Skip to content

A NSW Government website

Welcome to the NSW Curriculum website

NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

11–12Dance 11–12 Syllabus (2025)

Record of changes
Implementation from 2027
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Year 11

Choreography

In Choreography students communicate an intent using structured abstract symbolic movement. They demonstrate the choreographer’s responsibilities regarding culture, conventions, misappropriation and plagiarism. Students adapt the choreographic process to the specific details of the dance work being made. They use the body to create and communicate abstract symbolic movements, explore the elements of dance in choreography, and arrange movements into fundamental units of structure to communicate the intent in a dance work.

Context
  • Apply the ethics and conventions of choreographic practice to the creation of dance works

  • Demonstrate responsible dance protocols, including respect, working with others, gaining, giving and/or denying consent, cultural safety, and respect for Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)

  • Use the language of choreography, including context, stimulus, idea, intent, elements of dance, auditory elements, abstract symbolic movement and structure

  • Choreograph abstract symbolic dance movements in a personal style that communicate the idea and intent

  • Reflect critically on the use of choreographed personalised movement vocabulary in relation to the context

The dancing body
  • Generate abstract symbolic dance movements that communicate the intent

  • Use improvisation to generate personalised abstract symbolic dance movements in response to a range of stimuli

  • Create and refine a personalised movement vocabulary and style that communicates the intent

  • Generate movement using one or more dancers

  • Reflect critically in order to refine how the dancing body communicates the intent

Elements of dance
  • Explain how the elements of dance are used to generate movements to communicate the intent

  • Experiment with the elements of dance to communicate the intent in a personal style

  • Combine the elements of dance to create choreographed movements that communicate the intent in a personal style

  • Manipulate the elements of dance to develop a motif as a thematic device in a phrase and throughout a dance work

  • Reflect critically on the use of the elements of dance and personal style in order to refine the communication of the intent

Structure
  • Explain structure in choreography and how it is used to organise the movement in a dance work

  • Structure movements into phrases that have a beginning, a middle and an end, and that communicate the intent

  • Experiment with phrases and sequencing, and the use of transitions, repetition, variation, and contrast

  • Analyse the structure of any accompaniment and its relationship to the structure of the dance work

  • Structure a dance work by sequencing phrases to develop the thematic intent

  • Reflect critically on the structure of a dance work in order to refine motifs, phrases, sequencing, transition, repetition, variation, and contrast

Related files