Michelle Dursun outlines the advantages of syllabus organisations.
The array of syllabus organisations and dance societies in Australia is so extensive that it can be hard for the uninitiated to know exactly what’s what! Some organisations support just one form of dance, such as Tapatak Oz (tap dance) or Australian Conservatoire of Ballet, while others, such as Comdance, Australian Teachers of Dance (ATOD) and Australian Dance Institute (ADi), to name just a few, cover a range of different genres, from ballet to contemporary as well as hip hop, jazz, musical theatre and character dance.
Some are steeped in traditions that span hundreds of years, such as Vaganova, Cecchetti and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), while almost every year there are new entries into the market, with Kinderballet (a program that introduces the basics of classical ballet in an imaginative way) and Ready-Set-Dance, both aimed at toddlers or preschool aged children, among the most recent.
Most dancers’ main experience of a syllabus organisation is through attending examinations during their student years and following the prescribed grades or progressions. For teachers, a syllabus organisation can provide a teaching qualification, and lesson plans for pupils from beginners and up. Teachers are given teaching notes and guidelines for steps, exercises, enchainments and music for each grade or level of attainment and can have their pupils’ progress assessed independently by examiners qualified in that particular syllabus.
Today, syllabus organisations provide this and a whole lot more. What else makes it beneficial to belong to a syllabus organisation?
...
This article introduces our full 20 page list of Australian Syllabus Organisations. See the complete Guide in the February/March issue: OUT NOW. Buy Dance Australia at your favourite retail outlet, or online here or subscribe here to make sure you never miss out!