Dance

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Resource reviews are provided for teachers to support their teaching and learning programs.

The views expressed by reviewers are not necessarily those of the NSW Department of Education and Training. Copyright for reviews is held by the NSW Department of Education and Training. Permission for reproduction of reviews in part or full for any purpose must be sought in writing. For further information contact colleen.foley@det.nsw.edu.au

Sites are listed alphabetically by title. Those reviews which note links to other sites, especially as a major part of the site, will require additional exploration time by teachers to verify specific curriculum applications relevant to their classes. The USER LEVEL descriptor, Professional, is a pertinent reminder of such issues. Please note that changes happen daily on the Internet. Sites come and go. We cannot guarantee that the following sites are permanent or are structured as they were when they were reviewed.

Akram Khan Company
The Australian Ballet
Australian stage online
Collection guide to dance, at the State Library of New South Wales
DanceForms 1.0 choreography software
Move-me.com

Akram Khan Company
The work of British choreographer and dancer Akram Khan is beautifully documented in his company website. The design of the site shares a strong aesthetic relationship with Khan's work that exhibits contemporary interpretations of traditional elements. Khan's training in classical Kathak has a strong presence. The site includes a broad range of materials relating to Khan's work, including essays, reviews, images, interviews and production notes. Dance teachers will find it refreshing to discover well documented information about a contemporary choreographer, and to hear the artist talking about his training and influences. The production notes for Sacred monsters, which had its Australian premiere at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 2008, includes links to music downloads for three audio tracks. R. Kirsten
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Dance 7-10; Dance Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS:Choreography; Modern dance
PUBLISHER: Akram Khan Company, UK
REVIEW DATE: 02/09/08 [792.8]SCIS 1379861

The Australian Ballet
A broad range of dance related information is presented on the Australian Ballet's official site. Watch & listen is a valuable resource for students as it includes interviews in Audio and Video, plus Photo galleries of works, behind the scenes and rehearsal information. The latter has a fine example of the basic steps. Textiles students will be engaged by the site's content on costumes, mainly found in the galleries, and by the explanation of costume craftsmanship in Video. In Resources, a video interview with the company's physiotherapist on dance medicine adds depth to the content on the site, as does the well structured and useful dance safety material in Education. Interviews with dancers and staff on safe dance will support teaching and learning about performance. There is an interesting array of material relating to theatrical elements and ballet history, and the interviews with choreographers are an excellent resource for the study of composition. R. Kirsten
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA; TAS
SYLLABUS: Dance 7-10; Dance Stage 6; Textiles & Design Stage 6; Textiles Technology 7-10
SCIS SUBJECTS: Ballet; Dancing - Australia
PUBLISHER: Australian Ballet
REVIEW DATE: 24/04/09 [792.80994] SCIS 1329501

Australian stage online
Aimed at those who take their live performances seriously, this bold site offers a plethora of information about Australia’s contemporary performing arts. The site replaces the Sydney stage online website, which can still be accessed via an archive search. A searchable What’s on and The news will help teachers and students keen to expand their experience and appreciation of live performance. Students will benefit from exposure to the language of stage and theatre on the site. Reviews are extensive, with ample and varied models for students experimenting with this difficult text type. They will be of special interest to Stage 6 Drama students creating a Portfolio of theatre criticism as an Individual project, as will information on the annual Pacific Opera Young Critics Award. P. Gilchrist
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Dance 7–10; Dance Stage 6; Drama 7–10; Drama Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Performing arts – Australia; Performing arts – Reviews
PUBLISHER: Australian Stage Online, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 10/09/07 [790.2] SCIS 1326300

Collection guide to dance, at the State Library of New South Wales
A detailed record of the library’s dance collection, the strength of this resource lies in its comprehensive nature. A primary use of the guide for students and teachers would be in the location of resources to support the teaching and learning of Appreciation. Information about the range and content of the collection is detailed in Description by format. The collection includes printed books, programs and ephemera, pictures, manuscripts, film and video. Users can search the catalogues for resources on Subjects, Artists, and Companies and theatres. Online resources are limited to newspaper indexes, which may be useful to students searching for dance related newspaper articles. General guidelines for accessing the resources are helpfully provided. R. Kirsten
USER LEVEL:           Stage 6 Professional
KLA:   CA
SYLLABUS:   Dance Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS:     Dancing – Bibliography
PUBLISHER:            State Library of N.S.W, Australia
REVIEW DATE:       16/07/07 [792.8074]    SCIS 1309143

DanceForms 1.0 choreography software
DanceForms is the choreographic software recommended for the Dance Stage 6 Dance and Technology Option: Choreographing the virtual body. Dance teachers will find the site a useful reference point when teaching the Option, and it supports the introduction of the software to students in Dance 7–10. The site provides specifications and purchasing information, as well as links to the free demonstration version of the software. Community provides Dance teachers with software tours, animation tutorials and links to an interesting paper about the use of computers in education. The Gallery in Community is a good starting point for HSC student investigation as it showcases examples of works that have been created using the software. R. Kirsten
USER LEVEL:           Stage 6 Professional
KLA:   CA
SYLLABUS:   Dance 7–10; Dance Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS:     Choreography – Study and teaching; Computer animation; DanceForms (Computer program)
PUBLISHER:            Credo Interactive, Canada
REVIEW DATE:       30/04/07 [792.8]          SCIS 1293208

Move-me.com
An original dance video concept, this site makes good use of Internet technology. The site contains a virtual dance video booth where site users can work with an experienced choreographer to create a video dance. Inside the booth, the performer selects from a range of choreographers and then, guided by instructions, creates an original and spontaneous dance that is captured on video within the confines of the booth. The works are then exhibited on the website. Works can be viewed from a visual icon on the homepage, or by navigating to a specific choreographer to see works inspired by their instructions. Alternatively, users can view works in special collections that have been curated by individuals such as Bob Lockyer, the person responsible for the Dance for the camera series. Media artists Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead have curated video dances from the current range of videos submitted. R. Kirsten
USER LEVEL:           Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA:   CA
SYLLABUS:   Dance 7–10; Dance Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS:     Choreography; Dancing; Video recordings
PUBLISHER:            Ricochet Dance Productions, England
REVIEW DATE:       18/12/06 [792.8]          SCIS 1282995