Week 6: Dance Styles, Aboriginal Dance
Date: 23.04.15
Tutor: Jacqui Dressens
We begun this class with a discussion about our motivation for doing this class and some of our queries about engaging respectfully in Aboriginal Dance practice.
- The dances that we engaged with are connected to the Wurrundjeri Clan and have been passed on to Jacqui by Ian Hunter (elder of Wurrundjeri). If you are to use a traditional Aboriginal dance, ensure you have permission.
- Members of the Kulin nation were caretakers of this land and now that we live on the land of the kulin nation, we are also caretakers of this land
- Much of history in Australia is contested in terms of land due to the idea that Aboriginal people believe that - the land owns the people. We do not own the land. - e.g. the Marbo case
- The rules around mentioning people that have passed away - Aboriginal people believe that when people pass away the body is used for energy for the world. Therefore they are inseparable from the world.
- We also discussed the story of the kingfisher and it's connection to spirituality. King Fishers are white (representing the spirit world) and blue (representing the sky). They are responsible for protecting the spirit of the dead. When people pass away the body is in the soil waiting for the Kingfisher to migrate and take their spirit to 'Tundabalak' (the resting place for the spirit) to rest. The 'Marrajup' os the collective name for everyone who has passed in the spirit world
- There is also the belief that social problems occuer when the 'Marrajup' isn't taken by the kingfisher
Today we are also delving into Authentic Pedagogy
- heritage vs. heresy
1. Walking out onto the Deakin Walking track
- Focusing on feeling the Earth under our feet
- We arrived at an area with a big tree in the middle of a grassy area
2. Eucalyptus tree (See picture 1)
- Jacqui took us over to a eucalyptus tree and broke off a branch. We all took a branch and used it as a prop. This is a useful teaching strategy when teaching young children as it gives them a focus.
3. Dance 1: 'Na na naka na' (See video 1 below text)
- Jacqui used her rhythm sticks to keep time. We did a movement where we were we were stamping with our feet (knees up high), bent over and brushing our branch of Eucalyptus tree over the ground. Our movements begun to locomotor around the area in random directions. The level of the movement also changed, our branches stretched high and low.
- The meaning of this dance is to get all of the negative spirits out of your life by sweeping them away with your branch
4. Dance 2: 'Shouldi woodi' (spoken in whispered voice) (See video 2 below text)
- To learn this dance Jacqui demonstrated with Brooke while we watched. They imitated starting a fire, on the downwards motion of the hands rubbing together they would say 'shouldi woodi'. This movement was done in cannon, Jacqui firstly moving her hands downwards closely followed by Brooke. This movement then transformed into a whole group dance whereby one by one (in cannon) we moved our hands downwards over the imaginary stick and all together said "shouldi woodi" as this movement was done. This was also a beautifully inclusive dance as all people can be involved in saying 'shouldi woodi' as each person has their turn. After the majority had had a go, Jacqui stopped saying 'shouldi woodi' and put her hands out to warm them by the 'fire'. We imitated the movement.
- The friction from our hands did in fact result in a sense of warmth. This was also an activity demonstrating team work as all needed to be involved to make the fire work.
5. Dance 3: 'Saki saki saki sa'
- This dance's expressive intention revolved around the idea of being a spirit and moving around a particular area trying not to be seen. To convey this idea the dancers stand on the balls of their feet to express the fact that spirit ghosts don't have feet. The hand is covering the eyes and face to demonstrate that the spirit is trying not to be seen. The movements are abrupt, moving quickly through the space.
6. Animal dancing
During this component of the class we were imitating a variety of Australian animals. For each of the animals, Jacqui demonstrated how they moved and responded to the environment around them. We then had a go at imitating these animals whilst Jacqui played the rhythm sticks and we moved around the space.
The first animal was an Emu. The key to the movement is that the beak must move before the leg each time you take a step.
The second animal is the Kangaroo, it can be lying down, scratching, perched on its back legs or standing, looking alert.
7. Kingfisher boogie (See video 4)
Based on our discussion of the importance of the kingfisher to Aboriginal people we learnt a dance which Jacqui had choreographed called "The Kingfisher Boogie". We firstly learnt it in a circle and then did the dance in rows of dancers coming outwards from the trees. Below you can find a copy of the dance. This dance felt free as you had opportunities to move around the space freely.
Connection to AusVELS and an activity:
Explain how the elements of dance and production elements communicate meaning by comparing dances from different social, cultural and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance (ACADAR012) (ACARA 2014).
Grade 5/6.
The teacher guides students through learning the kingfisher boogie over 2 weeks through explicit teaching. In the second half of each class during the week the teacher guides students in investigation about the kingfisher and it's importance to Aboriginal culture. The teacher aims to teach the dance with meaning, stoping during teaching and asking students what might be meant by particular moves. The teacher guides students through the elements of dance and engages students in connecting the movements to the values of Aboriginal culture and the story of the Kingfisher. Students can create a video of them performing the kingfisher boogie with annotations at the bottom, explaining the movements and their meaning.
The teacher would then choose to compare and contrast the kingfisher boogie to a dance which encapsulates a different social, cultural and historical context such as Gumboot dancing, engaged with in week 9.
Teaching idea #1
It would be wonderful to have students express through dance the meaning of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag. Students could research the meaning of the flags and then create a dance piece expressing these elements.
Another group of students could research the Australian flag and its meaning and express them through dance.
The groups could then join their dance pieces together, integrating movements to encourage reconciliation.
Explore movement and choreographic devices, using the elements of dance to choreograph dances that communicate meaning(ACADAM009) (ACARA 2014)
Teaching idea #2:
Using Dust Echoes, students could explore a variety of dreamtime stories and create their own dance pieces based on this
- http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/ (ABC 2007)
Resources:
ACARA 2014, Australian Curriculum, Education Services Australia, accessed 15th April, <http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/>.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 2007, Dust Echoes, visited April 15th 2015, <http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/>
- CERES - Community Environment Park
CERES 2012, Community Environment Park, visited 29th April 2015, http://www.ceres.org.au/
CERES is an urban farm aiming to educate about sustainability and community. It could create a wonderful excursion for students to be engaged in wellbeing and connectedness in their community. These are two values which Australian Indigenous Dance brings out in people.
Video 1: Na na naki na (Wilton 2015)
Video 2: Shouldi Woodi - Fire making (Wilton 2015)
Video 3: Saki sa (Wilton 2015)
Video 4: Kingfisher boogie (Wilton 2015)