Welcome to the 1st Edition of Kinesis for 2010. As you will have read in our feature article our office is buzzing with pre Dance Awards and Dance Card excitement! As well as preparing for the Awards our Director Josh Wright has been exploring the dance networks in regional Victoria through our Regional Dance Map. On the education front we have had a jam packed year with the launch of our Ausdance skill set for Teaching Dance, a number of Industry Days for dance students, Professional Developments days for both teachers and students and preparation for the Dance Across the Domains Conference.
We look forward to seeing you all at the Australian Dance Awards and all Dance Card Events!
Regional Dance Map
Ausdance Victoria invited all non-Melbourne based dance communities, performers, choreographers, teachers, students and artists to attend networking, information and vision-setting sessions across regional Victoria between April and May 2010.
This invitation was open to anyone in regional Victoria involved in any dance form whatsoever; professional or recreational, hip hop, krumping, belly dancing, Indigenous, classical, ballroom, old time, tap, jazz, country, traditional or modern, community, multicultural, experimental or maybe still in the process of being invented!
The aims of the round table meetings where
• to introduce the new Director of Ausdance (Victoria) to members of the regional dance sector;
• to inform the regional dance community of various avenues of support for the sector through Ausdance and other sources;
• to seek a closer relationship between members of the regional dance sector, their Local Council and Ausdance;
• to identify and work with existing and new possibilities, opportunities and potential for regional dance growth and greater recognition.
Fifteen Local Councils spread across the region participated in this program. The information, ideas, opinions and recommendations from those who attended the meetings will form the basis of an Ausdance report that will guide planning for future support for the dance sector across regional Victoria.
The full report will be available at www.victoriandancedirectory.com.au/ausdance-vic/programs/regionaldancemap at the end of July.
The Ausdance Skill Set for Teaching Dance
On the week before Easter, dancers and dance teachers got together to participate in the inaugural Ausdance skill set for Teaching Dance delivery.
Lead by Ausdance Victoria’s Dr Katrina Rank, it was an exciting, stimulating and rewarding experience with all participants completing the training for the Teaching Methods stream.
Congratulations to the students who gave it their all and generously shared their skills and experiences with one another.
Our students came from as far away as Sydney and Horsham and include dance practitioners and secondary school teachers.
Movement styles we engaged with included: Rumba, African Dance, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Yoga, Creative Dance, Hip Hop and Broadway Jazz.
In the next few weeks we will continue our studies via correspondence and complete the training when we reconvene for one last week of face to face training and fun.
If you are interested in participating in skill set training, visit www.victoriandancedirectory.com.au/ausdance-vic/education#skillset for a registration form. We do have a minimum and maximum numbers of students for any one delivery so don’t miss out!
A Day with the professionals
VET Student Industry Days
Vocational Education and Training programs are designed for learning in real or simulated work place environments. An apprentice carpenter spends considerable time on a job site, carrying out real work tasks, the landscape gardener experiences the same. So what happens to dance students when the opportunities to work with practitioners in a real work place setting are so limited?
Some time ago Ausdance Victoria came up with an innovative solution for our Certificate II in Dance students, via Industry Days. Industry Days bring practitioners to schools (including Lucy Guerin and Rochelle Carmichael) or invite students to their studios (Chunky Move and room2move).
These highly successful partnerships with leading contemporary dance companies and individuals provide students with a challenging and rewarding industry experience that enriches their dance study. They connect the students to practitioners and practice that inspires them to strive for excellence in all their dance studies. This extremely popular program continues to expanded and deepen each year.
Content for each session is varied, dependant on student need: Have they participated in an Industry Day before? What technical level have the students reached? What areas of the curriculum did the teachers feel their students need further support in? For instance, Chunky Move and room2move Industry Days have guided students in composition, whereas other workshops have focussed on preparing for performance, awareness of theatre rules and standards and the use of phrasing.
In order to contextualise the learning, each workshop explores a work from repertoire (Glow, Mortal Engine and I Want to Dance better at Parties, I Like This). The workshop leaders are choreographers or dancers who had direct experience of working with the choreographer on the creation of the movement material, its development and performance. This direct relationship between chorographer, dancer, the choreographic processes and the show is a powerful tool in engaging with the students at an appropriate yet inspirational level. Students walk away with a deeper understanding of industry standards and professional dance practice. 
During each Industry Day, students participate in a “company” class (designed by professional dancers, but modified to suit the varied dance skills present) followed by a discussion on the company’s repertoire, performance and touring commitments. The students then participate in a practical workshop through which they learned a concise piece of repertoire. According to the feedback, this is challenging but extremely stimulating to the students. After lunch, they are guided in making new, short compositions and improvisations based on the themes and intentions of the work in question. This encourages them to see that there are no definitive answers when producing work; that their responses are just as valid. Industry Days day conclude with a discussion about the day-to-day life of a professional dancer. The students ask many questions, indicating that the Industry Days increase the students’ interest, knowledge and understanding of professional practice and industry norms.
This year to date, 105 students from 8 schools have attended Industry Days. If you are interested in speaking with Ausdance Vic about the possibility of an Industry Day, please contact Katrina or Kate on 03 9417 1200 or
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Dance Across the Domains
5-8 AUGUST 2010
Dance Across the Domains is Victoria’s premier dance education conference. It provides teachers with the support, advice, knowledge and tools needed to deliver Dance as a discipline in schools and across VELs. Dance Across the Domains is supported by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) through its Strategic Partnership Program.
Dance Across the Domains is comprised of practical workshops, curriculum focused activities, theory-based sessions, panels, performances and networking opportunities. It is presented in two parts: 1) two days for generalist classroom teachers P-6; 2) two days for PE, Drama and specialist Dance educators 7-10.
The 2010 conference has a focus on contemporary dance (secondary) and creative dance (primary). A high emphasis is placed on accessibility and the engagement of all students, particularly boys, high achievers and middle years.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
The Dance Across the Domains Reference Group invites abstract submissions for review in all areas relevant to dance in Victorian Primary and Secondary schools. Submissions may also include dance that occurs in the studio setting, research and theory. The deadline for submission of abstracts is June 4th 2010 at 5pm EST.
Relevant topics include but are not limited to:
• New directions in dance education.
• Innovative practice/pedagogy in dance education
• E5 in the dance studio
• Dance and Technology
• Assessment in the arts/dance
• Contemporary Dance workshops and teaching approaches P-6, 7 -10
• Improvisation ideas and strategies (how to hook them, how to keep them)
• Composition strategies for different age groups and learning abilities
• Safe dance practice
• Lobbying for a dance floor
• Dance and Community
• Dance and Health (i.e. programs for social inclusion, interpersonal development, Youth Mental Health First Aid)
• The role of dance companies and organisations in dance in education.
• Online resources (i.e ACTF Dance Academy, FUSE, Australia Dancing – the Australian Dance Collection)
For more information on Dance Across the Domains and how to submit your idea/abstract click here
National Curriculum
As many of you are aware, there is a national curriculum in development. Dance is part of Phase 2 of this development. The fine arts ‘advice paper’ was released on 3 May in Sydney. Once feedback has been considered by the writers, the paper will form the basis of a Shape Paper, similar to those already produced for the Phase 1 disciplines of English, Maths, Science and History.
To inform Ausdance Vic members of progress in developing the national curriculum the guest speaker for the Ausdance Annual General Meeting earlier this year was Marian Strong, President of Art Education Australia and Executive Officer of Art Education Victoria. Marian spoke about the process that is being undertaken to develop the new national curriculum and has encouraged all Ausdance members and interested arts educators to remain informed and to contribute.
The arts Shape Paper will outline what every child should learn in the arts throughout their schooling, and will be the reference point for the curriculum writers in each art form, so it will be important for dance educators to participate in this consultation phase. The best way to be kept up to date is to register for regular ACARA (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority) updates.
The dance discipline contributor on the arts team is Jeff Meiners, well known to many of us as one of Australia’s leading dance educators, and winner of last year’s Australian Dance Award for dance education.
National Dance Qualification
Live Performance Training Package
Still on dance education, there has been an intense consultation period about the new National Dance Qualifications, which will affect those registered training organisations (RTOs) currently offering certificates and diplomas in dance through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. Verve – Knowledge and Skills is conducting the research on behalf of Innovation & Business Skills Australia, and its team has provided many opportunities for feedback, including a lively online forum, teleconferences with specific sectors such as teaching societies and tertiary institutions, and face-to-face meetings.
Julie Dyson, Director Ausdance National chairs the National Project Reference Group which met on 29 March to review the feedback and approve next steps, which will involve Verve writing the units, most of which have been compiled from existing courses.
Julie has also been actively engaged in helping the Verve team to understand the unique nature of dance training, and to channel some of the feedback, so it’s very important for the field to continue to engage with this process and to properly understand it. An excellent source is the ‘frequently asked questions’ posted on the Verve website. There will be further opportunities for feedback once the next draft is available, so do get involved!
Warm yourself this winter by stamping your DANCE CARD
A season of dance events in June produced by Ausdance Victoria
promoting professional, social and recreational dance.
Dance Hall
11am - 4pm Saturday 12 June
Melbourne Town Hall - FREE
Dance Hall is a bumper program of performances spanning multiple dance styles performed by dancers from Victoria’s studios, full time dance schools and companies on the main stage of the Melbourne Town Hall. Dance Hall is accompanied by a Dance Expo with information on all things dance. The event is free and open to all. Drop in or dance all day.
ACCESSion
10am - 2pm Sunday 13 June
BMW Edge, Federation Square - FREE
ACCESSion is an open dance workshop for artists, teachers and interested dancers with and without a disability. Led by key artists and leading teachers come to participate, share, learn and talk.
ACCESSion is offering two workshops for participants to get involved with – a contemporary dance workshop led by UK choreographer and teacher Rachael Ankers and a dance and movement workshop led by Janice Florence of Melbourne based Weave Movement Theatre. An informal discussion session facilitated by Fiona Cook from Arts Access Victoria will also offer participants the chance to engage and share their thoughts on Dance and Disability in Victoria. To participate in this day of dance please download the registration form and send back to Ausdance Victoria before the 4th June.
Details of the Day - pdf
ACCESSion Registration Pack - pdf
ACCESSion Registration Pack (LARGE PRINT) - pdf
ACCESSion Registration Pack (COMPIX Consent Form) - pdf
Guerrilla
6pm Thu - Sat 17, 18, 19 June
Tour begins Federation Square Atrium - FREE
Guerrilla is a startling season of short works by young and emerging choreographers 30 years and younger. Presented in partnership with Federation Square during the Light in Winter Festival, Guerrilla infiltrates the distinct sites of Federation Square. No tickets, no apologies. Be surprised.
For more information about Dance Card events contact
Ausdance Victoria on 03 9417 1200
or email
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