Dance 2018 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• personalise choreography to suit individual anatomical structure and ability level using dance technique and safe dance practices to support these qualities
• work with their teacher to ensure performance pieces address syllabus outcomes
• avoid relying on pre-prepared responses (such as memorised syllabus definitions) in the interview and focus on demonstrating the application of their knowledge to the question(s) being asked
• in the Major Study, work from the perspective of the dancer, not the choreographer
• ensure appropriate examples are chosen to demonstrate or analyse the performance during the interview
• support the physical demonstration of knowledge seen in the Dance in the interview
• adhere to the time limits set by NESA which can be found in Assessment and Reporting in Dance Stage 6.

In better performances, students were able to:

• execute a high level of body articulation, coordination and complex body skills in multiple ways
• make an appropriate choice of skills to best showcase the dancers’ abilities, demonstrating control and consistency throughout the performance
• apply an understanding of their anatomical structure to the dance, demonstrating control of alignment, flexibility, strength and coordination
• display a good level of endurance to sustain a consistent level of performance
• address in the interview both how and why (depth and breadth) they were applying safe dance practice, dance technique and performance quality
• acknowledge physically and orally their application of aspects of space, time and dynamics and how this enhances performance quality.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding their own body capabilities and limitations in relation to the complexity of the chosen movement
• general fitness levels
• applying safe dance, dance technique and performance quality to the performance of the dance as a whole, not one area in isolation of the others
• assessing the need for acrobatic skills that do not enhance the interpretation or demonstrate the skill of dance
• personalising the movement to ensure the link between the dance choreographed and the performer is strong and demonstrates understanding of the syllabus outcomes
• understanding that when discussing movement examples, what, how and why answers are more relevant than demonstrations and pre-prepared responses
• avoiding inappropriate attire and/or grooming (hair not tied back, clothing inappropriate to a dance examination).

Students should:

• use concepts and content that are appropriate and do not limit exploration of movement
• organise the work into achievable sections rather than many small parts
• avoid having too many motifs in the dance
• ensure the rationale they have written is within the 300-word limit
• understand why manipulation supports the concept or intent
• ensure they understand phrases, sequences and sections
• show an understanding of how the exploration of the elements of dance supports their concept or intent.

In better compositions, students were able to:

• establish motif(s) in relation to their selected concept or intent
• construct well-formed phrases driven by the motif
• develop phrases of movement that clearly establish, reinforce and extend the motif to support the selected concept or intent
• manipulate the motif(s) in ways that are relevant to the concept or intent of the composition
• demonstrate logical phrase development throughout the dance
• cleverly apply transitions
• demonstrate physically and orally, reasons for movement choices and their relevance to the chosen concept or intent
• demonstrate evidence of preparation and confidence.

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating a clear understanding of how unity is created in relation to concept or intent
• showing an understanding of variation and contrast to enhance choreography
• showing an understanding of choices or types of structure
• showing an understanding of the difference between repetition and restating or developing the movement to support a concept or intent
• demonstrating an understanding the relevance of 2–3 dancers in relation to the concept or intent in Major Study Composition
• demonstrating the choreographer’s point of view through movement
• ensuring the rationale matches the movement.

Students should:

• include their student number and the title of the dance film at the start of the film
• understand the equipment they are using
• check the presentation and play back of the film prior to the examination
• know their work and prepare examples so they can be found quickly
• ensure they are the choreographer, camera operator and editor of the work  
• adhere to the process of creating a film and work with their concept or intent as the guiding force
• work with the resources they can access and make the appropriate corresponding choices
• ensure that the rationale they have written is only 300 words
• be aware that the time allocated for the elaboration (up to 12 minutes) includes time for finding examples from the film where applicable
• be prepared to provide physical examples and examples from the film when the examiners ask for further detail about the composition process in the elaboration.

In better projects, students were able to:

• balance the movement with editing choices
• demonstrate understanding of the intent of the film through movement and filming considerations
• make interesting movement choices that directly support the concept or intent
• explore the ways in which the camera can capture movement
• demonstrate strong knowledge of and skills in using editing techniques
• edit movement into phrases
• find examples within the film efficiently to support their elaboration.

Areas for students to improve include:

• selecting appropriate locations in which to set the dance film
• avoiding a focus on editing techniques that do not support their concept or intent
• ensuring that the concept or intent and the resolution to the film are appropriate
• using the elements of dance to make choices when manipulating movement before and during the filming process and when editing
• considering the quality of the movement choices before filming
• making appropriate costume decisions which enhance and do not distract from the concept or intent
• demonstrating awareness that personalisation of movement occurs through both the physical realisation and the editing of the film.

Students should:

• demonstrate a substantial level of knowledge and understanding of the work, linking parts of the question by referring to relevant examples
• provide appropriate detail when explaining the examples
• address all aspects of the question
• answer the questions asked rather than recalling information about the work and/or choreographer or providing lists of information
• structure responses in a logical and coherent manner, using appropriate and relevant dance vocabulary and terminology.

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• structure their response with clear, concise sentences, forming paragraphs with a consistent focus
• introduce their response with a strong opening paragraph which directly refers to the question, clearly establishing their intended structure, which is then followed throughout the response
• successfully demonstrate their understanding of the link between the work (consisting of its choreographic elements) and ideas, images and emotions that may be conveyed to or experienced by the audience
• provide relevant and appropriate movement examples which are significant in terms of the communication within the work
• apply dance vocabulary and descriptive terminology appropriately
• explain cause and effect in relation to all aspects of the question
• develop and layer their response throughout, using the information provided, the example, explanation and links, building on each aspect to form a synthesised response
• demonstrate a consistent, logical and coherent response
• demonstrate skilled understanding of the question – through depth and breadth of knowledge
• make links between the question and various examples, including references to movement, elements of dance, choreographers background, film technique, choreographic devices
• introduce a concept to explain how and why Sue Healey explored space and reconsidered the spaces we occupy
• develop judgements about the work in relation to the question.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing the response beyond their knowledge of the choreographer such as Sue Healey and/or the work Fine Line
• developing the response beyond recalling information, forming it as a narrative which directly answers the question
• providing a structure to the response, including sentences and paragraphs, introducing key ideas/concepts to follow and expand on throughout
• referring to specific ideas, images, emotions, examples from Fine Line in relation to ‘the spaces we occupy’
• providing a coherent line of thought throughout the response, making links between paragraphs
• providing supporting evidence from the work, for example, how the space has been explored and reconsidered
• identifying the key concepts in the question
• providing information beyond restating the question, listing information, making statements.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• contextualise the work and the movement choices in order to interpret the meaning and subject matter
• discuss movement examples in terms of body movement, space/time/dynamic qualities as well as stylistic features and influences of genre/style of particular movements
• sustain an argument, introduced in the introduction and discussed in depth through a broad range of arguments in each paragraph
• provide multiple movement examples which complement each other as evidence for an argument
• make clear and insightful judgements about the subject matter and use effective and appropriate movement examples
• present a strong understanding and interpretation of the work with relevant and detailed movement examples used as evidence to support an argument
• discuss the subject matter in depth, unpacking identified ‘subjects’ in detail and giving their thematic and social context
• holistically conclude their response by summarising and affirming their arguments and making clear interpretation statements
• demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge in answering the question and depth in the detail of the explanations
• consistently address and answer both aspects of the question.

Areas for students to improve include:

• answering the question and addressing both aspects of the question
• focusing on what the question is asking rather than what they know about the choreographer and/or their background and training
• making more specific statements about the choreographer and the subject matter of the work
• elaborating and explaining aspects of ‘masculinity’ to demonstrate a clear interpretation or understanding of the work or movement
• identifying relevant and appropriate movement examples
• showing an understanding of the context of the work, providing evidence and explanation showing its relevance to the meaning of movement and subject matter
• linking statements to movement examples and/or the subject matter.

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate strong links between their understanding of the era and examples from the work
• demonstrate a sophisticated response, consistently making strong links to the question
• display depth and/or breath in relation to knowledge and understanding of the artist and relevant social issues
• provide a coherent and logical response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using specific language
• including specific examples from the work to support the response
• making links to the question and demonstrating relevant knowledge
• enhancing their knowledge of the artist studied
• directly answering the question, rather than providing information known about the artist and/or works
• identifying the significant concepts in the question and answering these consistently within the response, for example, demonstrating understanding of the artist and the body of work in relation to the question.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and make judgements based on past/future
• provide specific examples from works in depth/breadth with justification to support the response
• demonstrate heightened knowledge of the artist and works
• make judgements and provide relevant supporting explanations
• provide a coherent and structured response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding key words and what the question is asking, for example, acknowledging throughout the response how the dance work reflects the past or influences the future
• selecting information about the artist and works, relevant to the question
• enhancing their knowledge of the artist and their works
• acknowledging throughout the response how the dance work reflects the past or influences the future
• identifying the significant concepts in the question and answering these consistently within the response, for example, understanding the artist and interpreting the body of work in relation to the question.

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a coherent, well-structured response with elaborations that were specific in detail and related to the question
• demonstrate a heightened understanding of the question, making consistent links
• provide specific examples from the work and support these with relevant explanations
• demonstrate strong knowledge of the artist and the work
• apply sophisticated interpretations.

Areas for students to improve include:

• attending to the coherency of their response
• developing informative paragraphs related to the question, rather than a descriptive re-telling of the work
• breaking down the question, demonstrating an understanding of choreographic choices and how these convey meaning to the audience
• enhancing relevance and detail of examples provided
• identifying the significant concepts in the question and answering these consistently within the response, for example, understanding the artist and interpreting the work in relation to the question.