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Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Dance

  1. Introduction
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  1. 3-4
  2. 5-6
  3. 7-8

Levels 3 and 4

Levels 3 and 4 Description

In Levels 3 and 4, students make and respond to dance independently, collaboratively with peers and teachers, and as an audience for other dancers’ work.

Students extend their awareness of how the whole body and different parts, zone and bases can be used to communicate ideas. They explore and experiment with the elements of dance (direction, time, dynamics and relationships) and extend their movement and technical skills.

Students experience dance from a range of cultures, times and locations, and explore how these dances use expressive skills to communicate ideas and tell stories. They also explore the social and cultural contexts of dances they make, perform and view.

Levels 3 and 4 Content Descriptions

Explore and Express Ideas

  1. Improvise and structure movement ideas for dance sequences using safe dance practice, the elements of dance and choreographic devices (VCADAE025)
    Elaborations
    1. using the devices of contrast and repetition to explore and generate new movement ideas in response to stimuli, for example, using repetition to show emphasis
    2. using questions to explore forms and elements of dances they view and make, for example, how shapes are combined and varied in the dance
    3. exploring known movements to find alternative ways of performing them, for example, same action/different level, same action/different body part
    4. completing structured improvisations using choreographic devices of unison, canon, contrast and repetition
    5. working with symmetrical and asymmetrical group formations

Dance Practices

  1. Use choreographic devices to organise dance sequences, and practise body actions and technical skills (VCADAD026)
    Elaborations
    1. creating short dances that communicate ideas and feelings based on response to stimuli such as found objects
    2. practising combinations of fundamental locomotor and non-locomotor movements, for example, running and sliding, bending and stretching, walking and stretching
    3. developing safe dance practices, for example warming up their bodies before executing more complex movement patterns
    4. developing body awareness and technical skills of body control, accuracy, alignment, strength, balance and coordination, refining movement in response to teacher feedback and observation of other dancer’s skills

Present and Perform

  1. Perform dances using technical and expressive skills to communicate ideas and intentions to an audience (VCADAP027)
    Elaborations
    1. using production elements such as costume and props to communicate ideas and feelings in a dance about a place that is special to them
    2. using questions when refining dance works for performance to an audience, for example, is there a story in the dance? or how are they using grouping or pathways to communicate ideas in their dance?
    3. using expressive skills of projection and focus to communicate dance ideas to an audience, for example, looking out and up to the ceiling and extending movements to express happiness
    4. using the elements of dance to communicate ideas clearly, for example, using different body shapes to represent water flowing at different speeds

Respond and Interpret

  1. Identify how the elements of dance and production elements are used to express ideas in dance they make, perform and view, including in dances from local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (VCADAR028)
    Elaborations
    1. discussing the planning, developing or refining of aspects of a dance they are making and how their dance has been influenced by dance they have viewed or performed
    2. using questions to interpret dance from different times, places and locations, for example, what clues in the dance tell students where it was made, by whom and why, or can the students dance their journey from school to home?
    3. comparing the expectations and requirements of performers and audience in different cultural settings, for example, viewing a dance performed at a Tanderrum and talking about the roles of the performers, other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people taking part in the ceremony and the general audience
    4. comparing dances in their local community to dances of other people, times and locations
    5. using dance terminology to write about and discuss their intentions as dance-makers

Levels 3 and 4 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 4, students structure movements into dance sequences and use the elements of dance and choreographic devices to communicate their ideas and intentions. They make dances and perform safely with control, accuracy, projection and focus.

Students describe and discuss similarities and differences between dances they make, perform and view. They discuss how they and others organise the elements of dance to communicate ideas and intentions.

Levels 5 and 6

Levels 5 and 6 Description

In Levels 5 and 6, students are making and responding to dance independently and collaboratively with their peers, teachers and communities.

Students further develop their awareness of the body, their control and accuracy of body actions and their understanding of safe dance practice. They extend their ability to manipulate the elements of dance and use compositional devices to create more complex movements.

As they make and respond to dance as artists and audiences, students develop their awareness of how dance can communicate ideas about the past, present and future, about different environments, and cultural contexts.

Levels 5 and 6 Content Descriptions

Explore and Express Ideas

  1. Explore movement possibilities and choreographic devices using safe dance practice and the elements of dance to create movement ideas, sequences, and phrases (VCADAE029)
    Elaborations
    1. improvising new movement to communicate ideas in response to stimulus, for example, dancers grouped in close proximity to represent overcrowded cities
    2. exploring stimulus or analysing other dances to devise a variety of movement possibilities, for example, using safe dance practice to explore different ways to jump and land, roll and stand or spiral down to the ground
    3. using questions to interpret dance, for example, the movement of the body to communicate ideas about a story, character or idea, or how space is used in the dance
    4. using dance-making processes such as abstraction and improvisation to create movements and patterns that can be developed to become a sequence

Dance Practices

  1. Develop technical and expressive skills in fundamental movements and body actions and use choreographic devices to create dance sequences (VCADAD030)
    Elaborations
    1. participating in structured improvisations designed to build technical skill in body control, accuracy, alignment, strength, balance and coordination
    2. making and recording decisions about selected movement such as what to keep, what to discard or how to extend an idea
    3. rehearsing a combination of fundamental movements using different dynamics and levels, for example, faster and slower
    4. preparing and presenting a work in progress, developing and asking questions to check whether intended ideas have been perceived by the audience and make refinements to the dance in response to feedback
    5. using questions to develop understanding of forms and elements, for example, the clues in a dance re where it was made, by whom and why, or dances they are familiar with, or the styles of dance found in their community, or how they would represent their neighbourhood in a dance

Present and Perform

  1. Perform dance with technical competence, using expressive skills to communicate a choreographer’s ideas (VCADAP031)
    Elaborations
    1. developing expressive skills of focus, clarity of movement, confidence and facial expression/character to present dance ideas in performance for an audience
    2. applying the elements of dance to communicate dance ideas to an audience, for example, stop and start, percussive arm and upper body movements to express actions in a ball game, or rhythmic and accented movement to express the passage of time or the actions of a clock
    3. presenting a dance performance using internet-based technologies

Respond and Interpret

  1. Explain how the elements of dance and production elements communicate ideas in dances from different contexts they make, perform and view, including in dances by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (VCADAR032)
    Elaborations
    1. discussing the purpose of movements, elements of dance, production elements and use of projection and focus and how these can affect the mood of the audience
    2. using questions to compare features of dances from different societies and cultures for example, when comparing dances from India and Australia, what do they recognise, what is new to them, how do the dancers express ideas, and what performance spaces are used
    3. identifying and discussing the significance intended by a choreographer’s use of movement, space and energy, for example, the use of space and energy in an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander dance performed in their local community, a Chinese ribbon dance, or a Sumatran tambourine dance
    4. using questions to interpret a dance, for example, how the movement of the body is used to convey ideas about a story, character or idea, or how was space, costume and/or multimedia used to communicate ideas in the dance
    5. considering social and cultural influences as part of a discussion about the role of dance across societies, cultures, environments, locations and times, for examples, the protocols for performing an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander dance, conventions of a Kecak dance from Bali
    6. expressing opinions about the way dancers communicate their intentions through use of technical and expressive skills

Levels 5 and 6 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 6, students structure movements in dance sequences and use elements of dance and choreographic devices to make dances that communicate ideas and intentions. They perform dances for audiences, demonstrating technical and expressive skills and safe dance practice.

Students explain how the elements of dance, choreographic devices and production elements communicate ideas and intentions in dances they make, perform and view. They describe characteristics of dances from different social, historical and cultural contexts and discuss how these influence their dance making.

Levels 7 and 8

Levels 7 and 8 Description

In Levels 7 and 8, students make and respond to dance, independently, with their peers, teachers and communities. They explore dance forms and styles through choreography and performance and by exploring ideas and intentions, forms and elements.

Working within their own body capabilities, students use safe dance practice to build on their awareness of the body’s movement possibilities and...

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Levels 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Explore and Express Ideas

  1. Use safe dance practice, elements of dance, body actions and improvisations to explore ways of making literal movements into abstract movements (VCADAE033)
    Elaborations
    1. experimenting with realistic, everyday movements, for example, exaggerating the movement of a single body part such as the arm in eating spaghetti and blurring this into abstract movements
    2. analysing dances from a range of times and locations, considering how a single realistic movement can be manipulated from representational to symbolic
    3. asking questions about ideas from other choreographer’s work as a starting point for creating new work, for example, the choreographer’s intention for the dance, or ideas that students think the dance expressed
    4. using the elements of dance to develop new movements that still maintain the essence of the original movement
  2. Develop their choreographic intent by applying the elements of dance to select and organise movement (VCADAE034)
    Elaborations
    1. experimenting with different elements of dance to explore ideas and develop a choreographic intention for example, translating rhythms and notations of spatial patterns into movement
    2. improvising and then selecting movement to best communicate a choreographic intention, for example, a mood or emotion
    3. exploring movements that may have symbolic meaning in a social or cultural context, for example, communicate a specific idea by developing a recurring movement idea or motif
    4. using questions to analyse how choreographers select and organise movement to communicate choreographic intent, for example, the cultural context in which the dance was developed or viewed, and its significance, or the stylistic differences in street dance performances from different countries or regions across Asia, Europe and the USA

Dance Practices

  1. Practise and refine technical and expressive skills in style-specific techniques (VCADAD035)
    Elaborations
    1. learn, extending and practising movement vocabulary relevant to specific styles
    2. extending technical competences such as articulation, control, coordination, accuracy, alignment, balance, flexibility, strength and endurance
    3. using questions to develop or extend understanding of style-specific techniques, for example, viewing dances from different cultures and asking ‘is the relationship between dance, sound or music accompaniment the same for each dance?’, or ‘How costumes and props are used symbolically in dances?’
    4. applying safe dance practices when performing a specific dance style, for example, identifying the musculoskeletal system and linking to alignment
    5. analysing and practising technical skills to build safe dance practice, for example, develop awareness of self and others in a dance space and use techniques to control movement through the space
  2. Structure dances using choreographic devices and form (VCADAD036)
    Elaborations
    1. selecting, combining, refining and sequencing movement using choreographic devices such as transitions, variation and contrast and choreographic forms such as binary, ternary and narrative
    2. using questions to analyse the form and use of elements in a dance, for example, how elements of dance been used by the choreographer to express their stated intention, what choreographic devices are evident in the dance, what choreographic form has been used
    3. analysing and evaluating structural choices made by documenting their process in a journal, blog or video recording, securing permissions as necessary
    4. responding to feedback by changing aspects of the dance to enhance communication of ideas, for example, by changing the order and pattern of dance movement, phrases or sequences or by using choreographic devices
    5. using collaborative planning, selection and evaluation process to structure group dances

Present and Perform

  1. Rehearse and perform focusing on technical and expressive skills appropriate to style and/or choreographic intent (VCADAP037)
    Elaborations
    1. identifying and demonstrating distinct stylistic characteristics of dance, for example, body posture and attitude within various styles such as contemporary music theatre or hip hop, from different locations such as Asia or USA
    2. using evaluation and rehearsal strategies to enhance confidence, clarity of movement, project, focus and musicality in performance
    3. linking the application of the elements of dance to the communication of the choreographer’s intent when performing learnt dance works
    4. experimenting with alternative expressive skills to enhance performance presence and mood
    5. using questions to evaluate dance, for example, how successful was the choreographer in expressing his/her stated intention to the audience, or how well did the dancers use expressive skills in the performance?

Respond and Interpret

  1. Analyse how choreographers use elements of dance and production elements to communicate intent (VCADAR038)
    Elaborations
    1. deconstructing sections of a dance, for example identifying and describing recurring movement/s within sequences or the use of the elements of dance and production elements in a contemporary dance choreographed by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
    2. identifying and interpreting how interrelating elements, choreographic devices such as variation, contrast and transition and forms are used to communicate intent.
    3. presenting an informed opinion about a dance performance using descriptive, style-specific terminology, for example, identifying philosophical, ideological or political perspectives presented in the dance and considering how these perspectives affect the audience’s interpretation
    4. accessing and researching choreographers’ works through real or virtual performances to research choreographers’ intentions
  2. Identify and connect specific features of dance from different times and locations, including the dance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to explore viewpoints and enrich their dance-making (VCADAR039)
    Elaborations
    1. identifying the distinguishing stylistic features of different dances and consider how this can inform their choreography
    2. using questions to compare dance styles in different contexts, for example, ‘How does the dance relate to its social context and that of its audience?’, and ‘What are the conventions or protocols for viewing and performing the dance?’
    3. investigating the role of dance in transmitting cultural information, such as sharing stories from a Koorie community or advocating for change in relation to contemporary issues that face the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community
    4. recognising ethical issues for dancers and choreographers, for example, acknowledging sources, respecting the intellectual property of others

Levels 7 and 8 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 8 students choreograph and perform dances to communicate ideas and intentions. They improvise movement and select and organise the elements of dance, choreographic devices and form to communicate choreographic intent. Students learn, rehearse and perform dances, demonstrating technical and expressive skills appropriate to the dance style and safe dance practice.

Students identify and analyse the elements of dance, choreographic devices and production elements of dances in different styles and apply this knowledge to dances they make and perform. They evaluate how they and other dance practitioners from different cultures, times and locations, communicate ideas and intentions through dance.

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