Shine Magazine, Issue 3, April 2010 - Department of Education and ...

SCHooL neWS
Happy feet make for positive teens
Contemporary music and dance are part of a new program to pique the interest of Indigenous
youth, writes Tina Luton
The new Wannik Dance Academies,
partly supported by the Australian
Government’s Sporting Chance program,
have opened in schools around the state.
Victoria’s three dance-based academies
will be operating within Ballarat,
Eaglehawk and Mooroopna secondary
colleges, and are aimed at engaging Years
7–10 Indigenous girls with their learning.
The students will attend regular classes
and take part in a dance program, which
will be provided two afternoons a week.
The classes will be run by qualified
dance instructors sourced from local
communities with the assistance of groups
such as Ausdance Victoria. A range of
dance styles and skills will be explored,
providing significant opportunities for the
students and the schools to work with the
local Indigenous communities.
Beth Crowley, from the Department’s
Wannik Unit, says the dance academies
are an opportunity to align student
classroom learning and assessment tasks
with a range of learning experiences
included in the dance academy program.
Leading teachers have been appointed to
manage Wannik Dance Academies, and
they will collaborate with all classroom
teachers to ensure attendance and literacy
and numeracy achievement is progressed.
“As part of their course, students will
complete a certificate qualification, which
will provide a structure to base their
learning programs around. They will also
participate in a mentoring program with
mentors sourced from the performing arts
area,” she says.
“Performances could include school and
community assemblies, local community
celebrations, planning for events and
dance performances during Dance Week
in May each year, celebrations of events
such as NAIDOC week and the Joining
the Chorus biennial performances, in
which the various dance academies will
train independently and come together to
perform,” she adds.
Leader of the Wannik Dance Academy
at Ballarat Secondary College,
teacher Sue Broadway, with students
Samantha, Michaela and Taylor.
32 Shine APRIL 2010