Assessment Type 3: Dance Contexts

For a 10-credit subject, students undertake at least one investigation.

For a 20-credit subject, students undertake at least two investigations.

Students investigate dance practice and performance from specific cultures, historical periods, or traditions, including, for example, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander contexts, to analyse the function of dance in that context.

An investigation may be in-depth in nature, focusing on one culture, historical period, or tradition, or it may be comparative, comparing two or more cultures, historical periods, or traditions.

Students can base their investigations on live or recorded performances, and research dance traditions, performers, or choreographers.

Investigations designed by the teacher or the student in collaboration with the teacher may include, for example:

• investigating the role of dance in traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
• investigating an Asian dance company (e.g. Cloud Gate) and the way in which their culture informs their work
• investigating an Aboriginal dance company (e.g. Bangarra) and the way in which traditional and contemporary dance forms are fused
• comparing the dance elements of two street dance styles from different cultures
• comparing the choreographic legacy of Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey, innovators in African American dance
• comparing the dance elements in a Bollywood performance with a contemporary dance performance by an Indian choreographer (e.g. Akram Khan)
• comparing the cultural role of traditional dance in two different cultures as part of ceremony (e.g. Sudan and New Zealand).

An investigation is presented as a report which should be a maximum of 800 words if written, or a maximum of 5 minutes if oral or in multimodal form. Students are encouraged to use the multimodal form using annotated recorded footage as supporting evidence.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• understanding dance
• responding to dance.