Using the resource
This resource particularly supports students' learning in the Understanding Dance in Context (UC) strand of The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum. By demonstrating the ways that people from different cultures express themselves through dance, the video/DVD can help develop your students' awareness and appreciation of the diverse nature and scope of dance in communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.
In addition, we hope that Discovering Dance will stimulate teaching and learning around all four interrelated strands of the dance curriculum. For example, it might inspire your students to create their own dances, working within the Developing Ideas in Dance (DI) strand. It might stimulate them to explore dance vocabulary and to try out some of the dances they see on the video, so that they work within the Developing Practical Knowledge in Dance (PK) strand. As they work to interpret the dances on the video/DVD, they will work towards achievement objectives in the Communicating and Interpreting in Dance (CI) strand.
The class could view the whole video/DVD 1 or selected sections based around one of the key themes. When viewing the video/DVD, encourage your students to ask questions and talk about and critique what they see. We've given Background information and suggested Focus points and Focus questions related to each theme. General questions could include the following:
- Who can you see dancing?
- Where are the people dancing?
- Why do you think this dance is being performed?
- What is this genre or style of dance called?
- What parts of the body are used or are important in this dance?
- What are some words you could use to describe the way the dancer's body is moving?
- How are the dancers using space?
- Are the dancers dancing in groups? In pairs? With props?
- Are the movements fast or slow?
- How would you describe the energy and timing of the dance?
- What are the dancers wearing that is special to the dance they are performing?
- What is the accompaniment for the dance?
The Suggested activities have been separated into levels 1–3 and Level 4 and above. We encourage you to choose or modify these activities to suit your class's level and prior experience of dance. For instance, you could easily adapt an activity in levels 1–3 for use with a year 9 class.
We've suggested Related resources with each theme but, as the video and DVD demonstrate, the best sources of practical help and advice may well come from the keen dancers present in your local community. Please note that the websites are suggested for teachers' use and are not necessarily suitable for students.
The Glossaries relate specifically to each of the themes and are not intended to be comprehensive. Glossaries are also available:
- online at TKI in The Arts Nga Toi
- on pages 32–33 of The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2000)
- on page 3 of the dance exemplars in The New Zealand Curriculum Exemplars: The Arts (Ministry of Education, 2003).
Introductory section of video/DVD
Examples of the following dance genres/styles are shown briefly and only in the introductory part of the video/DVD:
- Cook Islands dance
- Mixed-ability dance: Wheelchair dance
- Coon dance
- Irish jig (see also DVD 2, track 24)
- French dance
- Mixed-ability dance: Flying dance
- Other dances.