Performing Arts | ��ߺ�� College

The myMAP subjects below link to VCE subjects related to the learning domain of Performing Arts. Students choose the options that are best for them. There are no pre-requisites for entry into VCE, but students are strongly encouraged to select subjects that align with those that they wish to take in VCE. For example, a student may select any combination of the three options that are on the ‘road’ to VCE Drama. The students can select to study these in any order but they are encouraged to select subjects in order of difficulty across the myMAP years (from sandstone, white, yellow, light blue to dark blue).

Dance

Dance communicates and gives expression to personal and social experiences. VCE Dance involves students as performers, choreographers and audience. The study is designed to develop students' understanding and appreciation of dance that is based on innovation, creativity and dance practices across time and place. The movement vocabulary that each student develops may reflect their experiences of dance in social, cultural, therapeutic or other contexts. By exploring connections between practice and theory students can further enrich their experiences.

High Performance Dance

High performance dance (year-long) empowers students to develop their skills in an environment that encourages growth, critical analysis of performance output, and development of foundational skills required for any genre of dance, thus is intended for high achieving and motivated dance students. They will take part in regular Ballet technique classes aimed at improving their alignment, balance, flexibility and control. They will also participate in strength and conditioning sessions facilitated for their specific performance goals. Students will regularly learn new movement vocabulary and repertoire in various genres to perform at school and competitive dance events throughout the year. The skills acquired, practiced and refined in High Performance Dance will prepare students for the physical rigor required to succeed in VCE Dance.

Innovative Dance

Bringing choreographic ideas from the mind to the dancer’s body requires motivation, inspiration and creative thinking. Through Innovative Dance students will learn to utilise the choreographic process (Improvisation, Selection, Arrangement, Refinement, Evaluation) when creating small group and solo dance works. They will explore ways to develop an intention for their dance works and ways to communicate meaning through movement and expression. Students will participate in systematic dance training in a variety of styles and move through the process of realising a dance work; learning, rehearsing, preparing for performance and performing. They will also build skills in dance evaluation, auditing their own work for inclusions of all movement categories, physical skills and manipulations of time, space and energy. They will expand their ability to examine other choreographer's dance works through critical analysis of solo and group works. Innovative Dance will prepare students for the creative rigour required to succeed in VCE Dance.

The Versatile Dancer

If we look back through time, Dance has evolved dramatically. Contemporary, jazz, hip hop and ballet used to have their own separate styles, technique and expressive and performance skill set. In the modern world we see style fusion and technical skills that cross the borders between many different dance styles. As dancers we have to ensure we aren’t limiting ourselves by only learning one set of technical skills. In order to become versatile and flourish in the performing arts world, whether it be in an amateur or professional sense, we must become adaptable and study technique and repertoire across a range of dance styles. Students will present and perform a number of group dance works and develop their artistry across genres. They will develop proficiency across these styles and reflect upon the physical and artistic skills required to execute performances with success. Collaboartively, they will work with new dance pieces and learn how to manipulate the elements of movement to demonsatrte dynamic time, space and energy qulaities.

Dance Across the Globe

Alvin Ailey once said, ‘Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.’ In this subject students will conduct an in-depth investigation of a specific dance genre researching its cultural origins and traditions, music, costuming, purpose and presentation, and explore its specific style and technique in movement. Students will create their own group choreography within the style structuring the dance with relevant movement motifs and choreographic devices. They will teach it to their classmates and transfer their knowledge through movement practice. Students will develop technical skills through systematic dance training in various cultural dance styles and present and perform their learnt works.

Contemporary Dance

Dance was described by Martha Graham as the ‘hidden language of the soul.’ In this subject students explore the intricacies of communicating without words, the origins of contemporary dance and historical and modern day trends as a dancer and dance maker. They research influential contemporary choreographers who were either pioneers of the modern dance movement or current artists, examining who and what influenced their creative practice and how they impacted the arts. Students will practice and refine their technical and expressive contemporary dance skills in a variety of choreographic workshops and structured technical classes. They will explore their personal movement styles by combining elements of dance and using improvisation and safe dance practice to develop new movement possibilities. Students will work collaboratively with others to create an original dance work that explores a theme or narrative. They will utilise their knowledge of movement categories, physical skills and group structures to develop a cohesive composition and to analyse another choreographer’s dance work.

Dance in Musical Theatre

Musical theatre is an interdisciplinary form of theoretical performance that combines song, dance and spoken dialogue, along with elaborate sets, costuming and other technical elements. In this subject students will examine the role of dance in musicals and how it is used as a means of communicating plot and entertaining an audience. Through systematic dance training they will practice and refine their technical and expressive skills according to the genre and perform works utilising production elements to communicate their intent. Students will research and analyse a current musical and devise and perform their own musical theatre scenes.

Discovering Dance

Dance has been called the universal language; it is a way of moving that uses the body as an instrument of expression and communication. Throughout history, in almost all cultures, dance is inseparable from religion and culture, identity and agency, from tradition and change. In this subject students will discover a variety of dance styles (Jazz, contemporary, hip hop, classical, Broadway, etc.), and examine their historical scope and their relevance in the modern world. Students will engage in technique classes that are genre and style specific and that challenge the body to move with awareness of variations in time, space and energy to develop artistry across a range of dance styles. They will examine the features of dance from different times and locations, including dance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to explore viewpoints and enrich their own dance making abilities.

Dance on film

Dance on Film will introduce year 7 students to an array of dance styles in modern and iconic films that use dance to develop a narrative, entertain and impress audiences or conjure emotions in viewers. Students will practice and refine their technical and expressive skills through learning dance works from different styles and eras, experiment with creating their own dance works that reflect a film style, genre or narrative, and analyse how the choreographer uses production elements to communicate their intention.

Drama

Students will develop an understanding of performance styles and conventions from diverse cultures. Developing, through practice and analysis an understanding of drama as a way of communicating stories and meaning. Students will create and perform dramatic works using stimulus material, work collaboratively with others, be independent and self-motivated and able to work alone. Students will need to keep meticulous written records of their work and analyse the work of others both peers and professionals.

Drama Performance

Students will create drama from developed stimuli using all the dramatic elements. They will continue to explore various dramatic styles such as Improvisational Theatre, Verbatim Theatre, Commedia Dell ‘Arte and Elizabethan Theatre. They will also focus on the work of Brecht, Grotowski and Artaud. Students will perform both ensemble and solo works as well as completing drama folios. The students will also engage in the theatre studies process of bringing a play to performance, which includes scriptwriting, directing, production area design, as well as acting within the play. They will also experience and analyse a professional drama performance.

Acting and Theatre Design

Students will explore the world of acting and theatre design. They will develop the skills to become a variety of characters and perform in a variety of styles by presenting a play that focuses on the theatrical elements. They will work collaboratively to design and perform their work and complete a written journal documenting and reflecting on the process. To further develop their thematic understanding, students will complete an investigation into the 'world' of the chosen play and analyse and evaluate their work.

Exploring Acting

Students will explore and experience how the different dramatic elements create interesting and exciting drama. Students will create performances from a variety of stimuli including scripts, images, and the world around them. They will also discover different theatre styles and different acting techniques while working in ensemble situations.

Drama Production

Students will be fully involved in the process of putting on a play or musical. This will include on stage as an actor and off stage as a member of the crew. Students will explore all aspects of theatre making including character development, line learning, blocking, directing, theatre designs and creation through the performance to an audience. The students will also explore using production areas, such as costume, set design and props.

Music Performance

VCE Music Performance focuses on building performance and musicianship skills. Students are able to present solo and group performances using one or more instruments; however, one must be chosen as the main instrument. Students need to take private lessons with an instrumental teacher at the College, or, by negotiation, with a private teacher.

Music*

The Certificate lll in Music assists students in developing a wide range of competencies in varied work contexts of the music industry, as well as in environments that require skills in music performance, music creation or composition, sound production or music business. The qualification is suited to students with a broad interest in music who are keen to further develop skills in their area of interest, from preparing for performances, recording, and mixing music or repairing and maintaining audio equipment for live events.

Music Performance

Students will create musical performances, choosing appropriate music to perform to the class and beyond. There are many forms of music ensembles which encompass many musical styles. These will be explored in-depth so students can gain an understanding of instruments and how they are used in musical composition. Musicianship skills such as those that enable students to hear, recognise music symbols and perform with confidence, will continue to be developed, building on experience gained in previous music courses.

Contemporary Music

Students will explore the world of contemporary music through learning instruments in groups and solo practice. A trip through the 1960s to present day will also take place. Students will gain an understanding of how music from previous decades has influenced current day music in both structure and musical style. The icons of contemporary music will also be explored through performance and aural discovery. The basics of musicianship will be introduced so as to unlock the world of music notation and how this is relevant to today’s music.

Contemporary Music Performance (Rock Band)

Students will have the opportunity to experience and explore music practise in a live setting. Students will investigate and learn multiple musical instruments within contemporary styles. They will learn the techniques to play an instrument and perform a song, rehearsing and presenting this for a performance on stage with full sound equipment and stage lighting.

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