VCE Dance cheat sheet

The prescribed list is published annually by the VCAA; only works on the current list for the study year may be analysed in Units 3 and 4.

Works are grouped by cultural context (e.g. Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Asian, European, American) and by genre; at least one work from more than one context is required across the course.

For each prescribed work, students must be able to identify choreographer, company or artist, year of first performance, and the cultural or historical context of origin.

Analysis of a prescribed work requires description of movement vocabulary, spatial organisation, dynamics, and use of production elements (music, costume, lighting, set).

Students must be able to explain the choreographer's intention and how movement choices, form, and production elements communicate that intention to an audience.

The group performance (Unit 3) is a separate, teacher-devised work; it is not a prescribed work and is assessed through the School-assessed Coursework and performance examination.

The solo performance examination in Unit 4 requires students to create and perform an original solo, informed by the study of prescribed works but not a reproduction of one.

Comparison between two prescribed works must address similarities and differences in choreographic style, cultural context, movement vocabulary, and use of production elements.

The Prescribed List is published with the study design and VCE Dance assessment handbook; the specific titles vary by year, so students must check the list for their own year of study.

School-assessed Coursework in Unit 3 and Unit 4 contributes to the study score; Unit 3 coursework and Unit 4 coursework each hold a defined weighting in the assessment plan.

The performance examination (solo) and the written examination are external assessments; School-assessed Coursework is internal and is subject to statistical moderation by the VCAA.

Assessment tasks must be drawn from the study design and the assessment handbook; each outcome in Units 3 and 4 must be assessed at least once.

Typical Unit 3 tasks include analysis of prescribed works, a structured analysis of a dance work, and a choreographic or performance-based task linked to the group performance.

Typical Unit 4 tasks include analysis and comparison of prescribed works and a written task on the solo performance process, including choreographic intention and use of production elements.

Authentication requirements apply to all School-assessed Coursework; teachers must be able to verify that work submitted is the student's own.

Marks for School-assessed Coursework are recorded against the assessment criteria published in the assessment handbook, not against a single holistic grade.

Satisfactory completion of a unit requires demonstration of all outcomes; a student who does not meet an outcome is not awarded the unit even if marks are recorded.

The written examination assesses knowledge of prescribed works, dance analysis, and terminology; the performance examination assesses the created solo and its realisation.