Australian Curriculum: Dance
This section provides direct access to the complete Australian Curriculum: Dance.
Understand how Dance works
Rationale
This rationale complements and extends the rationale for The Arts learning area.
Dance is expressive movement with purpose and form. Through dance, students represent, question and celebrate human experience, using the body as the instrument and movement as the medium for personal, social, emotional, spiritual and physical communication.
Aims
In addition to the overarching aims of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, dance knowledge, understanding and skills ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students develop:
- body awareness and technical and expressive skills to communicate through movement confidently, creatively and intelligently
Structure
Learning in Dance involves students exploring elements, skills and processes through the integrated practices of choreography, performance and appreciation. The body is the instrument of expression and uses combinations of the elements of dance (space, time, dynamics and relationships) to communicate and express meaning through expressive and purposeful movement.
Example of knowledge and skills
Filters
Year levels:
Curriculum elements
Foundation to Year 2
Foundation to Year 2 Band Description
In Foundation to Year 2, learning in The Arts builds on the Early Years Learning Framework. Students are engaged through purposeful and creative play in structured activities, fostering a strong sense of wellbeing and developing their connection with and contribution to the world.
In the Foundation Year, students undertake The Arts appropriate for their level of development.
They explore the arts and learn how artworks can represent the world and that they can make artworks to represent their ideas about the world. They share their artworks with peers and experience being an audience to respond to others' art making.
As they experience the arts, students draw on artworks from a range of cultures, times and locations. They explore the arts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and of the Asia region and learn that they are used for different purposes. While the arts in the local community should be the initial focus for learning, students are also aware of and interested in the arts from more distant locations and the curriculum provides opportunities to build on this curiosity.
As they make and respond to artworks, students explore meaning and interpretation, forms and processes, and social and cultural contexts of the arts. They make early evaluations of artworks expressing what they like and why.
Students learn about safe practices in the arts through making and responding safely in the different arts subjects.
They experience the role of artist and they respond to feedback in their art making. As an audience, they learn to focus their attention on artworks presented and to respond to artworks appropriately. In Foundation to Year 2, students learn to be an audience for different arts experiences within the classroom.
In Dance, students:
- become aware of their bodies and learn about the body bases, parts and zones used in dance
- explore space, time, dynamics and relationships as they make and observe dances
- explore locomotor and non-locomotor movements and use these fundamental movement skills in their own dance
- experiment with simple technical and expressive skills and begin to learn about choreographic devices through selecting and organising movements in their own dances.
Foundation to Year 2 Content Descriptions
Content Descriptions
Foundation to Year 2 Achievement Standards
Learning Area Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 2, students describe artworks they make and those to which they respond. They consider where and why people make artworks.
Students use the elements and processes of arts subjects to make and share artworks that represent ideas.
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 2, students describe the effect of the elements in dance they make, perform and view and where and why people dance.
Students use the elements of dance to make and perform dance sequences that demonstrate fundamental movement skills to represent ideas. Students demonstrate safe practice.
Foundation to Year 2 Work Sample Portfolios
Years 3 and 4
Years 3 and 4 Band Description
In Years 3 and 4, learning in The Arts builds on the experience of the previous band. It involves students making and responding to artworks independently and collaboratively with their classmates and teachers.
As they experience The Arts, students draw on artworks from a range of cultures, times and locations. They explore the arts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and of the Asia region and learn that they are used for different purposes. While the arts in the local community should be the initial focus for learning, students are also aware of and interested in the arts from more distant locations and the curriculum provides opportunities to build on this curiosity.
As they make and respond to artworks, students explore meaning and interpretation, elements and forms, and social and cultural contexts of the arts. They make personal evaluations of their own and others' artworks, making connections between their own artistic intentions and those of other artists.
Students continue to learn about safe practices in the arts and in their interactions with other artists. Their understanding of the role of the artist and the audience builds on their experience from the previous band. As an audience, students focus their attention on the artwork and respond to it. They consider why and how audiences respond to artworks.
In Years 3 and 4, students' awareness of themselves and others as audiences is extended beyond the classroom to the broader school context.
In Dance, students:
- extend their awareness of the body as they incorporate actions using different body parts, body zones and bases
- explore and experiment with directions, time, dynamics and relationships using groupings, objects and props
- extend their fundamental movement skills by adding and combining more complex movements
- use technical skills including accuracy and awareness of body alignment
- explore meaning and interpretation, elements and forms including shapes and sequences of dances as they make and respond to dance
- use expressive skills including projection and focus when performing dance for themselves and others.
Years 3 and 4 Content Descriptions
Content Descriptions
Years 3 and 4 Achievement Standards
Learning Area Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between artworks they make and those to which they respond. They discuss how they and others organise the elements and processes in artworks.
Students collaborate to plan and make artworks that communicate ideas.
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between dances they make, perform and view. They discuss how they and others organise the elements of dance in dances depending on the purpose.
Students structure movements into dance sequences and use the elements of dance and choreographic devices to represent a story or mood. They collaborate to make dances and perform with control, accuracy, projection and focus.
Years 3 and 4 Work Sample Portfolios
Years 5 and 6
Years 5 and 6 Band Description
In Years 5 and 6, students draw on artworks from a range of cultures, times and locations. They explore the arts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and of the Asia region and learn that they are used for different purposes. While the arts in the local community should be the initial focus for learning, students are also aware of and interested in the arts from more distant locations and the curriculum provides opportunities to build on this curiosity.
As they make and respond to the arts, students explore meaning and interpretation, and social and cultural contexts of the arts. They evaluate the use of forms and elements in artworks they make and observe.
Students extend their understanding of safety in the arts. In Years 5 and 6, their understanding of the roles of artists and audiences builds on previous bands. They develop their understanding and use of performance or technical skills to communicate intention for different audiences. They identify a variety of audiences for different arts experiences as they engage with more diverse artworks as artists and audiences.
In Dance, students:
- extend their awareness of the body as they combine movements that use body parts and actions with those involving body zones and bases
- extend their understanding and use of space, time, dynamics and relationships including performing in groups of varying sizes
- extend their use of various combinations of fundamental movement skills and technical skills, developing competence, body control and accuracy
- explore meaning and interpretation, forms and elements of dance, including the use of space and energy in dances as they make and respond to dance.
Years 5 and 6 Content Descriptions
Content Descriptions
Years 5 and 6 Achievement Standards
Learning Area Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 6, students explain how ideas are communicated in artworks they make and to which they respond. They describe characteristics of artworks from different social, historical and cultural contexts that influence their art making.
Students structure elements and processes of arts subjects to make artworks that communicate meaning. They work collaboratively to share artworks for audiences, demonstrating skills and techniques.
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 6, students explain how the elements of dance, choreographic devices and production elements communicate meaning in dances they make, perform and view. They describe characteristics of dances from different social, historical and cultural contexts that influence their dance making.
Students structure movements in dance sequences and use the elements of dance and choreographic devices to make dances that communicate meaning. They work collaboratively to perform dances for audiences, demonstrating technical and expressive skills.
Years 5 and 6 Work Sample Portfolios
Years 7 and 8
Years 7 and 8 Band Description
In Dance, students:
- make and respond to dance independently and with their classmates, teachers and communities
- explore dance as an art form through choreography, performance and appreciation
- build on their awareness of the body through body part articulation
- extend their understanding and use of space, time, dynamics and relationships including performing in groups, spatial relationships and using interaction to communicate their choreographic intention
- extend the combinations of fundamental movement skills to explore dance styles
- extend technical skills from the previous band, increasing their confidence, accuracy, clarity of movement and projection
- draw on dances from a range of cultures, times and locations as they experience dance
- explore the dance and influences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and of the Asia region
- learn about style and choreographic intent in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances, and how these dances communicate social contexts and relationships
- learn about sustainability through the arts and sustainability of practices in the arts
- explore meaning and interpretation, forms and elements, and social, cultural and historical contexts of dance as they make and respond to dance
- evaluate choreographers' intentions and expressive skills in dances they view and perform
- understand that safe dance practices underlie all experiences in the study of dance
- perform within their own body capabilities and work safely in groups.
Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions
Content Descriptions
Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 8, students identify and analyse the elements of dance, choreographic devices and production elements in dances in different styles and apply this knowledge in dances they make and perform. They evaluate how they and others from different cultures, times and places communicate meaning and intent through dance.
Students choreograph dances, demonstrating selection and organisation of the elements of dance, choreographic devices and form to communicate choreographic intent. They choreograph and learn dances, and perform them with confidence and clarity, and with technical and expressive skills appropriate to the dance style.
Years 7 and 8 Work Sample Portfolios
Years 9 and 10
Years 9 and 10 Band Description
In Dance, students:
- build on their awareness of the body and how it is used in particular dance styles
- extend their understanding and use space, time, dynamics and relationships to expand their choreographic intentions
- extend the combinations of fundamental movement skills to include dance style-specific movement skills
- extend technical skills from the previous band, increasing their confidence, accuracy, clarity of movement and projection
- draw on dances from a range of cultures, times and locations as they experience dance
- explore the dance and influences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and those of the Asia region
- reflect on the development of traditional and contemporary styles of dance and how choreographers can be identified through the style of their choreography
- learn about sustainability through the arts and sustainability of practices in the arts
- explore meaning and interpretation, forms and elements, and social, cultural and historical contexts of dance as they make and respond to dance
- evaluate dancers' success in expressing the choreographers' intentions and the use of expressive skills in dances they view and perform
- understand that safe dance practices underlie all experiences in the study of dance
- perform within their own body capabilities and work safely in groups.
Years 9 and 10 Content Descriptions
Content Descriptions
Years 9 and 10 Achievement Standards
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 10, students analyse the choreographer's use of the elements of dance, choreographic devices, form and production elements to communicate choreographic intent in dances they make, perform and view. They evaluate the impact of dance from different cultures, places and times on Australian dance.
Students choreograph dances by manipulating and combining the elements of dance, choreographic devices, form and production elements to communicate their choreographic intent. They choreograph, rehearse and perform dances, demonstrating technical and expressive skills appropriate to the genre and style.
Years 9 and 10 Work Sample Portfolios
Last updated 8 August 2019
Australian Curriculum Version 8.4 in Queensland
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