DANCE
DANCE PURPOSE & OVERVIEW
Basis for Dance
Dance has existed since the beginning of humankind. Before verbal or written communication existed, humans used movement to communicate and to help them comprehend, shape, and make meaning of their world. Moving rhythmically is innate. Because movement as a form of self-expression is intrinsic to our existence as human beings, dance is included as part of a comprehensive education. Young children revel in their own ability to move. Dance is a natural vehicle that children use to help them understand themselves and the world in which they live.
Dance Program
Dance education helps students use movement to creatively express meaning. It provides students with a way of kinesthetically learning and communicating. The dance program is designed to teach students fundamentals in dance and choreography, and to help students develop self-discipline and focus.
Through dance, students come to appreciate rich and diverse cultures, beliefs, and societies. As students examine the role of dance throughout history and in different cultures, they learn to respect diversity. Dance helps people connect with one another and exists in all cultures and places.
Learning Needs
A quality K-12 dance program addresses the learning needs of the whole child. Studies in dance address the physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and aesthetic development of children. Movement engages students by providing a hands-on approach to the learning experience. Dance study allows for all learners to be successful as it addresses various learning styles and intelligences.
Performances are a by-product, but are not the primary goal of dance education. Performances are the outcome of the creative process. This process helps students develop the ability to think critically. Through the process of creating, students are able to be imaginative, and approach things in new or different ways. Students develop their own aesthetic criteria, and evaluate and validate their work and the choices they make. Students also look outside of themselves, discovering and developing respect for the efforts and work of others.
Content Integration
Content integration is a natural component of the dance program. Students apply and synthesize knowledge of dance in relation to other content areas. The dance program allows students to use movement as a means for exploring ideas and concepts, which is especially important for bodily/kinesthetic learners.
Technology
Students use technology in a variety of ways as a tool to explore dance. Compact disc and cassette players are used to provide music for accompaniment to dance. Video recordings help bring the world of dance into the classroom, allowing students to see the wide scope of dance choreography that exists, and introducing students to people and events that have shaped dance history. Videotaping and photography enable students to chart their own development and self-evaluate. The internet and computer software provide students with the opportunity to study dance in many ways including the creation and recording of original choreography.
Assessment
Assessment is an integral part of instruction. A combination of teacher, peer, and self-assessment should be employed. The method of assessment used will depend on the purpose of the assessment. Appropriate assessment must be authentic and linked to learning targets that are identified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Student assessment will take place in many forms including observation, questioning, discussion, rubrics, checklists, written products, and movement/performance assessments. Students may keep written and/or video portfolios as part of their study in dance. The assessment process is ongoing, as part of the teaching and learning cycle, and should be used to diagnose, monitor, and summarize student learning.
Course of Study
The North Carolina Standard Course of Study (SCS) provides a comprehensive framework for dance in the public schools. The SCS communicates what students should know and be able to do as a result of instruction at each grade level or from a course.
Content and skills that are not limited to particular materials or methodology, but that can be delivered through multiple approaches and materials are described. Specific teaching strategies, materials, and other information will be addressed in optional support documents rather than in the SCS.
The competency goals for the SCS incorporate the standards from the National Standards for Arts Education, which was developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations. The curriculum for each grade level and course includes a heading, foci, strands, competency goals, and objectives.
This SCS is organized in a grade-by-grade (K-8) and course-by-course (9-12) format. Because of the broad base of knowledge and skills involved in creating, performing, responding to, and understanding dance, experiences and learning must occur in a sequential manner. The SCS is organized as a sequential program of study, with each grade span building on what students have learned before. Due to the reality that students may enter studies in dance at various grade levels, teachers will need to adapt objectives accordingly for students who have received no prior education in dance. Students at the high school level will have the option of studying dance as an area of interest, or specializing in studies to prepare them for a career in dance.
Strands
The strands define the major elements of dance that are relevant across grade levels and provide unifying threads of understanding supported by the goals and objectives of the SCS.
Creating, Performing, Responding, and Understanding are the strands in which all aspects of dance can be defined:- Creating: Refers to expressing ideas and feelings
through improvising, composing, or choreographing dance.
- Performing: Refers to presenting or demonstrating,
informally or formally; a process that calls upon the technical,
expressive, and interpretive skills of the learner.
- Responding: Refers to observing, describing, analyzing,
critiquing, and evaluating dance.
- Understanding: Refers to synthesizing knowledge of dance in relation to history, culture, heritage, other content areas, ideas, and life-long learning.
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