Dance
At Pittwater High School, Dance can be selected as an elective subject in Year 8, Years 9-10 and Years 11-12.
Year 8 Dance
Under the guidance of our experienced senior Dance teacher, Linda Fabbro, students will experience and enjoy dance as an art form through performance, composition and appreciation. The course enables students to express ideas creatively and to communicate physically, verbally and in written forms.
Pittwater High School has an outstanding dance performance space consisting of a sprung floor, dance bars and mirror wall.
Two thirds of the dance periods will be practical. The course content includes:
Performance | Skills in various dance styles techniques and communication of ideas through movement as an artform. | 40% |
Composition | The art of choreography, self-expression and communication of ideas through movement. | 35% |
Appreciation | Study of dance history and influences of various dance styles in a social cultural context. |
25% |
Benefits of studying Dance as an elective include:
● an avenue for physical activity
● the development of team work, communication, problem solving skills and self expression
● increased confidence and self esteem
● an improvement in Dance performance/technique
Year 9/10 Dance
Under the guidance of our experienced senior Dance teacher, students will experience and enjoy dance as an art form through performance, composition and appreciation. In an integrated study of the practices of dance, students develop both physical skill and aesthetic, artistic and cultural understandings. The course enables students to express ideas creatively and to communicate physically, verbally and in written forms as they choreograph, perform and analyse dances and dance forms.
What will students learn about?
All students study dance performance, composition and appreciation. They will learn about the elements of dance (space, time and dynamics) and how they are used in, and link, the three practices. They will learn about performing dances with an awareness of safe dance practice, dance technique and performance quality. They will learn about how dance expresses ideas, feelings and experiences as they construct dance compositions to communicate ideas. Students will learn about people, culture and society as they study and analyse dance performances, compositions and dance works of art.
What will students learn to do?
Students will learn to perform a range of dances in a variety of styles with a working knowledge of safe dance practice. They will learn to structure movement as they compose dances to express their ideas, feelings and experiences. Additionally, students will learn to use the language of dance and to describe movements using the elements of dance as they view, discuss, read and write about dance. Drawing from their experiences gained in performing, composing and appreciating dances, students will learn to make connections between the making and performing of the movement and the appreciation of its meaning.
How is the subject assessed?
Students will be assessed on their performance, composition and appreciation of dance. They will also be assessed on their development of capabilities such as communication, collaboration, creative/critical thinking and resilience.
Year 11/12 Dance
Dance has been an integral component of every known culture, providing a means of expression and an extension of work and lifestyle patterns. It has accompanied the evolution of humanity as an integral part of the history of human movement, culture and communication. Dance provides a way of knowing about oneself, other people and the world.
The study of dance as an artform in education is based on the study of three interrelated components: Performance, Composition and Appreciation. The study of dance as an artform is not to be confused with or considered as the ‘art of a dance’. Such references are frequently associated with the intrinsic or technical qualities or level of execution related to the performance of a particular movement identified with specific dance styles.
Through the study of dance as an artform, students learn about and through dance performance. That is, the knowledge, understanding and skills in physically preparing the body to dance (Dance Technique) and the application and demonstration of knowledge, understanding and skills in a ‘Dance’/‘Work’. They learn about and through dance composition. That is, the knowledge, understanding and skills which underpin the theories, principles, processes and practices of dance composition. The students are encouraged to create and develop a personal response that communicates intent. They learn about and through appreciation of dance as works of art. That is, the study of seminal artists and works for their contribution to the development of dance.
In Dance Stage 6, students are able to study dance as a unique artform in which the body is the instrument for non-verbal communication and expression. The study of dance as an artform within the school environment is of special educational value to the students’ total development, as it offers students new ways of learning through the performance, composition and appreciation of dance.
The Dance Stage 6 Syllabus emphasises dance both as an artform in its own right and as an exciting medium for learning that fosters students’ intellectual, social and moral development. The artform of dance has a theoretical base that challenges the mind and the emotions, and its study contributes to the students’ artistic, aesthetic and cultural education. The study of dance as an artform acknowledges the interrelationship between the practical and theoretical aspects of dance — the making and performing of the movement and the appreciation of its meaning.
Learning results from experience, and the theoretical and practical knowledge augment and enrich one another. Through the study of dance as an artform, students learn the skills of dance, to perform and create dances, to critically analyse, respond, enjoy and make discerning judgments about dance, and to gain knowledge and understanding.
Students learn to manage their own learning and to work together with others in a range of capacities: as performers, composers, as students in a cooperative learning environment, through problem-solving tasks and through group work.
The Dance Stage 6 course is designed for students who have completed the Dance 7–10 Syllabus, for those with other previous dance experience and for those who are studying dance for the first time. It caters for a broad range of students from varying social and cultural backgrounds. The subject acknowledges the cultural diversity within the Australian community and offers students opportunities to reflect their own and others’ life experiences as part of the course content.
The Dance Stage 6 course equips students with life skills while also providing continuity with many tertiary and industry courses. Students who study the Dance Stage 6 course acquire skills and knowledge that give them access to professional employment in dance, the performing arts and the entertainment and leisure industries.
Year 11
Equal emphasis is placed on the three components of study :
● Core Performance Dance: practical with theory
Body Skills / Dance Technique – understanding your body type and improving dance skills
Safe Dance Practice – preparing and maintaining physical fitness for dance
● Core Composition Dance: practical with theory
Elements of composition/choreography – intent, motifs, create a personal style
Elements of construction – structure, development, unity
● Core Appreciation: dance analysis as an artform
Year 12
● Core Performance: 20 marks
● Core Composition: 20 marks
● Core Appreciation – the study of two prescribed dance works: 20 marks
● Major Study elective: 40 marks
*choose one of the following :
– Performance or Composition or Composition & Media or Appreciation