Hunter DrillDance is a local branch of DrillDance Australia.

Formerly the Australian Marching Association, DrillDance Australia has its roots firmly planted in military drill.

A relatively new sport, drill dance is different from marching in that it allows greater freedom of movement and incorporates various dance styles such as jazz, hip-hop and contemporary.

"There are no rules," Hunter DrillDance coach Debbie Marton said.

"[Marching] began to die off so they modernised and rebranded it and made it this spectacular thing to watch.

"We still have the technical drill but everything else we make up on our own so it's much more exciting [than marching]."

Mrs Marton started the Hunter club last August and already one of its teams is headed for nationals in April.

Having joined the marching girls when she was five and competing up until 2005, Mrs Marton had a wealth of experience including choreography as she created her solo pieces for competitions.

But it wasn't until she and her then 15-year-old daughter Kaiya Marshall saw a drill dance performance in Sydney two years ago that she dusted off the boots and got back into it.

"It's going really well, so it was a great decision," she said.

Hunter DrillDance has two teams - one senior and one junior.

However, with only four members, the junior team is too small to compete.

The seven seniors, including Mrs Marton, will represent the region at a local competition this Sunday, February 22, at The Forum.

They will go up against the prestigious Greenpoint DrillDance Club.

Mrs Marton said the team would use this weekend's performance to see how they stacked up against Greenpoint, which will also send a team to nationals in Bendigo, Victoria.

Hunter DrillDance is recruiting for next season, which starts in July. Email hunterdrilldance@hotmail.com or phone Debbie Marton on 0450 725 429.