Dance in Country Week Presented by Ausdance WA, Act-Belong-Commit & School Sport WA June 29 to July 3, 2015 Information Booklet

Country Week Dance 2014 – Performance Showcase at King Street Arts Centre Image: Neil Wallace CONTENTS

WELCOME! 3

AUSDANCE WA CONTACT DETAILS 4

AUSDANCE WA OVERVIEW 5

DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK 2015 6-8  Aim  Dance Content & Structure  Healthy Competitive Environment

DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK 2015 GUIDELINES 9-10  Divisions  Teams  Dance Composition and Rehearsals  Music  Video Documentation & Photography  Duty of Care  Performance  Adjudication  Certificate of Participation

DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK 2015 REQUIREMENTS 11  School Representatives  List of teachers and students  Release forms  Dance Workshops  Evaluation & Feedback

GUIDELINES FOR DANCE TEACHERS/SUPERVISORS DURING DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK 12  Role of Dance Teacher/Supervisor  Professional Development for Dance Teacher/Supervisor

JUDGING CRITERIA 13  Adjudication Session  Team Assessment during Rehearsals

CODE OF CONDUCT 14  Dance Students  Teachers/Supervisors  Audience & Spectators

UNIFORMS 15 ACCOMMODATION 15 TRANSPORT & PARKING 15 VENUES 15 APPENDIX: RELEASE FORM 16 WELCOME!

WELCOME to your guide for Dance in Country Week 2015!

This booklet is designed to provide you as the teacher or dance team leader, with the information you need to best prepare for Dance in Country Week 2015.

This booklet contains information on the Workshop Focussed Dance Program that we have delivered over the past two years with continued success.

I encourage and highly recommend that you read this booklet thoroughly to familiarise yourself with program. This will ensure that your students have a fulfilling and awesome dance experience as participants in Dance in Country Week 2015.

If you have questions, please phone or email me at Ausdance WA.

Thank you for your cooperation and the Ausdance WA team looks forward to seeing you at Dance in Country Week 2015!

AMY WISEMAN PROJECTS MANAGER AUSDANCE WA

3 AUSDANCE WA CONTACT DETAILS

Staff

Amy Wiseman Amy Nicholas Projects Manager A/Communications Manager [email protected] [email protected]

Robyn Smith Jo Smith Administrator Regional Facilitator [email protected] [email protected]

Felicity Bott Director [email protected]

Ausdance WA – Perth Office ABN 51 194 816 993 Telephone: 08 9322 6101 Fax: 08 9322 6100 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ausdancewa.org.au Street Address 1st floor, King Street Arts Centre 357 – 365 Murray Street Perth WA 6000 Postal Address: PO Box 7452 Cloisters Square WA 6850

4 AUSDANCE WA: OVERVIEW

The Australian Dance Council – Ausdance WA is a membership organization that supports the Western Australian dance community, both professional and non-professional. Current Ausdance WA membership exceeds 300 people, including dance teachers (studio & school), community based dance artists and groups, young people, professional dancers and other related organisations.

Ausdance WA is part of a national network of state offices, with a national office based in Canberra. Governed by a Management Committee of eight members, Ausdance WA currently has six core staff members and its office is based at the King Street Art Centre in the Perth CBD.

Ausdance WA’s core operations are funded through the Department of Culture and the Arts. Ausdance WA receives sponsorship from Healthway as well as small grants from government and non-government groups for projects to promote dance. Ausdance WA also earns some income through membership fees, studio hire and workshops.

Ausdance WA’s purpose is to lead the development of the Western Australian dance sector, through advocacy, partnerships, information sharing and service provision, not limited to:

 Advocacy and Leadership – projects such as West Australian Dance Awards, Australian Dance Awards, Future Moves Contemporary Dance Strategic initiative, Oral History Project, Teacher Professional Development  National Initiatives – ensuring the Western Australian dance community is engaged with national initiatives such as Treading the Pathways and SCOPE  Membership – initiatives to support our members include dancewest magazine, fortnightly email bulletin, comprehensive data base and access to resource library  Events program – Dance Week, Indigenous and Regional dance projects, Country Week Dance and Dance Dialects, a multicultural dance project.  Studio Management at King Street Arts Centre

5 DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK 2015

Ausdance WA in association with School Sport WA and Act-Belong-Commit present Dance in Country Week 2015 from Monday 29th June to Friday 3rd July 2014.

Aim The key aims of Dance in Country Week is to provide regional young people with  The opportunity to engage in dance development and physical activity with highly experienced dance artists;  a safe learning environment that promotes team work and collaborative skill development;  a healthy competitive environment where each team is challenged to achieve their personal best;  the opportunity to expand their experience through working in professional dance venues (eg King Street Art Centre, West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, His Majesty’s Theatre);  the opportunity to develop greater awareness about the professional dance sector including training opportunities, dance companies and support organizations.

Additionally, Dance in Country Week 2015 offers regional dance teachers the opportunity to participate in the workshops for their professional development.

Dance Content & Structure In 2013, Ausdance WA trialled a new program; a workshop focussed program which was continued in 2014. The teacher response remained positive in 2014, indicating a preference for the workshop program, and Ausdance WA plans to run this format in 2015.

Dance in Country Week program will include contemporary technique and choreography as well as two cultural dance forms. These cultural dance forms will be revealed on the first day of Country Week Dance. A professional performance of the chosen dance genres may also be presented in the workshops to provide students with understanding of the chosen styles.

This is an example of the Dance in Country Week schedule. An up-to-date schedule will be sent once the school teams are allocated for each workshop. 9 am – 10am 10.15am – 11.30am 11.30am- 12.15pm – 1.30pm 12.15pm Day 1 Warm Up / Body Workshop 1 Break Workshop 2 conditioning Class Day 2 Warm Up / Body Workshop 1 Break Workshop 2 conditioning Class Day 3 Warm Up / Body Workshop 1 Break Workshop 2 conditioning Class Day 4 Warm Up / Body Workshop 1 Break Workshop 2 conditioning Class Day 5 School Groups dance show School Groups at Site Visit of Professional Dance Company Challenge Stadium

6 Cumulative Assessment Each team will be required to participate in a warm up/body conditioning class and two workshops on each of the first four days. On the morning of the final day the school teams will present the dances they have been learning throughout the week in a Showing. Across the week the teams will also be assessed on their technique, ability and teamwork. They will be awarded points by the dance tutors throughout the week for collaborating well, for taking risks and extending their movement comfort zones. The scores from all the workshops will then be tallied and put towards the score for final day showing.

Showing Unlike in previous years, students are not required to create a new dance work for presentation to an adjudication panel at the end of the week. The content of the showing will be the phrases the students have generated during the classes taken throughout the week.

Connecting with the Dance Sector To increase awareness and connection to Perth dance centres, the dance program will be run at professional dance studios such as the King Street Arts Centre and the His Majesty’s Theatre Rehearsal rooms. A Meet & Greet session will be included in the program in which professional dance companies and dancers are invited to provide a presentation of their work and students have the opportunity to ask questions. Ausdance WA will also arrange an opportunity to tour a theatre or company. In 2013, a tour of the new WA Ballet Centre offered regional students insights about Western Australia’s flagship classical ballet company. In 2014, Ausdance WA took a tour of the State Theatre Centre for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the venue.

The Meet & Greet session will consist of a spoken presentation with a Q & A component provided by dance industry representatives and professionals. The aim of this session is to provide students and teachers insight and awareness of the breadth of professional dance practice and sector. The 2014 session included ‘success stories’ from young and emerging dance artists from the commercial, contemporary and choreographic dance world.

Support for Teachers As well as providing regional teachers with the opportunity to watch or join in with the Dance in Country Week workshops, Ausdance WA will aim to present two other Professional Development opportunities for teachers, new in 2015. Teachers’ Meeting with the Director: an opportunity to meet Ausdance WA director and discuss relevant and current issues facing the dance sector in regional schools. Teacher PD Workshop: During the week, Ausdance WA will aim to provide a workshop specifically for teachers delivered by one of our highly skilled facilitators.

7 Healthy Competitive Environment Ausdance WA acknowledges that Dance in Country Week is a competitive event, and we have structured the week to promote a healthy competitive environment. Ausdance WA invites and encourages all teams to take on practices that characterise healthy competition. These practices include:  doing one’s best  having fun  learning new skills creating opportunity for growth  working as a team  positive participation  putting in a strong and concerted effort  striving to improve oneself  ensuring that learning and developing are the central goals rather than winning.

It has been demonstrated that students who embrace these practices will have a positive and rewarding experience, and if they happen to win, it’s icing on the cake! Focus on having fun and enjoy the creative and learning process. Less focus on winning!

“The students love it! Even my past students keep an eye on how things progress each year. One student who is now married with a child of her own recently told me that her experience at CW Dance back in 2005 still ranks in her top 5 all time highs at school.” – Australind SHS

Dance in Country Week 2014 participants Image: Neil Wallace

8 DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK 2015 GUIDELINES

Divisions  Due to a small number of schools nominating for Dance in Country Week over 2013 and 2014, there will only be one division this year.  For Dance in Country Week 2015, Ausdance WA can cater up to a maximum of 15 schools or 150 students.

Teams  Each team can have a minimum of 6 members and a maximum of 10.  If a school’s team numbers are low, Ausdance WA will consider combining two school teams. In the event that the combined team is the overall winner of the dance program the points will be distributed equally to each school.

Dance Rehearsals As mentioned, student teams are not required to create a new dance work to perform at the end of the week.

If a team would like to rehearse any of the workshop content, then their school coordinator can book a studio at the King Street Art Centre for this purpose. Note that this is not a requirement of the program and therefore will not be scored.

Teams can book studio space for rehearsal with Ausdance WA’s Administrator, Robyn Smith, at the beginning of Country Week. Bookings will not be taken prior to Country Week.

Music  Ausdance WA will select and provide the music for the rehearsals and showing.  Ausdance WA will provide the music to each team during Dance in Country in Week.

Video documentation and Photography  Teams are permitted to video the final run of each routine only in the workshop.  Videoing of the workshops is not permitted.  Ausdance WA will aim to video the performances and a copy will be provided to each team.  Ausdance WA will also take photos of the performances

9 Duty of Care  Duty of care of the students remains with the teachers.  Ausdance WA will not take responsibility for students or teachers/supervisors valuables, and for students during breaks.

Showing  The Performance Showing on the final day will at this stage be held in Studio 3 at the King Street Art Centre on Friday 3rd July 2015 between 9 and 11am.

Adjudication Workshops  Dance Tutors will award points for the teams throughout the week during the workshops.  Points will be awarded for the team’s technique, ability and teamwork.  Additionally, each team’s ability to collaborate, take risks and extend their movement comfort zones will be assessed and scored.  The Artistic Team Leader will assess teams “general dance etiquette” during the workshops. It includes no chewing gum, no food in studios, hair off the face, no chunky jewellery and wearing appropriate dance clothing.  The points awarded during the workshops will be tallied and put towards the final score on the final day’s showing.

Showing A panel of judges will be appointed to adjudicate the teams’ showing of the choreographic phrases. More information about the judges will be revealed during Dance in Country Week 2015.

Presentation of Winning Teams Only the first and second place winners, as well as the recipients of encouragement awards will be announced at the adjudication sessions. School Sport WA will post the final rankings to schools following Country Week.

Certificate of Participation  All students taking part in Dance in Country Week 2015 will receive a participation certificate.

10 DANCE IN COUNTRY WEEK REQUIREMENTS

School Representative  Each school must provide a school representative who will attend each workshop and rehearsal.

List of Students & Teachers Names  Each school must provide Ausdance WA with a complete list of all participating students and teachers/supervisors for Dance in Country Week 2015 along with teachers/supervisors’ contact numbers.

Release Forms  Ausdance WA will take photographs during the workshops and will aim to video the final performance. It is essential that every student submit a signed release form from his/her parent/guardian that is submitted to Ausdance WA prior to the commencement of Dance in Country Week 2015.  The Release Form is enclosed in this booklet. See the Appendix.

Dance Workshops  Students will participate in four dance workshops. Contemporary technique, choreographic practice and two cultural dance styles will be offered.  Teams are reminded that the Artistic Team Leader provided by Ausdance WA will be available to assist in students with artistic matters. This person will be monitoring all teams in the workshops in order to maintain a fair and consistent event.

Evaluation & Feedback  Ausdance WA will follow up with an evaluation form to obtain feedback from the participating schools two weeks following the event.

11 GUIDELINES FOR DANCE TEACHERS/SUPERVISORS AT COUNTRY WEEK DANCE

Ausdance WA has developed specific guidelines for the Dance Teachers/Supervisors involved in Dance in Country Week to allow for the varying levels of dance experience of staff and to ensure that each team is working under the same conditions for the week.

In 2015, teams that do not adhere to these guidelines will be penalised.

Role of Dance Teachers/Supervisor The role of the Dance Teacher/Supervisor during Dance in Country Week is that of an assistant. The dance team members (students) are responsible for making all artistic decisions. Dance Teachers/Supervisors are present during this process to assist in rehearsal management rather than artistic problem solving.

Dance Teachers/Supervisors may assist teams in the following ways:  Operate music  Assist to clean or polish choreography: o identify discrepancies in movement detail; o provide technical feedback on movement (point your feet there, soften landings from jumps); o identify count discrepancies; o identify messy spacing and o assist dancers to find correct spacing for their positions  Act as mediator in disputes/arguments amongst dancers

Teachers/Supervisors may not assist teams in the following ways:  Offer or suggest any ideas in relation to any aspect of the dance piece  Offer unsolicited feedback to the team members during development of their dance. If team members require feedback, they must identify two options for the dance teacher/supervisor, who may offer their personal preference.

Professional Development for Dance Teachers/Supervisors Ausdance WA recognises that Dance in Country Week is a great opportunity for professional development for dance teachers/supervisors. As mentioned, dance teachers/supervisors will be permitted to participate in the Dance in Country Week workshops in all dance styles, including choreography.

Dance teachers/supervisors are reminded that their role during Dance in Country Week is only for rehearsal assistance and therefore despite being permitted to participate in the workshops they will not be allowed to assist teams in developing their dance.

12 Judging Criteria

Assessment Each team will be adjudicated on their: 1. Workshop Performance 2. Showcase Performance, and 3. Team work

Workshop Performance The workshop leaders will provide a score between 1 and 5 for each team on the following: (1=Limited, 2=Sound, 3=Good, 4=Very Good, 5=Excellent)

 Responsiveness to Feedback  Collaboration of group or duo / Attitude of Individual  Focus / Commitment  Technique /Application of choreographic tools / elements /devices

Each team has potential to obtain a maximum score of 40.

Showcase Performance A judging panel will deliberate on the performance of the 4 dance components covered during the workshop week. That is, contemporary, choreography and the two cultural dances. Each team will receive a score between 1 and 5 on the following: (1=Limited, 2=Sound, 3=Good, 4=Very Good, 5=Excellent)

 Performance Quality: Focus, Expression, Style and Presence  Creativity: Innovation of good ideas / Fresh approach

Each team has potential to obtain a maximum score of 40.

Team work The Artistic Team Leader (employed by Ausdance WA) will assess each team on:  team work displayed throughout the week in the lead up to the adjudicated performance;  “ general dance etiquette” which will be assessed by the Artistic Team Leader during rehearsals throughout the week;

Each team will be provided a score out of 20.

Overall, each team has the potential to obtain a score out of 100.

13 CODE OF CONDUCT

For Dance Students

 Team Work: Students are encouraged to work as a team at all times.  Healthy Competition: Treat all team members and opponents fairly and respectfully.  Follow guidelines and requirements set by Ausdance WA.  Have fun!

For Teachers/Supervisors

 Be role model for students  Encourage positive interaction amongst all students.  Create a positive environment for students  Allow officials to conduct the event smoothly.  Follow guidelines and requirements set by Ausdance WA

For Audience & Spectators

 Allow officials to conduct the event smoothly.  Demonstrate positive behaviour.  Respect the opposing teams and their supporters.

14 UNIFORMS AND DANCE EQUIPMENT

 Students are encouraged to wear dance clothing suitable that allow moving freely and comfortably.  Students may be required to work in both barefoot and sneakers.  Costumes are not a requirement for the showing.  Students and teachers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat for the warm up/body conditioning class

ACCOMMODATION

Each school is responsible for organising accommodation for the week. Here are some websites to assist you with your planning:  www.stayz.com.au  www.accommodationperth.com.au  www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Perth  www.wotif.com > Australia > Perth  www.aswa.com.au

TRANSPORT & PARKING

Transportation and parking at all venues is the responsibility of the school. Parking information/maps will be provided for parking at venues where required.

VENUES

Workshops Showing King Street Arts Centre King Street Art Centre His Majesty’s Theatre

King Street Arts Centre Dance studios 1, 2, & 3 Level 1 & 2, 357 – 365 Murray Street Perth WA 6000

His Majesty’s Theatre 825 Hay Street Perth WA 6000

15 APPENDIX: RELEASE FORM CLEARANCE FORM FOR VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY OF PARTICIPANTS FOR USE BY AUSDANCE WA To be completed for each participant - due 19 June 2015

Dear Parent/Guardian,

During the Dance in Country Week 2015 program presented by Ausdance WA, Act-Belong-Commit and School Sport WA, Ausdance WA will be taking photographs and video footage of the workshops and/or the final performance. The footage will be used to:

 promote the project on the internet on websites and social media networks associated with the project (including Ausdance WA, Department of Culture and the Arts and School Sport WA). The school’s name will be noted however individual student names will not be included on the internet;

 promote the project by publishing photographic images in news articles in the local newspapers, West Australian, or other print and online media and social media networks;

 evaluate the project and conduct further research into developing the Country Week Dance program.

To proceed with this documentation, Ausdance WA requires that all parents/guardians give their permission for their child to be filmed/photographed.

Please sign and return this form to your teacher by 19 June 2015 before you attend Dance in Country Week.

Thank you.

School: ______

I give my consent for my child ______(child’s full name) to be:

1. photographed and these images to be published on the internet to promote the Dance in Country Week project 2015 and no student names will be included. YES / NO

2. filmed during rehearsals and final performance and Ausdance WA and the school will be credited but no individual names will be published in association with this. YES / NO

3. photographed to promote the Dance in Country Week Project 2015 and images may be published in print, online media articles and social media networks (ie facebook) YES / NO

Parent/Guardian’s Signature ______Please print your name______Date ______

16