Dance / Year 5 and 6 / Exploring and responding

Curriculum content descriptions

explore ways that the elements of dance are combined to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in dance across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts (AC9ADA6E01)

Elaborations
  • exploring how dances they experience use the elements of dance and choreographic devices such as repetition, unison or contrast; for example, exploring culturally specific dance from a country or region in Asia, or dance on screen
  • seeking feedback about how ideas in a dance were perceived/understood by the audience; for example, checking how the audience interpreted movements such as stop and start/percussive arm and upper body movements intended to express basketball actions in a game, or rhythmic and accented movement intended to express the passage of time, or the actions of a clock
  • discussing the purpose of movements, elements of dance, production elements, technical and expressive skills, such as use of projection and focus, and how these affect the mood of audience and the relationship between dancers and the audience
  • asking questions based on Viewpoints to explore similarities and differences in ways that choreographers or performers and audiences experience/respond to aspects of a dance; for example, “How were elements of dance used to communicate the main idea in the dance?”, “How was your mood changed by this dance?” and developing and asking questions that refer to energy, shape, tempo or use of production elements such as props or music
  • exploring how dance is used to communicate cultural traditions; for example, considering dance from a country or region in Asia and asking, “What stories, narratives or ways of being and doing does this dance reflect?”, “Is this dance communicating something about the culture where it originated that we can’t learn any other way?”, “How is this dance evolving over time? For example, are costumes now made from different materials?”
General capabilities
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural Understanding
  • Literacy Literacy
ScOT terms

Dance purpose and styles,  Dance,  Culture,  Movement sequences,  Storytelling,  Dance composition,  Cultural contexts

Video

Dancing the Torres Strait winds to life: Kuki

Inspired by the natural environment, Torres Strait Islander choreographer Elma Kris created the dance 'About' as an expression of the effects that the winds (Gub) have on the land, sea and community. This clip shows the segment 'Kuki' (pronounced Cook-ee), which is inspired by the strong north-west winds that blow between ...

Video

Dancing life into traditional objects: 'Artefact'

'Weaving' is a segment from a longer dance piece called 'Artefact', a richly spiritual work about breathing life back into objects from ancient times. Choreographer Frances Rings is a descendant of the Kokatha people of South Australia. The 'Weaving' segment was inspired by the traditional knowledge and practices of the ...

Online

The Nutcracker: primary and secondary school resources

The Australian Ballet's EduHub provides a range of resources about ballet including information on their productions. In this re-imagining of Tchaikovsky's the Nutcracker, the story of Clara is transported to 1950s Australia where the once famous Russian ballerina is reflecting on her past life and its triumphs and travails ...

Video

Dancing The Torres Strait winds to Life: Zey

Torres Strait Islander choreographer Elma Kris created the dance 'About' as an expression of the effects of the winds (Gub) on the land, sea and community. The four seasons in the Torres Strait Islands relate directly to the type and direction of the winds. Kris has explored the effects of the Zey (pronounced Zay) - cool ...

Video

Kindred spirits: dancing our identity

Who are we and where do we belong? What and who decides our identity? People often ask these questions, and some may seek to discover the answers to them. In his dance piece entitled 'ID', choreographer Stephen Page explores what makes us similar, what makes us different and what gives us a sense of belonging. The clip ...

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Australian Ballet: primary school resources

The Australian Ballet's EduHub provides a range of resources about ballet including information on past and present productions. This web page provides short synopses of the stories behind four classic ballets from past and present Australian Ballet seasons. The ballets include: Cinderella, COPPÉLIA, Swan Lake, and The ...

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How can movement and music tell a story?

In this teaching activity, students will choreograph a sequence of ballet movements to tell a story. Students will explore conceptual and practical elements of classical ballet and learn basic ballet vocabulary through demonstration.

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Indigenous Australian collection

This federated search from the QAGOMA database features a selection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks from the collection. The searchable database provides artwork images, background information about the artist and the artwork, a map of major Indigenous regions in Australia, classroom activities, a glossary ...

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Australian collection

This database features a selection of Australian artworks from QAGOMA. The searchable database provides artwork images, background information about the artist and the artwork, classroom activities, a glossary of key terms and curriculum alignment information for teachers. Search results can be refined by theme, period, ...

Online

Koorie Cross-Curricular Protocols for Victorian Government Schools

The Koorie Cross-Curricular Protocols for Victorian Government Schools are applicable to schools intending to develop activities that involve the use of Koorie cultural expressions, including stories, songs, instrumental music, dances, plays, ceremonies, rituals, performances, symbols, drawings, designs, paintings, poetry, ...