Workshop 7: Teaching Culture through dance- Australian Bush dance

Week 11 (20th September 2012)
Lecturer: Jaqcui Dreessens

Bush Dance

Multiculturalism is such a part of our country. This dance is meaningful as it demonstrates - the role of gender in that time, group arrangement and the history of Australia. Not wanting to hold hands creates political issues. Girls dance with boys.

In asking ourselves how we will put this into a meaningful context for our school we must consider the group context. We must consider and be mindful of students who are 'unift', migrants from England, or Aboriginal. We must first research WHY we want to do this lesson. 

Think:

-as a student

-as an educator (be inclusive)

Aboriginal dance is a spiritual connection of oneness with the earth. 

Bush dance comes from Morris dance which crosses cultures. It is about releasing the frustration of shearing sheep all day long.

TIPS: 

- Constantly keep students engaged- timing and direction

- During the warm up, teach students these physical skills such as skipping. Changing one step at a time

- Don't cut children's expression when 'being silly' by telling them off. Instead, direct them and keep focused on the intention.

We learnt Stockyard Dance. This would take place in a hall where men would meet with women and dance all night long. 

Girls needed to curtsy and boys needed to bow.

 We worked and danced in partners as 'girl and boy' through a highly repetitive, physically demanding session of the stockyard dance. It followed as girls bow, boys bow, linking arms and skipping in a circle, switching the other way and holding your partner as your skip briskly around the circle forwards and backwards. This is done very quickly.

We then formed groups to create our own folk dance.

Teaching Implications

This workshop done more simplistically could be adapted to fit all student levels. Partner dancing would probably only be done with Grade 5/6 at this level though as takes a lot of coordination and fast paced movement. In adapting it for lower level grades, students could curtsy/bow in and out and perhaps skip in a circle while linking arms with a partner. Other moves can be taught over several lessons. Other In relation to VELS, students can begin to understand how art and history can be connected through this lesson. Keeping in mind the need for inclusive teaching, I would slow the dance down for students who cannot handle too much physical strain and provide small breaks in between as well as the choice to continue after a certain amount of time dancing.