More than 100 Grade 3 students at Redbank Plains State School are getting their dance shoes on in preparation for Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC’s) 2018 Out of the Box Festival for children aged eight years and under, which showcases to the public next month. Redbank Plains State School is one of 35 schools across Queensland taking part in Dance… Like No One is Watching, a 2018 Out of the Box project, which will culminate in dance parties celebrating music and movement at the Festival.
Dance… Like No One is Watching encourages young students to connect, build relationships, work as a team and celebrate dance itself. The project offers a shared journey for students and their teachers through movement, music and creative expression.Through Out of the Box, this project sees more than 2500 Queensland children from Prep to Grade 4 being taught a dance routine by teaching artists, then rehearsing and refining to ultimately perform with their classmates at shared dance events during Out of the Box.
Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch says “the $200,000 Artists in Residence (AIR) program 2017 to 2018, supported through Arts Queensland and Education Queensland, connects artists and arts organisations with students and teachers to boost creativity and education outcomes.”
QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas says the Centre relishes its role in creating opportunities for children to increase their passion for learning and develop their sense of self and others through participation in the arts. “Through Out of the Box projects such as Dance… Like No One is Watching QPAC engages directly with thousands of children from communities across Queensland, and acknowledges their expertise as active participants in the creation of cultural activity,” says Mr Kotzas. “Students from Redbank Plains State School represent multiple cultures and the feedback from the school has been that dance offers a wonderful way for students to communicate and relate to each other even if they may not speak the same language,” he says.
The Dance… Like No One is Watching program is directly linked to dance and music outcomes outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum (Version 8).
Readers also enjoyed this story about the Future of Humanity.
