Dance
Now I know most of you won't believe me, especially the boys, but dance will be one of the most enjoyable physical education aspects we do this year, and i assure you that the majority of you will have smiles on your faces whilst we complete our dance practicals later in the year.
Dance encompasses many different ideas and is often a form of artistic or cultural expression. Dance genres can include jazz, ballroom, contemporary, social, hip hop and the focus of our dance unit, cultural. When exploring cultural dance we can learn a great deal from the dances of Indigenous Australians. These dances always tell a story and play an important role in keeping alive the indigenous peoples' culture and history. Many indigenous dances are a representation of the local history or environment of a specific tribe. For example, the people of the lower Clarence River area in Northen New South Wales, the Yaegi tribe, have many dances that incorporate the river, the ocean and the animals that are original to that area.
Have a look at the Youtube clip below. It is a beautiful example of Aborignal Dance. What story do you think it is telling? What animals or environments are being represented? Share your views on our blog/wiki on the homepage!
Below is a picture of Aboriginals participating in cultural dance. It is a big part of their culture and as mentioned is used to tell stories and communicate.
The following are 2 small articles highlighting examples of succesful dancers or dances
Indigenous youth learn culture through dance
Aboriginal elders in
The Nunukul Yuggera dance group tours the world and has recently performed for tourists and schoolchildren in
John Parsons discovered dancing when he was 15. Up until then his life had been one of drugs and petty crime.
"I was with the wrong crew at the time," he said.
"[I] jumped in a few stolen cars and you know, done the wrong thing, smoked a bit of marijuana. And because of my song and dance, started getting serious about it, and I started learning how to sing and getting more involved in it.
"I gave up marijuana when I turned 18 and so it opened my eyes up there."
Now 25, Mr Parsons is a veteran of the Nunukul Yuggera dance group. He's spent the last decade performing and touring the world, teaching tourists and schoolchildren about his culture.
Glanville, B. (2009). Indigenous youth learn culture through dance. ABC News.
Everybody can dance: Even teens are samba savvy as ballroom takes off again
On an overcast Wednesday afternoon, a couple dance in a lofty studio to Al Green's Let's Stay Together.
They are engaged to be married and it will be the first song they jive to on their wedding night. They want to get it right.
On the opposite side of the wooden floor, Jane Berry is dancing for an entirely different reason. The 17-year-old is working to become the best ballroom dancer in the world.
It is a goal she began dreaming of nearly three years ago, while watching dancers who were "so glamorous" on television.
If the trend of ballroom dancing continues the way it has been, Berry is going to have some competition. Lots of it.
Not since Baby and Johnny in Dirty Dancing has pop culture made the art of dancing so appealing to the masses.
Dancing with the Stars, a reality television show, all but promised to pull viewers off the couch and have them cha-cha-cha-ing their way to the nearest instructor.
Thompson, M. (2005). Everybody can dance: even teens are samba savvy as ballroom takes off again. The Edmonton Journal.
Activities
Think about some of the environmental conditions that could be apart of animals lives. For example, consider natural events, such as fire, flood, drought, rain, wind and cyclones.. How would the animals move in response to these events? Keep these movements fresh in your mind for later in the year!
Useful Websites
https://www.australiadancing.org/
Australia dancing.org provides a wide range of information on a variety of different dance styles and is a good reference point for anyone interested in dance.
https://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/dance/
The culture and recreation website, run by the Australia Government, provides a brief history of Australian dance and overviews the influences from other cultures. It is a great website for understanding where cultural dances came from. It also provides many links to other information, including specific information on Aboriginal dance ceremonies.