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Dance in the curriculum

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    Child safe dance practices

    by Ausdance National originally published on

    Dance is a powerful space for self-expression, creativity, and growth. With more than 150,000 children participating in dance each week in Australia, organisations have a clear responsibility to protect their physical, emotional, and cultural wellbeing.

    This factsheet provides national, cross-jurisdictional guidance to help dance organisations meet their obligations and embed child safety into every aspect of their practice. It was authored and approved in June 2025 by the Ausdance national network.

    Booting the tutu: teachers and dance in the classroom

    by Ralph Buck originally published on

    Ralph Buck (National Institute for Creative Arts and Industries, University of Auckland) focuses on how we might develop sustainable dance education practice in the primary school classroom. He emphasises the importance of changing perceptions about dance in terms of the associations with femininity, ability, performance, mastery of skill and elitism.

    Dance learning in motion: global dance education

    by Susan R. Koff, Charlotte Svendler Nielsen, Ann Kipling Brown & Jeff Meiners

    Reports indicate that dance-learning experiences provided for young people in and outside schools impact positively upon young people’s learning in schools, as well as in pre-service and professional development programs for those who teach dance in various settings. Support of major dance organizations as well as the goals of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) affirm the importance of dance education and encourage the research and practice to provide lifelong and intergenerational learning in, about and through dance education. This paper describes the results of a survey questionnaire, which captures the narratives and contexts from lived experiences of university students and graduates in formal, informal and non-formal settings and how those are experienced. This initial study confirmed the power of dance and the significance of dance in peoples’ lives as well as deficiencies in the provision of dance for many.

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    Dance part of every young person’s education!

    Participating in dance provides creative, healthy and stimulating experiences for young Australians. Dance is now a part of the Australian Curriculm which means every young person will have the opportunity to experience dance. This offers huge potential for developing creativity and innovation across the curriculum.

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    Dance in the Australian Curriculum

    With the arts now part of the Australian Curriculum, we continue to promote dance as a key artform in alongside music, visual arts, drama and media arts.

    2011 Dance Education in Australian Schools Roundtable

    The 2011 Dance Education in Australian Schools (DEAS) roundtable focused on providing feedback to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on the Draft Shape Paper: The Arts. The roundtable also heard from several speakers and organisations about their role in advocating for dance in the curriculum. The roundtable was facilitated by dance educator and author David Spurgeon.

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    Panpapanpalya 2018

    by Ann Kipling Brown, Deborah Price & Jeff Meiners originally published on

    This publication of 16 papers with authors from 9 countries provides a snapshot representation of themes from the joint dance congress broadly embracing dance, gathering, generations, learning. The papers range from the beginnings of dance in the early years through the different stages of school and to further education – and beyond through the lifespan to the joys and challenges of dancing in later years with lived experiences that bring changing bodies, new insights and wisdom.

    Dance, young people and change

    by Charlotte Svendler Nielsen, Sue Stinson, daCi & World Dance Alliance originally published on

    Dance, Young People and Change brought together young people, parents, educators and others from around the world to share and consider the role of dance in young people’s lives. It provided critical evaluation and reflection on approaches to dance learning, teaching and curriculum for young people and offered opportunities to critique the relevance of dance for young people within education and community contexts.

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    TDCA advocates for Dance Education across all sectors of the community

    by TDCA published on

    The Tertiary Dance Council of Australia (TDCA) is advocating for dance education and its role in society at all educational levels, from early childhood through to tertiary education and beyond.

    By examining these connections and making them visible, we advocate for a more integrated, holistic approach to dance education policy and practice.

    Just as the full picture emerges when dots are joined visually, the true value of dance education becomes apparent when we connect its impacts across social, emotional, cognitive, cultural, therapeutic, and professional domains.

    In this paper, entitled Joining the Dots: Advocating for the Role of Education Across All Sectors of the Dance Community, the TDCA presents comprehensive evidence demonstrating the significant positive impacts of dance education across mutiple domains of Australian society.

    Drawing on a substantial body of international and Australian research, we establish that dance education enhances socio-emotional competence and critical thinking skills in children and adolescents, providing them with essential tools for personal development and academic success.

    Dance education improves mental health outcomes and general wellbeing across various demographics, offering therapeutic benefits that address contemporary health challenges. Additionally, dance provides unique cultural and healing benefits for First Nations communities, supporting cultural continuity and addressing intergenerational trauma.

    —Dr Peter Cook, USQ
          Chair, TDCA

    Ausdance responds to ACARA’s review of the Australian Curriculum

    by Jeff Meiners published on

    The Ausdance National Education Committee, led by Dr Jeff Meiners and Sue Fox, has prepared a submission to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) in response to its review of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts.

    The proposed revisions aim to declutter the content through improving the curriculum's clarity of structure and refine the content descriptions and achievement standards. This response relates specifically to Dance in the F-6 curriculum, as this is the identified focus of the review.

    As Ausdance’s reps on the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) Council, Jeff and Sue have also contributed to the NAAE's submission, which has reached a review consensus across all art forms.
     
    We thank Jeff and Sue and the Ausdance National Dance Education Committee who contributed to Ausdance's submission, and who will continue to work with ACARA on next steps. 
     
    Ausdance National Education Committee members are:

    • Rachael Bott (WA)
    • Trish Brown (ACT)
    • Sarah Calver (NT)
    • Peter Cook (NSW)
    • Megan Cooper (SA)
    • Julie Dyson (ACT)
    • Candice Egan (VIC)
    • Sue Fox (QLD)
    • Lesley Graham (TAS)
    • Julie-Anne Grant (QLD)
    • Rikki Mace (TAS)
    • Kate Maquire-Rosier (NSW)
    • Jeff Meiners (SA)
    • Helen Mullins (QLD)
    • Katrina Rank (VIC)
    • Amy Wiseman (WA)

    National Advocates for Arts Education report—March 2017

    by Julie Dyson & National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) published on

    The National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) has had a very productive start to 2017, with the NAAE paper advocating for inclusion of the Arts in the STEM agenda being submitted to the Federal Government’s Inquiry into Innovation and Creativity: Workforce for the new economy. The paper was co-authored by John Saunders and Sandra Gattenhof (Drama Australia), with input from all other artform members of NAAE, including dance educators Jeff Meiners (SA) and Sue Fox (Qld).

    While most people only refer to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) when discussing innovation and creativity, the Arts are considered in many countries to be an essential element of an innovative economy, hence the increasing advocacy for STEAM in Australia. We note with real concern that the arts were not included in the Federal Government’s original National Innovation & Science Agenda, nor do most submissions to the current inquiry mention the Arts.

    However, strong submissions were made for a STEAM agenda by several prominent organisations, including the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG), the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), the Australian Copyright Council, and Arts Educators, Practitioners & Researchers Australia, as well as several universities.

    NAAE wants to bring together all those advocates for STEAM and develop a new strategy for increasing the voice of the Arts in this country’s innovation agenda.

    To keep up with current NAAE agendas and discussions about future activities, go to our NAAE Facebook page and join the conversation.

    Julie Dyson – Chair

    National Advocates for Arts Education supports implementation of the Arts curriculum

    by National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) published on

    National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) met in Canberra on 19 & 20 June to discuss a range of outstanding issues affecting implementation of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts. Several projects were identified that would assist classroom teachers, students, governments and other decision makers in the implementation process. NAAE plans to develop these projects in the coming months, and seek partnerships and funding to bring them to fruition. 

    I stand with the arts.Members of the National Advocates for Arts Education at the National Library Australia, 19 June 2016. Taking time out to #‎IStandWithTheArts‬ ‪#‎ArtsChangesLives‬ while talking Arts Education advocacy! L–R: John Saunders (Drama Australia), Roger Dunscombe (Australian Teachers of Media), Sandra Gattenhof (Drama Australia), Bradley Merrick (Australian Society for Music Education), and Julie Dyson (NAAE chair).
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