The basic components of dance are centred around the elements of body, energy, space, time (BEST). These elements can be combined and manipulated to communicate and express meaning through movement, through the middle school years for students.
Year 7: Dance students build on their understanding of improvising and experimenting with the elements of dance (BEST) and choreographic devices to create dance that communicates an idea. They discover their movement capabilities to improve their dance skills, focusing on developing technical competence in relation to body control, accuracy, posture/alignment , strength, flexibility, balance and coordination.
Year 8: Dance students further develop their dance skills to explore the technical aspects of different dance styles. Students are given opportunities to present dance to an audience, further developing their performance skills of retention and clarity of movement , projection focus and expression. They discuss how dance can communicate meaning and how dance genres/styles differ.
Year 9: Dance students are given further opportunities to choreograph using the elements of dance (BEST), choreographic devices and structures to develop choreographic intent. They build on and refine technical competence in their dance skills in specific dance styles. Students are given opportunities to present dance to an audience, focusing on retention and clarity of movement, projection, focus, expression and musicality. They further discuss the choreographer’s use of the elements of dance, choreographic devices and structures, and design concepts for choreographic intent in the dances they make and view.
Year 10: , Dance students continue to extend their use of the elements of dance (BEST) and choreographic processes to expand their choreographic intentions in their own choreography. Safe dance practices underlie all experiences, as students perform within their own body capabilities and work safely in groups.
Technical skills are extended to include style-specific movement skills,. These include, but are not limited to, include contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip hop, street dance, tap and cultural dance (Spanish, Indian, Bollywood).
Through performance, students continue to work on confidence, accuracy, clarity of movement and projection. They refine their discussion of the use of the elements of dance, choreographic processes and design concepts in their own dance and the dance of others. They investigate dance and influences of the social, cultural and historical contexts in which it exists.
Contact Information
Mrs Vicki Thompson
Head of the Arts
