Middle School Subjects – Dance
Dance is expressive movement with purpose and form.
Through dance, students represent, question and celebrate human experience, using the body as the instrument and movement as the medium for personal, social, emotional, spiritual and physical communication. Like all art forms, dance has the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging students to reach their creative and expressive potential.
Dance enables students to develop a movement vocabulary with which to explore and refine imaginative ways of moving individually and collaboratively. Students choreograph, rehearse, perform and respond as they engage with dance practice and practitioners in their own and others’ cultures and communities.
Students use the elements of dance to explore choreography and performance and to practise choreographic, technical and expressive skills. They respond to their own and others’ dances using physical and verbal communication.
Active participation as dancers, choreographers and audiences promotes students’ wellbeing and social inclusion. Learning in and through dance enhances students’ knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures and contexts and develops their personal, social and cultural identity (Australian Curriculum 2018).
In addition to the overarching aims of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, dance knowledge, understanding and skills ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students develop:
- body awareness and technical and expressive skills to communicate through movement confidently, creatively and intelligently
- choreographic and performance skills and appreciation of their own and others’ dances
- aesthetic, artistic and cultural understanding of dance in past and contemporary contexts as choreographers, performers and audiences
- respect for and knowledge of the diverse purposes, traditions, histories and cultures of dance by making and responding as active participants and informed audiences.
As well as extra curricula options including, Musical Theatre and Dance Competitions from Year 7, Dance begins as a specific elective choice from Year 8-12.
Year 8
Potential Class Topics:
- Movement Vocabulary
- Acrobatics
- Social Dance
- Dance Film
Students consolidate their knowledge and understanding of a variety of dramatic communication methods through various learning tasks and assessment types. These include:
- Skills Development: Technique and Choreography
- Creative Explorations: Performing Dance
- Dance Contexts: Viewing Live Dance Performance, Analysis of Indigenous Dance Company - Banagarra
Year 9
Potential Class Topics:
- Safe Dance Warm Up
- Commercial Dance
- Theatrical Performance
Students consolidate their knowledge and understanding of a variety of dramatic communication methods through various learning tasks and assessment types. These include:
- Skills Development: Technique and Choreography
- Creative Explorations: Performing Dance
- Dance Contexts: Viewing Live Dance Performance, Analysis of Professional Live Dance Theatre