Subjects

Who is it for?

This subject is for students who:

• love to dance
• wish to learn more about the art and craft of choreography and dance
• are willing to expand their understanding of what dance is
• are curious and passionate about dance.

As a dancer, your body is your instrument through which you communicate meaning through movement. As a choreographer, you can create the movements that can challenge and move an audience’s perspective. Culture enriches our lives and being a dancer and choreographer puts you in the centre of being an agent for change and beauty.

Dancers are often vibrant, fit, energetic and positive people. Participating in this course will expand your analysis skills. Your understanding will grow, about how choreographers develop meaning through movement. Your own skills as a thinking dancer will lift. The skills that you learn in VCE Dance will enhance aspects of your life as you head into the performing arts, arts education and fitness sectors.

What do you do?

You will complete some of the following activities:

• creating and making your own solo dance works showing a range of movements, which explores the criteria as set by the VCAA

• learning, rehearsing and performing a learnt group dance as a VSV class

• analysing solo works and group works created by world famous choreographers

• learning VCE terminology and applying terminology to analysis

• discussing and describing dance movements in your own and others works, to show meaning.

What skills do you need?

You should possess basic dance skills from taking regular dance classes in any style. These classes can be at a dance studio or from an online provider and ensure that you are continuing to develop your dance skills.

Creative skills such as problem solving, being organised in order to complete tasks, and being intrinsically motivated are important to learning in an online environment.

Skills such as filming, condensing files if required and uploading to a video sharing site, will also come in handy during the year.

What skills do you develop?

By the end of the year you should have developed:

• dance compositional skills that are displayed in the two solos that you create which cover the VCAA criteria
• a proficiency in analysing a range of dance works
• an ability to discuss your own processes in the learning/creating/rehearsing and performing solo and group works
• an understanding of influences on choreographers and how these influences affect the creation of dance works
• a greater understanding of how to watch and appreciate dance works.

Requirements

You must have access to a device and the internet in order to access this online course. All weekly work will be completed and submitted online.

It is recommended that you are taking regular dance classes in the style/s of your choice to keep developing dance skills.

You will need to be available to attend a Unit 3 Seminar in Term 1 to complete the Outcome 3 SAC as a class.

Optional events include attending Top Class in Melbourne and the Unit 4 Seminar in Term 3 as well as a mock exam at one of the VCAA exam venues.
Being able to film your dance compositional work on a device and upload filmed files of your dancing is a requirement of this course.

Things to think about

VCE Dance requires a dancer to become a ‘thinking’ dancer. This means that you understand that there is more to dancing than being able to kick your leg up high. A thinking dancer can unpack the what, how, where and who of a dance and write that information down. The thinking dancer can describe not only the dance steps that they observe and create, but can use the VCE Dance terminology and find links between what the movement is, and what the movement means.

The first School Assessed Coursework in Unit 3 includes learning and performing a group dance with your VSV class mates. This seminar SAC is important to attend. You not only meet your teacher and class mates at this seminar, you work through all of the outcomes for Unit 3 and you dance and perform together.

You will be required to film and submit solo phrases for ongoing solo feedback.

Things you can do now

Unit 3 requires you to analyse two prescribed works. You could start by:

• watching any documentaries about Bangarra Dance Theatre on ABC iview as you will be studying works from Bangarra in this course.
• start listening to music that inspires you to create your solos
• take extra summer classes in a different styles of dance to expand your experience of dance
• go to as many live dance performances as you can
• watch a variety of YouTube videos of dance and dancers
• go to the VCAA website to familiarise yourself with the criteria for the solos and read through the Chief Assessor’s report from previous years to gain greater understanding of what is expected.

+look at the Bangarra Theatre Company website for information on this amazing Australian company, in particular ‘Terrain’ by Frances Rings.