Subject Area: Dance Studies

The Level 1 Gateway course, Thinking, Writing and Making Dance, introduces students to the 3 major areas of study or pathways in the Major which dovetail; thinking dance and bodily intelligence, writing dancing (criticism, analysis, reflection and theory), and creative practice. The course will introduce students to key terms such as movement, kinaesthetics, choreography, improvisation and somatic knowledge through historical and contemporary case studies and associated writing, whether technical, critical, or theoretical. Studio-based seminars encourage an exploration of the relationship between dancing, theory and writing, providing opportunities for students to identify their particular interest in dance. Based on their experiences in this course, students will be able to pursue their key areas of interest and follow relevant pathways through the Major.

Students will be asked to self-select a level for the tutorials (studio-seminars) based on their experience as a dancer prior to taking up this course. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced studio-seminars will be offered. A student with little or no dance experience should select a Beginner group. A student with substantial skills in social dance forms (traditional - kathak, indigenous etc, or salsa, tango, hip hop etc) or western techniques (ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap) should select Intermediate. Students with a Dance HSC result in band 5 or 6, Intermediate level in a major dance syllabus (RAD, Cechetti, BBO etc) or significant professional dance experience should select Advanced.