Year students. Unlike Miss Raine who pushed Tara because she saw potential, Saskia wages a personal and unjust war against Tara, which pushes Tara to breaking point and threatens her place at the Academy.

Meanwhile, Sammy’s (Tom Green) life has become increasingly more hectic as he works long hours to pay his tuition and has to deal with the confusion of finding himself attracted to both boys and girls. Ethan (Tim Pocock) helps Abigail (Dena Kaplan) discover her talents outside of Ballet. Kat (Alicia Banit) discovers that her independence away from the Academy is not all that it’s cracked up to be and now has to fight her way back into the Academy. And, in the hope of figuring out who he is, Christian seeks out his father, while falling for the one person who is completely off limits.

And if all that wasn’t enough for the students a heartbreaking tragedy strikes the Academy, which throws life as they know it upside down.

Expect more drama, blood, sweat and blisters in this exciting new second series of Dance Academy!

A brilliant line-up of Australian talent guest stars in this series of Dance Academy including – Tara Morice (Strictly Ballroom, Home and Away), Kip Gamblin (Moulin Rouge, Home and Away, All Saints), Peter O’Brien (White Collar Blue, Crownies), Susie Porter (East West 101, My Place), Sascha Horler (Praise, Rake), Jessica Tovey (Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Underbelly), Jolene Anderson (Rush, All Saints) and Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Wild Boys, Underbelly).

Dance Academy – season 2 premiere Mon 12/02 6:30pm, ABC3.
Screening Monday to Thursday at 6.30pm on ABC3.