About 20 students from Hunter River and Irrawang high schools, on Worimi country, and Hunter Sports High and Callaghan College Jesmond, Awabakal country, have been selected to perform a traditional Indigenous dance at McDonald Jones Stadium before the Knights take on the Rabbitohs on July 8.

The opportunity has been provided by NRL School to Work, an education and employment program that uses rugby league to support young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is supported by the Knights.

Zoe Khan from NRL School to Work said the dance collaboration gave the students an opportunity to connect with their country and culture.

"These four schools are part of our program and have shown a real interest in it," she said. "Providing this opportunity for them is a way for us to give back. It has been really good to see these kids from different countries come together and learn about their own culture as well as each other's through dance. It's going to be a great performance."

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It is the second year NRL School to Work, which is marking its 10^th anniversary in 2022, has provided an opportunity for students to perform a dance prior to a Knights game.

Last year it was before the Knights' Indigenous round game. This year the Knights played away during the Indigenous round in May.

Instead, the students have been given the opportunity to perform before the Knights home game during NAIDOC Week, which this year runs July 3-10.

The dance will tell the story of the Worimi and Awabakal students coming together to share their cultures with one another and the wider community.

The young women will wear black with white and ochre handprints, and brightly coloured sarongs, arm bands and headbands. The young men will wear lap-laps and cover their bodies with white paint.

Elders from both nations will be present on the field as the students dance.

The group of students met for a dance rehearsal at Hunter River High School in Raymond Terrace on Wednesday, June 22. It was the second of four planned rehearsals before the performance.

The dance has been created and is being taught by David Coleman and Norm Shillingsworth, who plays the didgeridoo, from Yangkay Dreaming.

The pair have a seven year relationship with Hunter Sports High and was asked to come on board to teach the students the four minute dance with "traditional storylines" and that highlights "different communities coming together".

"It has been a challenge but its coming together well," Mr Coleman said. "The kids know the dance, now it's about fine tuning it."

Brooke Roach, Hunter River High's Aboriginal education officer, said students picked to be part of the dance are from the school's Wongagee dance group and those with leadership qualities.

"This is a great opportunity," he said. "It's great that kids from outside of Newcastle have been included in this opportunity. It really strengthens that sense of belonging"

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