DANCE FEVER

DANCE FEVER (Dance Appreciation Nurturing Cultural Expression For EVEry Riverlite)

DANCE FEVER, the niche area of Rivervale Primary School’s Aesthetics programme, focuses on the pervasive and excellent dance culture of the school.

In preparing our young for the 21^st Century workforce, Rivervale Primary School dance curriculum; DANCE FEVER supports 21^st Century Student Outcomes through the performing arts. With a School Vision of ‘The Rivervale – School of Excellence, Individuals of Character’, our Mission is to ‘Inspire and develop Riverlites to be responsible citizens and passionate learners’, thus, every opportunity is utilised from DANCE FEVER to create the awareness of self and others, inculcate values and present Riverlites with ample opportunities for the development of the competencies needed for the 21^st Century. DANCE FEVER also instills National Education values through learning our very own culture and the popular, cross-cultural dance skills for better appreciation of own and other cultures.

Our belief is supported by the report presented by Keynote Speakers at the 2^nd Dance Education Seminar in Singapore 2012:

Dr Jane M Bonbright, ED, Nat Dance Edn Org USA - College Board Research Standards

–        Dance promotes Kinesthetic Intelligence

–        Development of 21^st Century skills through the *Artistic Processes

Jeff Meiners, Lecturer Div of Arts, Uni of SA – findings from Australian Curricular Assessment & Reporting Authority 2011

–        Dance is an embodied understanding and thinking physical activity for a holistic development of the young

–        Benefits the young in creativity and innovation

–        Dance supports social inclusion and the notion of citizenship

In Rivervale, the outcomes of education are driven by our very own curriculum; Rivervale Brand of Education (Riv BE).  The Riv BE curriculum framework supports the delivery of a learner-centred 21st century education where learning is holistically integrated through purposeful engagement. The framework guides our DANCE FEVER programme which is intended to provide Riverlites with authentic experiences through Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory; a process central to the delivery of Riv BE. In line with Riv BE, DANCE FEVER is designed through the 4 stages of experiential learning of Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Active Experimentation and Abstract Conceptualisation which is in tandem with the *Artistic Processes in Dances mentioned by Jeff Meiners that is Creating is making the dance, Performing is doing the dance, Responding is reflecting on the dance and finally, Connecting is relating the dance to other disciplines.

The holistic approach in developing DANCE FEVER is in alignment with the school vision as presented in the BSC strategic map extract. DANCE FEVER provides all Riverlites with a holistic learning experience in support of achieving school and 21^st century student outcomes as indicated in the various Perspectives under the BSC approach, namely:

Stakeholder(S3) A centre of learning and excellence in aesthetics

Customer(C2) Physically fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle; equipped with skills, aptitude and attitude to achieve physical excellence and (C3) Ability to appreciate and express thoughts, ideas and feelings through arts

Internal (I2) - A healthy lifestyle among pupils with emphasis on niches of excellence in sports, aesthetics & CCAs

DANCE FEVER is designed to achieve the following objectives:

1. To develop pupils’ strengths and potential and excel in the aesthetics (dance)
2. To nurture artistic talents in our young
3. To develop the character of our pupils through aesthetics
4. To enrich the cultural appreciation of our pupils and community at large

This niche for the performing arts strongly supports the School’s Strategic Thrust (ST2) of Physical, Health and Aesthetics Excellence and eventually seeing Rivervale Primary School as a Centre of Excellence in the Aesthetics (S3).

DANCE FEVER plays a crucial role in the Character Development (I5) of our pupils as it reinforces the School’s Core Values of positive attitude, hardworking, caring, loyalty and teamwork. Our pupils learn the importance of having a positive attitude towards learning as they experience the joy of achieving a dance sequence and formation, hardworking to perfecting a dance technique, caring for their fellow team members who may need assistance and the community by giving back through public performances. Learning the dance steps and dancing together in harmony cultivates teamwork amongst our pupils. The discovery and development of young talents are also unveiled in this dance programme.

Description Of DANCE FEVER

DANCE FEVER embraces the broad framework of developing pupils’ cultural appreciation, character and nurturing creativity, thus, we are determined to reach out to every Riverlite with this pervasive dance education. The effort to customise the curriculum for all Riverlites is also in line with MOE’s core value of People, Our Focus; where we value people and seek to bring out the best in them. Riv BE guides DANCE FEVER which encompasses a broad-based whole-school approach that provides all Riverlites with dance-related exposure, experiences and opportunities (Refer to Table below) and we want to ignite in our pupils’ creativity and interest as well as inspire in them to appreciate the rich culture of the different dances.