Bachelor of Dance

Overview

The three year Bachelor of Dance course consists of specialist studies in dance as well as theoretical and cross-disciplinary collaborative studies in the Centre for Ideas.

Description

Specialist Studies
Studio practice provides the foundation for developing the dance artist at the Faculty of the VCA and Music. Daily technique classes in ballet and contemporary dance form the paradigm for training versatile, kinaesthetically, intelligent dance artists and are closely interrelated with studies in choreography and performance. Students in their first and second year of study may elect from a selection of Allied Dance Studies, giving them the flexibility to pursue their own interests in contemporary dance or ballet. Allied Dance Studies includes Duo, Pas de Deux, Ballet Repertoire, Contemporary Repertoire, Improvisation and Pointe. Students also undertake studies in Performance Management, Career Planning and Management, Music, Dance Analysis, Kinetic Studies and Production as part of the specialist dance program.

Throughout the course students have regular performance experience replicating the professional environment.

Students are encouraged to take risks and challenge their own practice by engaging with new processes and physical methodologies.

By third year there is a greater emphasis on developing artistic autonomy. By working with emerging and leading Australian choreographers in preparation for the diverse challenges of current dance practice students maximise their potential to become dancers of technical excellence and artistry.

Attendance
Training to be a dancer and learning to fulfil the demands of dance performance requires self-discipline, commitment and perseverance. To this end, attendance at all classes, scheduled rehearsals and performances is essential and students are advised to have a clear understanding of the Discipline's policies regarding attendance (see below and under Assessment).

• Students are expected to participate in all classes.
• To ensure adequate warm-up and safe dance practice students are also expected to be punctual. Any student arriving after the class starting time may not be allowed to participate and may be marked absent.
• Where possible absences should be reported in advance to the Assistant to the Head of Discipline and to the lecturer(s) concerned.
• Absence due to illness in excess of two days requires a medical certificate from a doctor, which must be submitted to the Assistant to the Head of Discipline.
• Requests for absence in excess of one day for reasons other than illness must be submitted to the Head of Discipline in writing and include the reasons for the request.
• Students must attend practical assessment classes on the published date. In the event of injury or illness a request for late assessment can be made. The request must be substantiated by a Doctor’s certificate applicable to the assessment date, or the candidate will be deemed to have failed.

Objectives

The objectives of the course are:

• to produce professional dance practitioners including performers, choreographers, collaborators and artistic leaders with a high degree of expertise;
• to encourage the simultaneous development of students’ conceptual and technical abilities by providing practical and theoretical dance studies across various aesthetic domains;
• to foster a spirit of inquiry and initiative towards the development of dance;
• to encourage individual talents in both performance and creativity;
• to encourage students to develop an awareness of their relationship and responsibility to their cultural environment and society by providing opportunities for informed critical enquiry, social interaction and cultural exploration during their studies;
• to enable students to prepare themselves for postgraduate study.

Generic Skills

At the completion of the Bachelor of Dance, students should be able to:

• demonstrate extensive ability within particular contemporary movement and ballet techniques and a high level of kinaesthetic awareness in all their practical work;
• exhibit extensive practical and theoretical knowledge of dance across its various aesthetic domains, including current professional dance practice, relevant skills in allied disciplines and developments in the field;
• demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation;
• demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
• embody an informed respect for the principles, discipline and ethics of the practicing, professional artist;
• demonstrate interpretive abilities in performing new and existing performance work;
• participate effectively as a team member in projects with a shared focus;
• demonstrate with a flexible, imaginative and innovative approach to explore, investigate and resolve unfamiliar problems and challenges;
• confidently communicate, both orally and in writing, opinions, ideas and observations with regard to their dance practice and that of others, in group and individual situations;
• contribute to a range of performing arts environments as artistic collaborators and leaders;
• demonstrate an open, independent and inquiring attitude towards contemporary cultural developments and new ideas;
• independently research and investigate areas of theoretical and practical relevance from a wide range of sources;
• critically and creatively engage with topics of cultural significance and effectively participate in or contribute to contemporary cultural discourses;
• develop effective planning, management and self-promotional skills.

Student Commitment

In order to successfully complete the full time program in dance (29-30 hours contact per week) students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed study or practice for 10 hours per week. When considering part-time work students need to give serious consideration to the physical demands of the course timetable and attendance requirements. Students should normally be available for classes 9am-6pm Monday to Friday. In production and performance weeks students should normally be available 8am-11pm. All students are required to pay for their own accommodation, clothing, class materials, and, for performance, appropriate shoes and underwear.

Dress standard
For all practical dance classes, safety is an important priority. Therefore jewellery and watches may not be worn. Hair must be away from the face and securely fastened.

Ballet
Women: Solid colour leotard and pale-coloured or pink tights (not black). White or pink ballet slippers.Assessment Class: Navy leotard, pink tights, pink shoes.
Men: Solid colour leotard or close-fitting t-shirt and tights (not black). White socks to be worn with footless tights. Black or white shoes.
Assessment Class: Navy or white t-shirt or leotard, navy tights, white socks and white shoes.

Contemporary Dance
Women and Men: Solid colour leotard or close-fitting t-shirt and footless tights.
Assessment Class: Navy leotard or close-fitting navy t-shirt and black footless tights.

Assessment

Students must complete all assessment requirements by the due date and attend practical assessment classes on the published date. Unless all assessment requirements are completed the student will be deemed to have failed.

1. Criteria for assessment in dance technique
Assessment in practical class work is comprehensive, using 4 different forms of assessment:

• Assessment for Coursework
• Random Assessment
• Self Assessment
• Formal Assessment Class

Assessment for coursework
Is based on evidence of consistent application and improvement in technical proficiency and development of artistry throughout the semester. Specific criteria for assessment for coursework are detailed in subject outlines distributed by the lecturer at the commencement of the course/subject:.

Random Assessment
Random Assessments are conducted in Dance Technique as there is no attendance hurdle. The Head of Discipline or a representative and an external assessor observe a normal class and assess students on the following criteria:

• alignment;
• clarity, facility, accuracy;
• focus and application;
• musicality;
• performance quality.

Self Assessment
Students are encouraged to self evaluate and to reflect on their practice using the same criteria as Assessment for Coursework.

Formal Assessment class
Specific criteria for practical assessments are related to learning outcomes of each subject and are detailed in subject outlines distributed by the lecturer at the commencement of the course/subject.

2. Criteria for assessment in theoretical subjects
Assessment in theoretical work also uses several different forms including:

• Assessment for Coursework;
• Completion of set tasks;
• Formal tests/examinations.

Specific criteria relevant to each form of assessment are detailed in subject outlines.

• Assessment for coursework
  Assessment for coursework is based on evidence of attendance and participation in all lectures/tutorials and quality of coursework.

• Completion of set tasks
  Set tasks are related to learning outcomes of each subject and are detailed in subject outlines distributed by the lecturer at the commencement of the course/subject. Set tasks may include reading preparation, presentations, assignments, essays which students are required to complete.

• Formal Tests/Examinations
  A student who does not attend a formal assessment class and who does not provide a doctor’s certificate to substantiate the absence will be deemed to have failed the assessment.

Effect of absences on assessment
Because the primary mode of learning is experiential, students are expected to attend all classes. Absences due to severe accidents, illness, injury or any other reason can result in a student not having acquired the necessary experience and knowledge. In these circumstances the student may apply for Special Consideration via the Student Portal. For all subjects specified e.g. Allied Dance Studies, Kinetic Studies, students must meet the 80% attendance hurdle requirement to be eligible for assessment. The exception is Dance Technique, in which random assessments are conducted.

Course Progression Guidelines

The maximum time permitted for completion of the course is six years. Students need to fulfill the course requirements and meet specific prerequisites to proceed to study at the next year level. In order to proceed to the next level a student must complete a minimum of 87.5 points including prerequisites for particular subjects (e.g. prerequisite for Dance Technique 2A is 87.5 points at first year level including Dance Technique 1A & 1B). A student must also meet continuing physical suitability requirements.

The progress of a student will be deemed to be unsatisfactory if he or she:

(a) fails any subject twice; or
(b) fails to complete 87.5 points at any year level.

Any student who fulfills one or more of the above criteria will have failed to meet the minimum progress requirements for advancement to the next stage of the course and will be referred to the Student Progress Review Committee.

Qualification for Award

The award of Bachelor of Dance requires the successful completion of the prescribed subjects and the gaining of a total score of 300 credit points.

Subjects by Year

Year 1

• 754-101 - The Artist in the World - Part 1
• 754-130 - The Artist in the World - Part 2
• 756-120 - Performance Management
• 756-125 - Performance 1
• 756-130 - Dance Technique 1A
• 756-131 - Dance Technique 1B
• 756-132 - Choreography 1A
• 756-133 - Choreography 1B
• 756-134 - Allied Dance Studies 1A
• 756-135 - Allied Dance Studies 1B
• 756-136 - Kinetic Studies 1A
• 756-137 - Kinetic Studies 1B

Year 2

• 754-202 & 203 - The World in the Artist 2A & 2B
• 756-213 - Performance 2A
• 756-220 - Career Planning and Management
• 756-230 - Dance Technique 2A
• 756-231 - Dance Technique 2B
• 756-232 - Choreography 2A
• 756-233 - Choreography 2B
• 756-234 - Performance 2B
• 756-235 - Allied Dance Studies 2A
• 756-236 - Allied Dance Studies 2B
• 756-238 - Kinetic Studies 2B

Year 3

• 754-301 - Collaborative Contract
• 754-302 - Professional Development
• 756-313 - Performance 3A
• 756-317 - Special Study
• 756-320 - Choreography 3A
• 756-321 - Choreography 3B (Dance Making)
• 756-322 - Choreography 3C (Performance)
• 756-330 - Dance Technique 3A
• 756-331 - Dance Technique 3B
• 756-332 - Performance 3B

Subjects

Year 1

Credit Points:	6.25
Contact hours:	2 hours per week
Supervised Studio hours:	5 hours per week including class preparation
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

Subject Handout

Part 1: Ideas and Interpretations

This subject is to be taken in conjunction with 754-130—The Artist in the World (Part 2) in Semester 2.

The subject will introduce students to the key themes and ideas central to all performing and visual arts as interpreted by artists, philosophers and theorists.

This subject is offered as a weekly lecture and tutorial program.

We will proceed by looking at how these various themes inform processes and practices within and across art forms. Starting with Ideas and Interpretations which form points of intersection between the visual and performing arts we will explore pedagogical practices currently employed at the Faculty, as well as analyse some of the technical, aesthetic and conceptual frameworks applied in the development of creative works. We will investigate the influences of various historical and contemporary contexts on the application and interpretation of these themes. In addition we will examine the possibilities for research in and through the arts leading to new modes of representation and the creation of new knowledge.

A range of international and local visual artists, musicians, writers, directors, designers, composers, choreographers, performers, and filmmakers will present lectures about their own work that may coincide with the week’s tutorial topic.

The weekly tutorial readings provide a theoretical context for analysing selected themes found in contemporary practice. During tutorial discussions, students will be encouraged to speculate and reflect upon the relationship between ideas encountered in the lectures, tutorials and readings, and their own studio practice.

Semester 1, 2009
Lecture program

Wednesdays, 9.30 -10.30 am Federation Hall

18 February Welcome and Introduction to the Artist in the World

25 February Rodney Hall (novelist and playwright)

4 March Kristy Edmunds (Head of the School of Performing Arts)

11 March Mike Daisy (collaborative commons and on-line networks)

18 March Master Liu ( martial arts, movement and meditation)

25 March Joanne and Stuart Favilla (musical instrument makers)

1 April Paul Cox (filmmaker)

8 April Daniel Cramer (Berlin based visual artist)

15 April Easter Break (no lecture)

22 April Leisa Shelton (performance and theatre making)

29 April Barbara Campbell (visual artist)

6 May Clem Martini (Head of Drama, Calgary University) tbc

13 May Film festival

Objectives:

On completion of the Artist in The World subject students should be able to:

• identify key issues in contemporary cultural practice;
• acquire a critical vocabulary and refine written and verbal communication skills;
• develop an appreciation of the social and historical context of creative work;
• develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate discourses and performances in contemporary arts practice; and
• develop a more reflective approach towards their practice and across disciplines.

Assessment:

Students must satisfactorily complete written work of 2,000 words or its equivalent and undertake active participation in tutorials to successfully complete the subject. Intellectual journal - 15 pages (45%); theoretical investigation - 800 words (30%); tutorial participation (25%). Hurdle requirement - 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week including class preparation

Prescribed Texts:

Artist in the World Reader - Ideas and Interpretations (purchase from Student and Academic Services Unit)

Credit Points:	6.25
Mode of Delivery:	weekly 1 hour lecture and weekly 1 hour tutorial
Contact hours:	2 hours per week
Supervised Studio hours:	5 hours per week incl preparation assessment tasks
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

The Artist in the World, part 2: Keywords in the Arts and Society, introduces students to a number of keywords which appear in contemporary debates on art and society. These debates make use of concepts drawn from within the arts but also from other disciplines including psychoanalysis, philosophy, anthropology, visual design, law, cultural theory and the sciences. Students are encouraged to gain awareness of the variety of ways in which words are used, and ideas and values constructed in these disciplines.

Lecture Program
Semester 2, 2009

July 15 – Martin Ng – Cardiologist, genetic researcher and turntable improviser

July 22 – Phillip Adams – Choreographer and director Ballet Lab

July 29 – Danius Kesminas – Visual artist and musician and all around crazed genius

August 5 – J.Hillis Miller – Theorist and critic

August 12 – Robin Fox – Electronic Musician and laser artist – Robin will perform a piece for computer and lasers

August 19 – Marco Fusinato – Visual artist and sound installation artist

August 26 – Maureen Gardner – Head of the School of Production at VCAM

September 2 – Kevin Murray – Curator and writer, ex director of Craft Victoria and current director of the South Project

September 9 – Deborah Cheetham – Indigenous opera singer, actor, author and program manger of the Willin Centre VCAM

Break: September 14

September 23 – Greg Burgess – Architect

September 30 – The Film Festival – curated by the CFI tutors

October 7 – Student presentations

 

 

 

Objectives:

On completion of the Artist in The World subject students should be able to:

• identify key issues in contemporary cultural practice;
• acquire a critical vocabulary and refine written and verbal communication skills;
• develop an appreciation of the social and historical context of creative work;
• develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate discourses and performances in contemporary arts practice;and,
• develop a more reflective approach towards their practice and across disciplines.
  

Assessment:

Students must satisfactorily complete assessment to pass part 2 of the subject. Students are required to complete written work of 2,000 words or its equivalent and undertake active participation in tutorials for each component to successfully complete the subject. Intellectual journal – 15 pages (45%); critical investigation - 800 words (30%); tutorial participation (25%). Hurdle requirement - 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week incl preparation assessment tasks

Prescribed Texts:

Artist in the World Reader from the Student and Academic Service Unit
Also you can download the subject handout here

Credit Points:	6.25
Contact hours:	4 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

This subject is delivered through a series of workshops, seminars and lectures to assist students with strategies to achieve optimal performance in dance. Areas of study include performance psychology, communication studies including group dynamics, goal setting and motivational strategies, health and nutrition, injury prevention and management with a focus on safe dance practice.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual study for 1 hour per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the capacity to communicate orally and in writing;
• the ability to access, evaluate and synthesise data and other information;
• the ability to evaluate data;
• the capacity to solve problems;

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory completion of set tasks (60%); written assignments totalling no more than 2,000 words (40%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Meredith Blackburn
Prerequisites:	Dance Technique 1A Dance Technique 1B (Corequisite)
Contact hours:	5 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Development of performance skills and artistry is central to a dancer’s development. During the three year course students will work with leading and emerging choreographers on the development and performance of new dance works and existing repertoire. A variety of performance experiences will extend and enhance the student’s skills and artistry. Performance 1 will culminate in the performance of a dance work by a leading or emerging choreographer as part of the Dance November performance season. It may also include the performance of a Jazz Dance in another venue. Production Studies lectures will focus on technical aspects of the theatre, theatre terminology, etiquette, personnel and stage make-up.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the capacity for working in a team;
• the ability to work within aesthetic domains;
• the ability to perform;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to interpret and analyse;
• the capacity to communicate in oral and written forms.

Assessment:

Performance assessment (50%); participation and contribution to rehearsals and production studies lectures (30%); written essay of 2,000 words (20%).

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	18.75
Coordinator:	Meredith Blackburn
Contact hours:	15 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

The study of a range of dance techniques provides intensive training for the dance artist. Four classes a week in both Contemporary Dance and Ballet, plus one class a week in Jazz Dance and a tenth elective class in either Ballet or Contemporary Dance form this subject. Training in the 3 techniques will focus on dynamic alignment, development of strength, coordination, flexibility, agility, cardiovascular endurance and control.

 

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to move within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to dance in contemporary, classical and jazz dance techniques;
• the application of theory to practice;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• capacities of imagination, transformation, and interpretation;
• the ability to perform.

Assessment:

Assessment for all dance technique consists of 4 forms of assessment detailed above.

Time Commitment:

15 hours per week

Credit Points:	18.75
Coordinator:	Meredith Blackburn
Contact hours:	15 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Continued study of a range of dance techniques establishes a paradigm for training versatile, kinaesthetically intelligent dance artists. Four classes a week in both Ballet and Contemporary Dance, plus one class a week in Jazz Dance and a tenth elective class in either Ballet or Contemporary Dance form this subject.

 

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to move within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to dance in contemporary, classical and jazz dance techniques;
• the application of theory to practice;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• capacities of imagination, transformation, and interpretation;
• the ability to perform.

Assessment:

Assessment for all dance technique consists of four forms of assessment detailed above.

 

Time Commitment:

15 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Robert Ray
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

An introduction to the basic elements of dance composition and choreography. The subject focuses on an understanding of dance as a space/time art form. Practical tasks include the generation of movement through improvisation, and the manipulation and development of movement using a variety of compositional strategies in order to develop a personal movement vocabulary and style.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed practice or written/reflective work for 2 hours per week.

 

 

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to create and organise aesthetic material;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• the ability to solve problems;
• the capacity to apply theory to practice in the creation of artistic work;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the ability to work collaboratively;
• the capacity to recognise and work within aesthetic domains.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (40%); studies/projects for assessment (40%); written assignments and log book equivalent to 1,500 words (20%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Robert Ray
Prerequisites:	Choreography 1A
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Further study of the basic elements of dance composition and choreography. The subject continues to focus on an understanding of dance as a space/time art form. Practical tasks include the manipulation and development of movement using a variety of compositional strategies which enhance an understanding of the relationship between form and content.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed practice or written/reflective work for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to create and organise aesthetic material;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• the ability to solve problems;
• the capacity to apply theory to practice in the creation of artistic work;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the ability to work collaboratively;
• the capacity to recognise and work within aesthetic domains.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (40%); studies/projects for assessment (40%); written assignments and log book equivalent to 1,500 words (20%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Contact hours:	4 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

This subject comprises contemporary duo, pas de deux, repertoire (ballet or contemporary), improvisation, pointe and music. Students are required to complete music and to elect 3 units of study from the other 6 units. Music includes the development of rhythmic and aural skills through study of notation, an overview of Western Art Music from the Medieval to the present, awareness of non-Western musical forms and introduction to musical genres, development of instruments, basic notation and conducting. The elective units must be studied sequentially for 2 semesters. Elective units in Allied Dance Studies 1 and 2 can be sequential to allow for specialisation or non-sequential to facilitate breadth in content.

 

 

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed study for 1 hour per week.

 

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to recognise and move within particular aesthetic domains;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• the capacity for imaginative, transformative and interpretive activity;
• the ability to perform;
• the application of theory to practice in music, sound generation and composition;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the capacity for interpretation and analysis;
• the ability to work in a team.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (55%); performance in an assessment class/es in each elective unit (30%); music examination (15%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	Allied Dance Studies 1A
Contact hours:	4 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

This subject comprises contemporary duo, pas de deux, repertoire (ballet or contemporary), improvisation, pointe and music. Students are required to complete music and to elect 3 units of study from the other 6 units. Music includes the development of rhythmic and aural skills through study of notation, an overview of Western Art Music from the Medieval to the present, awareness of non-Western musical forms and introduction to musical genres, development of instruments, basic notation and conducting. The elective units must be studied sequentially for 2 semesters. Elective units in Allied Dance Studies 1 and 2 can be sequential to allow for specialisation or non-sequential to facilitate breadth in content.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed study for 1 hour per week.

 

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to recognise and move within particular aesthetic domains;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• the capacity for imaginative, transformative and interpretive activity;
• the ability to perform;
• the application of theory to practice in music, sound generation and composition;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the capacity for interpretation and analysis;
• the ability to work in a team.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (55%); performance in an assessment class/es in each elective unit (30%); music examination (15%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

This subject is designed to provide a foundation in safe dance practice, based on anatomical knowledge and ideo-kinetic principles. The subject includes the study of Anatomy and Kinesiology. The anatomy component includes the study of the musculo-skeletal system, muscle and synovial joint form and function, postural alignment and efficient technique to prevent dance injuries. Kinesiology includes the study and practice of ideokinetic processes to foster a balanced alignment of the skeletal system and re-education of neuromuscular habits in movement.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual study for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to synthesise data and other information on the human body;
• the ability to apply theory to practice;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including completion of set tasks (40%); written assignment (20%); practical assessments and written examinations (40%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Maggie Lorraine
Prerequisites:	Kinetic Studies 1A
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

This subject is designed to provide a foundation in safe dance practice, based on sound anatomical knowledge and a practical understanding of different kinetic practices. The subject includes the study of Anatomy, Pilates and other kinetic practices. The anatomy component includes the further study of the musculo-skeletal system, muscle and synovial joint form and function, postural alignment and efficient technique to prevent dance injuries. Kinetic practices provide a basis for core stabilization and balanced alignment to facilitate efficiency in movement.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual study for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to synthesise data and other information on the human body;
• the ability to apply theory to practice;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including completion of set tasks (50%); written examinations (25%); set tasks (25%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Year 2

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	These seminars are offered at second year level. Second year students attend one x 2 hour seminar per week each semester from an available pool of approximately 12 seminar subjects. Seminars are held once a week and most seminars from semester one are repeated in second semester.
Mode of Delivery:	weekly seminar
Contact hours:	2 hour seminar per week in each semester
Semester:	Both Semesters

Subject description:

WORLD IN THE ARTIST 2B
SEMESTER TWO, 2009 

Please check your University email for information on how to enrol in one of the seminars listed below for semester two.

CLASSES BEGIN EITHER THURSDAY 16 JULY OR FRIDAY 17 JULY - PLEASE CHECK THE DAY AND TIME OF THE SEMINAR THAT YOU HAVE ENROLLED IN.

EAST/ WEST: PART 1
David Shea
Fridays: 2.00pm-4.00pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

This seminar is an in-depth look at the traditional divide between the cultures, philosophies, perceptions and approaches to the body in Eastern and Western models. Themes explored include scientific and spiritual cosmologies, eastern and western medicine, evolutionary ideas and creation stories, eastern and western architecture, rationality and meditation, martial arts and body enhancement, anatomical and holistic bodies, and mysticism.

There will be a strong concentration on current research in fields relating to the communication between traditional opposites such as quantum physics and its relation to spiritual views of time and space, art, music and literature, as well as medical research into meditation
and martial arts.

Assessment:

Contribution and participation in seminar discussion       25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words  75%
                        
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

SUBVERSIVE FILM IN ART
Oren Ambarchi
Thursdays 4pm-6pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

This seminar will introduce how aesthetic, sexual, and ideological subversives have used one of the most powerful art forms of our day to exchange or manipulate our conscious and unconscious, demystify visual taboos, destroy dated cinematic forms, and undermine existing value systems and institutions.

This subversion of form is illuminated by a detailed examination of films from Oren's collection including many rarely seen, or never released works. Avant-garde, underground, independent and exceptional commercial films will be viewed in their entire duration on a weekly basis followed by a group discussion and analysis.

*Please not that it not necessary to have attended this subject in the first semester. Additionally, none of the films screened in the first will be repeated in 2nd semester.

Assignment/Assessment:
Students will be required to submit a 1500 word written research assignment investigating one of the films viewed in the course or a film of their choice that relates to the ideas and topics discussed in the seminar.

Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

THE HIDDEN LINKS OF THE AVANT-GARDE & POPULAR CULTURE
Oren Ambarchi
Fridays 11am-1pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

Pop and the avant-garde represent the cultural contradiction of late capitalism, the contradiction that has no dialectic. Pop music for example, has a mass audience, but its domination by the commodity form usually fosters "stupidity in listening". The avant-garde has the imagination to challenge passivity and stupidity, but usually addresses itself only to the art world. Is it possible to overcome the contradiction between the mass-market pop world and the avant-garde?

This course endeavours to explore the parallel worlds of pop and the avant garde and reveal how these contradictory cultural worlds have borrowed from each other and transgressed the rigid boundaries separating "high" and "low" culture to form secret and friendly alliances.

Assignment/Assessment:
Students are required to do a project researching a historical work, artist or movement that has ties to both the avant-garde and pop culture. This project has 2 requirements:
1. Each student will give a presentation of their project to the class
2. Each student will submit a written assignment of 1500 words reflecting their investigation

Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

BODIES OF WAR IN ART AND PERFORMANCE
Adam Broinowski
Fridays 11am-1pm
 
Subject/Seminar Description:
 
This seminar provides views from the body in war through key samples of 20th century political performance and art. Artists have long recorded, reflected and reacted to the terror, cruelty, and pathos of war. But since the First World War, shocked out of their preconception that civilization had advanced beyond barbarity, influential artists opposed war by rupturing the way it was represented.
 
In providing a surface to touch to become critically aware of the burning lava of fear, joy and pride in war, artists over this century (Dix/Grosz/Hoch/Heartfield, Artaud/Brecht, Lanzmann/Ibuse, Hijikata/ Schneeman/The Living Theatre/Oshima, La Fura dels Baus/Dead Kennedys/Godard, Morris/Fairey/Banksy to name a few!) have often been uncomfortably out of place, exiles in their own societies while addressing the theme of war. What does the study of this violence and conflict through philosophy, art, performance and war documentary reveal? Is war ‘natural’?
 
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

DIALOGUE WRITING
Raimondo Cortese
Fridays 2pm-4pm
Subject/Seminar Description:

The seminar focuses on writing dialogue and scenes for theatre, film or TV. The work involves a direct and intensive exploration of the written material. The focus is on action, on what words do (to the performer speaking and being spoken to).
Dramatic dialogue is dynamic – it inspires change. Students are encouraged to treat their dialogues as verbal creations, to be spoken out then written, without censoring or judging what happens. A series of simple exercises are used to allow the students to focus on action.

The aim is to not ‘interpret’ or ‘shut down’ the dialogue, but to instead focus on the complex reality of what is actually happening between people rather than what is literally happening. From there we discover where rewriting is required. We will also be exploring dialogues from theatre and film classics.

Assignment/Assessment:
By the end of the seminar participants will be required to hand in their written material. This can be a short play, film or TV script or a series of dialogues that defy strict categorisation.

Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

PROTEST AND SURVIVE: OR DO PROTEST SONGS DREAM OF iTUNE SALES?
Elliot Howard
Fridays 2pm - 4pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

In this seminar we will investigate both historical and contemporary forms of protest and pose the question – what place does protesting have in contemporary artistic and political practices?  We will explore a range of material and disciplines including current Melbourne based protest movements and actions, popular music, film, art, current affairs, economics, climate change and theoretical perspectives. 

We will look at recent G8, Mayday and anti war protests, the films of Jean-Luc Godard, the Situationist movement, the events of May 68, the Hornsey School of Art and Byam Shaw School of Art sit-ins (1968 and 2009), the Baader-Meinhoff group, the Gorilla Girls and graffiti on Melbourne’s streets and laneways. We will place protest in the context of Generation Y’s first recession, the Global Financial Crisis and impending climate catastrophe.

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

MASHIT: SOUND AND VIDEO ART
Bruce Mowson
Fridays 11am-1pm

Noise, mash-ups, soundscapes, video art, music-videos, electronic music, minimalisms, sound art: these and many more are sub-genre’s that can be produced using analogue and digital sound and video. In this seminar, we will be working in the computer lab to create any and or all of the above. In class, a range of topics and techniques will be introduced, including audio-visual theory, soundtrack creation, video installation, collage and appropriation, critical listening and looking.

Ultimately, we will be working toward a screening, performance or presentation at the end of the semester. Submission requirements will include a short written assignment and sound and/or video works.

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

SENSORAMA: MULTI-DISCIPLINARY INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE
Bruce Mowson
Fridays 2pm-4pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

In the first semester, we explored the way we use our senses in our art, and thought about distinctions between perception, thought and memory. In this semester we extend these explorations, and look at new material from Film, psychoanalysis, Media art, Installation Art and Happenings. We will continue exploring the senses through exercises such as the blind walk, and will actively explore possibilities for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

We will be working toward an installation/performance event and catalogue, coordinated by students, at the end of semester. Submission requirements will include a short written assignment and an artwork.

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

ZEN PAINTING AND POETRY
Professor Richard Perry
Fridays 11am-1pm
Subject/Seminar Description:

This course will introduce students to major painters and poets within the Chinese and Japanese traditions of Zen Buddhist art. Topics to be discussed include Buddhism vs. Zen Buddhism, form and emptiness, spontaneity and control, tradition and iconoclasm, heroes and swagmen, silence and sound, the brush as sword, and Zen in modern art.

The influence of Zen Buddhist aesthetics on ceramics and garden design will also be discussed. Students will be expected to participate freely in seminar discussions, and assessed assignments will include one haiku poem, one brief essay, and one short quiz.

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

‘DO IT’
Elizabeth Presa
Fridays 2pm-4pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

‘Do it’ famously began as a discussion between artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier, and writer and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, in 1993 at the Café
Select in Paris.  Their discussion focused on the use of written instructions to make works of art in an effort to observe the effects of translation.  They were interested in how written instructions from artists could function like musical scores, which go though countless variations and interpretations each time they are performed.  ‘Do it’ has been staged in over 45 museums around the world.

The Centre for Ideas ‘do it’ project is presented in collaboration with Hans Ulrich Obrist. This year ‘do it’ focuses on art and philosophy. Eminent philosophers have been invited to write ‘do it’ instructions.  Participating philosophers include Jean-Luc Nancy, Julia Kristeva, Alexander Garcia Duttmann, Daniel Birnbaum
(Director of the 2009 Venice Biennale), Andrew Benjamin, Peter Singer as well as Beijing based philosophers.  Students from the Central Academy of Fine Art Beijing (CAFA), China’s leading art college, will participate in the exhibition.
 
The outcomes of your ‘translations’ will form the 2009 ‘do it’ exhibition at the George Paton Gallery 5 – 16 October

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

EAST/WEST: Part 2
David Shea
Thursday 4pm-6pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

This seminar is an in-depth look at the traditional divide between the
cultures, philosophies, perceptions and approaches to the arts in
Eastern and Western models. Themes explored include scientific and
spiritual cosmologies, eastern and western medicine, evolutionary ideas
and creation stories, eastern and western architecture, rationality and
meditation, martial arts and body enhancement, anatomical and holistic
bodies, and mysticism.

In this second semester we will explore, in depth, aspects of subjects we covered in the first semester. We will also investigate many new areas, with a shift in focus towards presentations, both by my self and the students. My presentations, which will be the first hour of every week, will concentrate on the arts and in particular the visual arts, performance and music in traditional cultures all round the world and the religious, scientific and mythological philosophies, which form the roots of these cultures. It is not necessary to have done the first semester of East West to be a part of this seminar as we will be covering almost all new ground and re-visiting some of the first semester concepts in new contexts.

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

DIALOGUES WITHIN INVISIBLE CITIES
Leisa Shelton
Fridays 2pm-4pm

Subject/Seminar Description:

Investigations into the evolving cross fertilisations within and between the languages of architecture, theatre, philosophy, the culinary arts, science and curatorial practice – to name but a few!

If Gay Bilson, William Forsyth, John Zorn, Peter Greenaway, Sophie Calle, Helene Cixous and Gordon Matta-Clarke were guests at our dinner table, what kind of conversations might emerge? 

This series of seminars will introduce students to a variety of processes developed by leading practitioners, working beyond the parameters of their specific disciplines to redefine both their practice and the way we experience the world through the encounters with their work.

Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

THE ART OF DESIRE: PSYCHOANALYTIC AESTHETICS
Dr Ashley Woodward
Fridays 11am-1pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
For roughly a century now, psychoanalysis has been a major force of influence in the arts, both in practice and criticism. This subject introduces and explores a variety of different psychoanalytic perspectives on art, as well as the relations between psychoanalysis, art, and politics. It will focus on the ideas of four major theorists: the psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, and the philosophers Jean-François Lyotard and Slavoj Zizek.

The seminar will also consider the ways psychoanalysis has been taken up by artists (for example, in surrealism), and how it has impacted on politics and culture. It will introduce key ideas in psychoanalytic theory, such as libido; the unconscious; phantasy; the uncanny; the symbolic, the imaginary, and the real; the figural; and so on.

It will also look at the application of psychoanalytic theory to a variety of art forms, including painting, cinema, and music, and consider the politics of public space in relation to how desire circulates through advertising, stencil art, and graffiti.

Assessment/Assignment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion               25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance

 

Objectives:

On completion of World in the Artist seminar subjects students should be able to:

• demonstrate and analyse the philosophical and methodological basis of creative research activity;
• exhibit insight into the relationship between key theoretical concepts and original creative practice;
• exercise knowledge of highly specialised disciplinary practice and methodology;
• recognise the significance of research in creative work;
• develop a framework for addressing future inter-disciplinary research projects;
• demonstrate analytic skills and the ability to communicate complex concepts;
• exhibit lucid verbal and written communication skills and fluency within the student’s own practice and across other disciplines;
• develop a sense of individual perspective; and
• demonstrate familiarity with recent cultural debates and new cultural practices.

Time Commitment:

6 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Janne Blanche
Prerequisites:	87.5 credit points from Year 1 including Performance 1
Contact hours:	5 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

During the three year course students will work with leading and emerging choreographers on the development and performance of new dance works. Students may also study and perform a range of dance repertoire. This will provide a variety of performance experiences. Performance 2A will culminate in the performance of a dance work as part of the new dance works. Students may also study and perform a range of dance repertoire. This will provide a variety of performance experiences. Performance 2A will culminate in the performance of a dance work as part of the Dance mid-year performance season, involving 2nd and 3rd Year students. Lectures in Production Studies (approximately 6 hours per semester) will focus on technical aspects of the theatre, including use of video equipment and lighting effects.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the capacity for working in a team;
• the ability to work within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to perform;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to interpret and analyse;
• the capacity to communicate in oral and written forms.

Assessment:

Performance assessment (50%); participation and contribution to rehearsal process and production studies (30%); written essay of 1,000 words (20%).

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Helen Herbertson
Prerequisites:	Performance Management
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

This subject will be delivered through a series of workshops, seminars and lectures. In preparation for entry into the dance industry the emphasis will be on potential career pathways in dance and dance-allied professions. The course will identify strategies for sustaining personal practice as a dance artist and managing career transitions. The course will also cover grant application writing and project management (focusing especially on responsible budgeting), CV preparation and contractual, legal and ethical issues as they relate to the dance artist.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed study for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the capacity to communicate orally and in writing;
• the ability to access, evaluate and synthesise data and other information;
• the capacity to solve problems.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory completion of set tasks (60%); written assignments totalling no more than 2,000 words (40%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	18.75
Coordinator:	Dr Neil Adams
Prerequisites:	87.5 credit points from Year 1 including Dance Technique 1A & 1B
Contact hours:	13.5 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

Four classes a week in both Ballet and Contemporary Dance, and a ninth elective class in either Ballet or Contemporary Dance. Classes in ballet will facilitate mastery of exercises at the barre, in the centre, steps of turning and allegro. In Contemporary Dance classes students consolidate their understanding of the principles of contemporary dance and refine their movement skills as sequences develop in rhythmic and coordinative complexity. Classes in both areas will concentrate on efficient alignment, cardiovascular endurance, coordination, expression and musicality.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:
• The capacity for kinaesthetic awareness
• The ability to move within aesthetic domains
• The facility to dance in particular contemporary movement techniques
• A facility with ballet technique
• The application of theory to practice
• The capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information
• Capacities of imagination, transformation, and interpretation
• The ability to perform

Assessment:

Assessment for all dance technique consists of 4 forms of assessment detailed above.

Time Commitment:

13.5 hours per week

Prescribed Texts:

 

Credit Points:	12.5
Coordinator:	Dr Neil Adams
Prerequisites:	Dance Technique 2A
Contact hours:	12 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

The training paradigm in contemporary and classical dance techniques is continued with 4 classes a week in each technique. Training in each of the techniques will deepen the knowledge of the body and its movement possibilities. Students will study the advanced steps of Ballet with an emphasis on demi-pointe work and steps of grand elevation. In Contemporary Dance classes, presentation of more demanding movement sequences assists students to develop greater technical proficiency and a more extensive movement range.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:
• The capacity for kinaesthetic awareness
• The ability to move within aesthetic domains
• The facility to dance in particular contemporary movement techniques
• A facility with ballet technique
• The application of theory to practice
• The capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information
• Capacities of imagination, transformation, and interpretation
• The ability to perform

Assessment:

Assessment for all dance technique consists of 4 forms of assessment detailed above.

Time Commitment:

12 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	87.5 credit points from Year 1 including Choreography 1A and 1B
Contact hours:	4 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

Choreography 2A comprises dance-making and dance analysis. Through practical, studio-based dance-making activities and seminars, which examine theoretical approaches to the analysis of dance works, this subject extends choreographic experience and investigates the relationship of artistic practice to critical and cultural theories. Two 1.5 hour studio-based classes each week explore the relationship between form and content in choreography and techniques to devise and manipulate movement. Improvisation and the movement derived from a range of thematic or inspirational sources will be used to develop choreographic material. Collaborative working processes will be emphasised. A one-hour seminar in dance analysis each week will examine the purposes and functions of dance as human behaviour and review Contemporary Dance and Modernism in the twentieth century.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual practice or written/reflective work for 1 hour per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to create and organise aesthetic material;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• ability to solve problems;
• the capacity to apply theory to practice in the creation of artistic work;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the ability to access data and other information from a range of sources;
• the capacity to interpret, analyse, evaluate and synthesise data;
• the capacity to communicate orally and in writing;
• the ability to work collaboratively;
• the capacity to recognise and work within aesthetic domains.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory completion of set tasks (30%); practical and written assignments (including a log book), totalling no more than 2,000 words (70%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	Choreography 2A
Contact hours:	4 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Choreography 2B examines artistic dance practice through an integrated approach to practical, studio-based dance-making activities, seminars and research. Two 1.5 hour studio-based classes each week focus on advanced analysis of the relationship between form and content in choreographic structures and the capacity to manipulate movement, spatial environment and music/soundscape. The relationship of dance composition to musical scores and soundscapes will be analysed. Skills in direction of a group will be developed. A one-hour seminar in Dance Analysis each week will examine post-modernism and other trends in dance practice into the twenty first century. There will be reference to dance on film, video and in live performance as well as readings from source material, philosophical and aesthetic writings and dance critiques.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual practice or written/reflective work for 1 hour per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to create and organise aesthetic material;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• the ability to solve problems;
• the capacity to apply theory to practice in the creation of artistic work;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the ability to access data and other information from a range of sources;
• the capacity to interpret, analyse, evaluate and synthesise data;
• the capacity to communicate orally and in writing;
• the ability to work collaboratively;
• the capacity to recognise and work within aesthetic domains.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory completion of set tasks (30%); Practical and written assignments (including a log book), totalling no more than 2,000 words (70%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Janne Blanche
Prerequisites:	Dance Technique 2B
Contact hours:	5 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

During the three year course students will work with leading and emerging choreographers on the development and performance of new dance works. Students may also study and perform a range of dance repertoire to provide a variety of performance experiences. Performance 2B will culminate in the performance of a dance work as part of the School of Performing Arts November performance season, involving 1st and 2nd Year students. Lectures in Production Studies (approximately 6 hours per semester) will focus on technical aspects of the theatre and include technical assistance in a college performance by postgraduate students, Student Works, ArtEd performance or similar.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the capacity for working in a team;
• the ability to work within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to perform;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to interpret and analyse;
• the capacity to communicate in oral and written forms.

Assessment:

Performance assessment (50%); participation and contribution to rehearsal process and production studies (30%); evaluation report of 1,000 words (20%).

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	87.5 credit points from Year 1 including Allied Dance Studies 1A and 1B
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

This subject comprises contemporary duo, pas de deux, repertoire (ballet or contemporary), pointe and improvisation. Students are required to elect 3 units of study in each year to complete 6 units in Allied Dance Studies 1 & 2. The elective units must be studied sequentially for 2 semesters. The 6 units elected in Allied Dance Studies 1 and 2 can be sequential to allow for specialisation or non-sequential to facilitate breadth in content.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual study for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to recognise and move within particular aesthetic domains;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• the capacity for imaginative, transformative and interpretive activity;
• the ability to perform.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (20%x3); performance in an assessment class/es in each unit (10%x3); written assignment totalling no more than 1,500 words (10%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	87.5 credit points from Year 1 including Allied Dance Studies 1A and 1B
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

This subject comprises contemporary duo, pas de deux, repertoire (ballet or contemporary), pointe and improvisation. Students are required to elect 3 units of study in each year to complete 6 units in Allied Extension Studies 1 & 2. The units can be sequential to allow for specialisation or non-sequential to facilitate breadth in content.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed individual study for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to recognise and move within particular aesthetic domains;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• the capacity for imaginative, transformative and interpretive activity;
• the ability to perform.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (20%x3); performance in an assessment class/es in each unit (10%x3); written assignment totalling no more than 1,500 words (10%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	Kinetic Studies 2A
Contact hours:	4 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

The subject will involve further study and practice of ideokinetic processes to foster a balanced alignment of the skeletal system and re-education of neuromuscular habits in movement. Students will also investigate the mechanical principles underlying the design of kinetic imagery and the relationships of both bone and muscle groups in relation to postural alignment and efficient physical coordination. Students will experience moving from a source of imagery, emanating from Skinner Releasing Technique, ideokinesis and/or anatomical based releasing techniques. Other kinetic practices, such as Feldenkrais will also be studied.

The course in second semester will cover the stabilisation and integration of lower body structures. This will include the examination of safe turnout. Students will also participate in a series of Skinner Releasing technique classes.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed study for 1 hour per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

• the ability to apply theory to practice;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• the capacity to communicate in writing.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (10%); practical examination (30%); written requirements totalling no more than 2,000 words (60%). Hurdle requirement - 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Year 3

Credit Points:	6.25
Mode of Delivery:	weekly seminar/workshop
Contact hours:	2 hours per week
Supervised Studio hours:	6 hours per week including class preparation
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

Through the process of group building activities in tutorial settings, students will form collaborative groups and project ideas reflective of the diversity of disciplines. Additionally, throughout the course students will develop their project ideas through various forms of online collaboration including blogging, forum discussions, bulletin board postings as well as responding to collaborative work as it is developed and posted online.

Subject Coordinator - Alex Gibson

Seminar/ lecture Program

Friday 9.30-11.30am Art Auditorium

FEBRUARY 20, 27, MARCH 6, 13, 20, 27, APRIL 3, 24, MAY 1, 8.

Objectives:

On completion of the Collaborative Contract subject students should be able to:

• demonstrate confidence in their ability to initiate cross-disciplinary collaborative practice;
• develop cooperative approaches and exercise leadership skills;
• display critical, reflective skills;
• demonstrate the ability to work in an inclusive manner;
• gain confidence that insight is found in the creative process;
• recognise the cumulative and complex ways in which knowledge is formed;
• develop strong documentary processes;
• understand the role of accounting and project management; and,
• be able to disseminate information and publicly promote their project.

Assessment:

The group project must be presented before the end of the semester, to be reviewed by two academic members of staff (100%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance. Groups will be issued with a group mark.

Time Commitment:

6 hours per week including class preparation

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Dr Elizabeth Presa
Prerequisites:	World in the Artist 2nd year seminars
Contact hours:	2 hours per week
Supervised Studio hours:	6 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

This subject will provide an integrated and generic introduction to the key issues and skills necessary to enhance a student’s artistic career. The aim is to develop a base upon which all students can build their own specialist skills. This subject will complement the existing specialist subjects on professional development on offer in each School. The presentation of the subject will be in the form of lectures by invited experts in the fields of intellectual property, copyright, ethics, small business development, financial management, taxation, marketing and publicity, and occupational health and safety. Extracurricular workshops will be offered in negotiation, time management, grant writing and presentation skills.

Seminar /Lecture Program
Fridays 9:30am – 11.30 am Federation Hall

Objectives:

On completion of the Professional Development subject students should be able to:

• exhibit sophisticated professional communication skills;
• undertake preparation of a curriculum vitae;
• demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues;
• identify career management strategies;
• identify problem solving and conflict resolution skills;
• exhibit experience of team processes; and,
• demonstrate knowledge of issues relating to personal safety, teaching aids, access to information,and financial and legal advice.

Assessment:

Students select from a menu of discipline related written assessment projects (100%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

6 hours per week

Credit Points:	12.5
Coordinator:	Maggie Lorraine
Prerequisites:	87.5 credit points from Year 2 including Performance 2A and 2B.
Contact hours:	10 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

Development of performance skills and artistry is central to a dancer’s development. During the three year course students will work with leading and emerging choreographers on the development and performance of new dance works. Students may also study and perform a range of dance repertoire. This will provide a variety of performance experiences that will extend and enhance the student’s skill base and artistic development. Performance 3A will culminate in the performance of a dance work as part of the Dance mid-year performance season, involving 2nd and 3rd Year students.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for working in a team;
• the ability to move within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to perform;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to interpret and analyse.

Assessment:

Performance assessment based on the quality of performance (60%); participation and contribution to rehearsal process (40%).

Time Commitment:

10 hours per week

Credit Points:	12.5
Prerequisites:	Choreography 2A and 2B
Contact hours:	Tutorial time arranged as required
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

The student will select an appropriate dance work (solo or duet) to research and perform in consultation with his/her tutor. The selected work must not be one which forms part of the course of study during the student’s period of enrolment. Students are required to research the historical background of the choreographer, details of music and design, history of the performances, the aesthetic values of the work, and its place in the annals of dance. Each student should arrange supervision of his/her study with an appropriate member of staff as well as book studios for rehearsals.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the ability to move within aesthetic domains;
• the ability to perform with kinaesthetic awareness;
• the application of dance techniques;
• the capacity to access data and other information from a range of sources;
• the capacity to evaluate and synthesise data and other information;
• the capacity to interpret and analyse;
• the capacity to communicate orally and in writing.

Assessment:

End of semester 1 - Research essay of 3,500 words (40%); performance of the solo/duet before a panel (40%); viva voce before a panel (20%).

Time Commitment:

3 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	Choreography 2A and 2B
Contact hours:	3 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

Students will further explore individual movement qualities, the manipulation of movement phrases, choreographic processes and structures.

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed practice or written/reflective work for 2 hours per week.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the ability to create and organise aesthetic material;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• the ability to solve problems;
• the capacity to apply theory to practice in the creation of artistic work;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the ability to work collaboratively;
• the capacity to recognise and work within aesthetic domains.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory presentation of set choreographic tasks (70%); Written assignments and logbooks totalling no more than 2000 words (30%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Coordinator:	Jane Mortiss
Prerequisites:	Choreography 3A
Contact hours:	5 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Students design their own projects in discussion with the supervisor. Students are encouraged to extend their knowledge and choreographic practice in a specific interest area, subject to the availability of resources, staff and student numbers. Students further explore individual movement qualities and create a number of different studies involving such aspects as sound design for dance, creation of dance for video and site specific dance. Students develop skills in production management, stage management, lighting, set and costume design and projection and apply these to the presentation of their choreographic studies.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the ability to create and organise aesthetic material;
• the ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes;
• the ability to solve problems;
• the capacity to apply theory to practice in the creation of artistic work;
• the capacity for critical thinking;
• the ability to work collaboratively;
• the capacity to recognise and work within aesthetic domains;
• the ability to use relevant computer software.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory completion of set tasks (30%); presentation of choreographic project (70%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	6.25
Prerequisites:	Choreography 3A
Contact hours:	5 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Students will collaborate in development processes and performances of new dance works with Choreography 3B choreographers and/or Postgraduate choreographers, as approved by their supervisor. Students will develop skills in production management, stage management, lighting, set and costume design and projection and apply these to the collaborative and performance processes.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following:

• the capacity for movement in particular aesthetic domains;
• the ability to apply theory to practice;
• the ability to perform;
• the capacity for collaborative learning;
• the ability to work in a team;
• the ability to communicate in oral and written form.

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work including satisfactory completion of set tasks (30%); Performance of at least two works totalling a minimum of 15 minutes (70%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.

Time Commitment:

5 hours per week

Credit Points:	18.75
Prerequisites:	At least 87.5 credit points from Year 2 including Dance Technique 2A and 2B
Contact hours:	15 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 1

Subject description:

The subject will involve further study and practice of ideokinetic processes to foster a balanced alignment of the skeletal system and re-education of neuromuscular habits in movement. Students will also investigate the mechanical principles underlying the design of kinetic imagery and the relationships of both bone and muscle groups in relation to postural alignment and efficient physical coordination. Students will experience moving from a source of imagery, emanating from Skinner Releasing Technique, ideokinesis and/or anatomical based releasing techniques. Other kinetic practices, such as Feldenkrais will also be studied.

 

 

The course in second semester will cover the stabilisation and integration of lower body structures. This will include the examination of safe turnout. Students will also participate in a series of Skinner Releasing technique classes.

 

 

In order to successfully complete this subject, students are normally expected to undertake additional self-directed study for 1 hour per week.

 

Objectives:

On completion of this course students should have acquired the following skills:

 

• The ability to apply theory to practice

   

• The capacity for kinaesthetic awareness

   

• The ability to exercise imaginative and transformative processes

   

• The capacity to communicate in writing

   

Assessment:

Participation and contribution to course work (10%); practical examination (30%); written requirements totalling no more than 2,000 words (60%). Hurdle requirement - 80% attendance.

 

Time Commitment:

15 hours per week

Credit Points:	18.75
Prerequisites:	Dance Technique 3A
Contact hours:	15 hours per week
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Dance Technique 3A and 3B represent the culmination of the dance artist’s training at the Faculty of the VCA and Music. The training paradigm in contemporary and classical dance techniques is continued with 5 classes a week in both Ballet and Contemporary Dance and regular exposure to guest teachers and practising artists from the field.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to move within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to dance in particular contemporary movement techniques;
• a facility with ballet technique;
• the application of theory to practice;
• the capacity to synthesise data and evaluate information;
• capacities of imagination, transformation, and interpretation;
• the ability to perform.

Assessment:

Assessment for all dance technique consists of 4 forms of assessment detailed above.

Time Commitment:

15 hours per week

Credit Points:	12.5
Coordinator:	Maggie Lorraine
Prerequisites:	Performance 2A
Contact hours:	10 hours per week (Semester 2)
Semester:	Semester 2

Subject description:

Development of performance skills and artistry is central to a dancer’s development. Across the three years students will work with leading and emerging choreographers on the development and performance of new dance works. Students may also study and perform a range of dance repertoire.  This will provide a variety of performance experiences that will extend and enhance the student’s skill base and artistic development.  In Performance 3B Students will work as an ensemble on the development and performance of a graduation season.

Objectives:

On completion of this subject students should have acquired the following skills:

• the capacity for working in a team;
• the ability to move within aesthetic domains;
• the facility to perform;
• the capacity for kinaesthetic awareness;
• the ability to interpret and analyse.

Assessment:

Performance assessment based on the quality of performance (60%); participation and contribution to rehearsal process (40%).

Time Commitment:

10 hours per week