Australian Institute of Dancing
Why do we have a Dance Syllabus
It's important to understand that a dance syllabus is nothing more than a list of steps developed for each dance that typically begins with the most simple and fundamental patterns and progresses to more difficult and complicated patterns.
A well thought out syllabus list not only gives you variety in patterns for dancing but also helps develop the skills needed for progress and if you follow a syllabus carefully, you might notice that each step is developing a particular skill or technique that you will need in the coming steps.
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This is why jumping around in a syllabus list can be difficult; you may not yet have developed an underlying skill for a more complicated action.
BRONZE standards are designed;
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To teach proper body alignment and balance
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To teach weight movement from foot to foot consistently through the dancing of foundation patterns
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To teach the fundamental basic movements of each dance
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To unify the body and teach core strength
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To introduce transitions of frame at fundamental levels
SILVER standards develop your dancing;
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To introduce complex body positions
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To advance the use of swing and shape
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To develop the ability to dance complex rhythms and syncopations
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To increase the ability to turn and spin
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To introduce body isolations while in movement without disturbing core strength
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To introduce transitions of more complex frames
GOLD levels consolidate and enhance your ability;
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To learn to change inside and outside of curve with greater frequency and rapidity
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To incorporate line figures and more complex rhythms into the dance
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To change direction with speed by increasing an understanding of body weight
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To use more extreme body positions to create greater risk in the dance
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To learn to move the whole body through isolations to create greater speed and strength
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To increase understanding of complex frame and body position transitions
OPEN categories allow you;
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To encourage flexibility with timing and patterns
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To explore new movement and shapes
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To freely express emotion through dance
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To ‘break’ the rules!