The circus and dance crew will go onstage on the evening of Friday, August 26 and again on Saturday.

Teacher Sharon McCutcheon said the 26 students were excited after training for five months.

“The energy is very high,” she said on Friday afternoon.

“I am very proud of them and they are a credit to the Bay. They are great ambassadors.”

The first three pictures in our gallery show Bay High students in fine form at rehearsal, followed by more than 100 shots of students from the South Coast and further afield.

Thousands of smiling, and some nervous, faces packed the WIN Entertainment Centre on Thursday for the final dress rehearsal for this year’s Southern Stars.

Students from across the Illawarra and South Coast and as far away as Bourke have been practicing their singing, dancing and instruments for months for Ignite.

About 12,000 people are expected to attend one of the four shows running on Friday and Saturday.

Executive producer and Nowra Public School principal Ian Millard said the influx of new visitors would be great for the Wollongong economy.

“With quite a few new schools from outside of the Wollongong area, we are recording very healthy ticket sales from all over NSW,” Mr Millard said.

There’ll also be performances from circus troupes, moving drama items, the Millennium Marching Band, Indigenous pieces and some audience participation.

For further ticket information, visit: www.ticketmaster.com.au