AS90861 Demonstrate understanding of a dance

Map showing the western front - 1916<br>

Important ideas in rotunda Role of brass bands in NZ society since 1845
Commemorates the loss of innocent, good young men
Rotundas as gathering places in early 20th century
Power of community
Breath as a universal symbol of life
The Silent War – emotional damage – loss of innocence
Leads to hope that violence and bloodshed will one day end
Honours the enormous courage, bravery and sacrifice of NZ men
Honours the courageous, hard-working, stoic women
Emotional transformation of men and women<br>

“The work draws from the extraordinary courage and indomitable spirit of NZ men, and the women who set about running the country with aching hearts and dread that their men might not return.” - Shona McCullagh (choreographer)

Innocence was lost on the battlefield as the young men witnessed death, destruction, injury, agony and gore. They experienced great trauma and grief at the loss of their comrades. Most returned home emotionally damaged, unable to communicate, connect with or trust their loved ones.<br>

WWI marked a “coming of age” for NZ.
It was a time of great social change but also of growing pridethat, despite being a small, young country at the bottom of the globe, we could contribute significantly on the world stage.
The war exposed NZ character traits that became renowned; humour, resilience, courage, ingenuity.
It was when Australians and New Zealanders fought side by side at Gallipoli that the term “Kiwis” was coined.
WWI is an important event which helped form our identity as an independent nation of Kiwis.<br>

Rotunda is a story of a small group of individuals who gradually become a community through the experience of a crisis. That crisis is WWI but can reference any threat or crisis that binds a group of individuals together.

Rotunda is a narrative that takes us from a time of innocence, to a time of excitement about the impending war, to a time of crisis – the war itself, to a time of grief and finally, to a time of healing and memoriam. The final images speak to us of the healing power of music and memory.<br>

Read Shona’s Personal Story then with a partner discuss the following questions:
1. What emotions do you imagine Annie must have felt when she received the news her son had been killed?
2. Why do you think Fentori was screaming “the bayonets!” in his sleep?
3. How does Shona’s personal story help you understand the ideas in Rotunda?
4. What other ideas would you add now to the list of key ideas in the dance?
5. Which ideas do you consider to be the important ones?
Be prepared to discuss your thoughts with the class<br>

Structure of rotunda Structure is the way movements and sections in a dance are ordered or organised.
Rotunda uses a loose narrative structure – the use of ‘Story’ helps to make the full-length work more accessible.
A narrative structure means the sections of the dance are organised in an order which roughly tells a story.<br>

The loose narrative structure used in Rotunda is as follows:

The Great War
Before the war During the war After the war

Shona thinks of this structure as:
Before Crisis Memoriam<br>

Overview of structure of rotunda<br>

Role and ritual of brass bands McCullagh identifies 8 roles and rituals of the brass band:
The band creates:
Order
Unity or nationalism (a sense of nationhood)
Celebration
Commenmoration (remembering)
The brass band marks:
Farewells or welcomes
Faith
Occasion (special events)
Grief or burial<br>

Blenheim rotunda - 1906<br>

PICASSO’S PAINTING OF GUERNICA<br>

Structure of Tawhirimatea – Based on key ideas<br>

Structure of tawhirimatea - activity You will divide into four groups – each group will be given 6 colour coded pieces representing the structure (divided into 4 sections)
In your group you will need to assemble one of the sections containing the 6 pieces into their order of performance. You will get two hances to try and get it right.
You will get points for accuracy; Each in its right place = 1 point.
Each group will then move on to the next section (rotating around) and repeat the above.
The winning group will be the one with the most points for accuracy.<br>

Key ideas – mind map activity In your groups – choose ONE of the Key Ideas from each section of the structure list. Create four Mind Maps of ideas / thoughts / movement example / explanations based on your chosen Key Idea (you can use your notes to help you). Try to have as much detail as possible.
Be prepared to share these with the rest of the class.
I will take a photo of these to add the Freybergdance Blog for future reference.<br>

Achievement criteria Describe, explain and respond to the ways that dance uses elements, devices, structures, performance skills, and production technologies to communicate images, themes, feelings and moods.<br>

Achieve - Demonstrate understanding of a dance performance involves identifying and describing key aspects of a dance performance.

Merit - Demonstrate in-depth understanding of a dance performance involves describing in detail key aspects of a dance performance. For example:
• A production technology (the fabric, style, features, colour and accessories of the costume).
• The opening moment (the dancers’ entrance or opening shape, first movements, the appearance of the lighting etc).<br>

Excellence - Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of a dance performance involves explaining the relationship between key aspects of a dance performance. For example:
• The links between costume design and the movements.
• The connection between the opening moment and the choreographic intention.
• The way the dance relates to the title.<br>

assessment requirements There will be THREE questions. In 2016, candidates must answer all three questions.
Each question may contain more than one part. Questions will be assessed holistically.
Candidates will be required to respond in in bullet-point form, paragraph form, diagrams, or sketches.
Diagrams or sketches will be assessed on the quality of information conveyed and not their artistic merit (i.e. simple stick figures are satisfactory). Candidates should label their diagrams or sketches to indicate features that may not be clear.
Questions may include bullet-pointed examples to provide guidance for candidates. These examples are not intended to limit candidates’ answers.
Candidates must use ink for both sketched and written answers.<br>

Format of the assessment Candidates will be given 5 minutes to read the questions.
A video of the dance performance (3–6 minutes in duration) will then be shown, twice, with a pause of 10 minutes in between.
Candidates may start making notes or answering the questions at any time after the examination begins.<br>

Context of assessment Candidates will be required to answer questions on a number of key aspects of the dance performance. Candidates should be familiar with:

ideas and/or emotions communicated
two important production technologies
structure
important movements.

Candidates may refer to key aspects not shown in the recording to support their answers.<br>