Out There The Australian Ballet in Schools 2011

Out There The Australian Ballet in Schools 2011

Learning embedded in the arts leads to better academic performance
The need for a greater emphasis on arts learning in Australian schools was highlighted in a paper recently released by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Authored by Sydney University academic Robyn Ewing, the paper cites overseas studies demonstrate that children whose learning is embedded in the arts perform better academically.

To address this need, The Australian Ballet has created an In schools program called Out There- the Australian Ballet in schools and has joined forces with NAB in 2011 to take this program nation-wide.

The youth education program, launched in Victoria on March 28 offers more than just dancers in tutus. Participating students, aged between five and twelve years, experience a series of interactive demonstrations designed to foster movement skills, promote fitness, and encourage artistic engagement. Workshops are delivered by a specially trained Dance Education Ensemble comprising two male and two female dance educators. To watch a sneak peak of an Out There workshop please click here.

The Australian Ballet's Artistic Director David McAllister said it was important to give children the opportunity to experience dance.

"Our vision for Out There is to give students who may not have danced before the chance to sample its many benefits, from increased body awareness, to general fitness and an outlet for creative expression," he said.

Access to curriculum-based dance education programs in Australian primary schools is limited due to crowded curriculum, restricted resources and a lack of teachers with the skills to teach dance with confidence. Through our partnership with NAB, we are able to remove the barriers to participation, provide youthful role models for children and demonstrate connections with other learning domains.

Throughout 2011, Out There workshops will be held in metropolitan and regional areas across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.

"NAB has now been a lead sponsor of The Australian Ballet for seven years. This partnership is particularly important to us for two key reasons; supporting community and helping people reach their potential," said Andrew Hagger, NAB Group Executive, Corporate Affairs and Marketing.

"We are particularly proud to support Out There - The Australian Ballet in schools because the program allows students to actively participate in workshops that engage and educate, regardless of gender and dance experience. We believe our support of this program fosters potential in the most tangible way," he said. The Out There program is the result of a three-year pilot study, led by Helen Cameron, recipient of the 2008 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education.

Why is NAB sponsoring Out There - The Australian Ballet in schools?
A growing body of international research* shows that children whose education includes a strong arts based curriculum are more likely to perform better academically, are less likely to drop out, rarely report boredom and have better self-esteem than those deprived of arts experiences.

However, access to arts education in Australian schools is poor with reports showing dance in particular as one of the least taught subjects. Among these findings, market research also identified children living in regional or rural Australia to fall within the most creatively disadvantaged group.

NAB's support of the Out There program is helping to realise the potential of arts learning in schools at a foundational level by removing the financial and geographical obstacles faced by many schools in diverse regions across Australia.

To view Robyn Ewing's paper, The Arts and Australian Education: Realising Potential, please visit: http://research.acer.edu.au/aer/11

What is arts learning? Why do our children need it?
Not all children progress at the same rate during their formative primary school years. Those who excel in their written work may be lacking in performance when it comes to sports and physical activity; often resulting in poor confidence outside the classroom. Alternatively, those who excel in sports often lack the focus needed to absorb academic work. Arts learning is a way of connecting with students on an expressive level to teach them valuable foundational skills necessary in all areas of education.

The need for a greater emphasis on arts learning in Australian schools was highlighted recently in a study by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Authored by Sydney University academic Robyn Ewing, the paper cites overseas studies demonstrate that children whose learning is embedded in the arts perform better academically.

To address this need, NAB are supporting The Australian Ballet's In Schools program Out There which reaches out to kids at all stages of development through engaging dance workshops. Dance as a practice promotes the stimulation of children's thinking, their reasoning and their understanding; as well as the concrete skills of coordination, increased musicality, focus and memory retention.

"Kinetic and expressive learning is central to a child's positive development and one of the major components of our Education Program" - Helen Cameron, Education consultant at TAB and creator of Out There.

The Out There program offers more than just dancers in tutus. Participating students, aged between five and twelve years, experience a series of interactive demonstrations designed to foster movement skills, promote fitness, and encourage artistic engagement. Workshops will be touring nation-wide throughout 2011.

The Australian Ballet's Artistic Director David McAllister said it was important to give children the opportunity to experience dance.

"Our vision for Out There is to give students who may not have danced before the chance to sample its many benefits, from increased body awareness, to general fitness and an outlet for creative expression," he said.

For further information on Arts Learning and NAB's involvement in Out There: The Australian Ballet In Schools please visit: www.ballet.nab.com.au


What is arts learning and why is there a need for it?
Not all children progress at the same rate during their formative primary school years. Those who excel in their written work may be lacking in performance when it comes to sports and physical activity; often resulting in poor confidence outside the classroom. Alternatively, those who excel in sports often lack the focus needed to absorb academic work. Arts learning is a way of connecting with students on an expressive level to teach them valuable foundational skills needed in all areas of education.

Out There - The Australian Ballet In Schools reaches out to kids at all stages of development. Dance as a practice promotes the stimulation of children's thinking, their reasoning and their understanding; as well as the concrete skills of coordination, increased musicality, focus and memory retention. Out There also promotes the development of language rich learning skills by associating the traditional French terms of ballet with physical movement.

"Kinetic and expressive learning is central to a child's positive development and one of the major components of our Education Program" - Helen Cameron, Education consultant at TAB and creator of Out There.

Since the initial pilot phase of the program in 2006, over 30,000 children have participated in dance workshops, demonstrations and discussion forums with The Australian Ballet's Dance Education Ensemble.

How is NAB contributing?
1. By allowing The Australian Ballet to take Out There to more Australian schools to benefit more young minds.
"NAB's support of the program is an extremely significant step in dance education because it means that we are able to take Out There to more students in 2011 than ever before', said David McAllister, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet.

2. By helping identify schools that are in need of an arts rich programs.
NAB is utilising its national network of local branch managers to identify schools that The Australian Ballet may be able to visit with this unique opportunity. Several schools that participate in existing NAB community education initiatives (NAB Schools First and The Alannah and Madeline Foundation's Better Buddies Framework) will also have the opportunity to host the Out There program.

3. By providing a legacy for all participating students beyond the workshop
Local NAB branch managers will be attending school visits to present children with specially produced Out There activity booklets. These have been designed to ensure students can continue their dance education through various pages of fun filled challenges that can be completed in class or at home. Activities include word searches, dance vocabulary challenges and drawing competitions that encourage students to learn about all areas of dance including musicality, patterns, physical exercise, nutrition and language.

To further the learning experience and create a pathway to additional dance knowledge, NAB have created an interactive section on their website (nab.com.au/ballet) where children can contact the four members of the Dance Education Ensemble. Children can share their dance stories, see photos from their workshop and reflect on their own Out There experience.

What impact will the program have?
The success and impact of the pilot program is evident in many reports received from parents and teachers:
"My boys went in thinking it would be a bit of a laugh; they came out seriously trying to do pirouettes. I couldn't believe how well they connected with my tough boys." Primary School Teacher, Regional South Australia.

"A program such as this is highly beneficial, providing a rare opportunity for our complex and disadvantaged community." Primary School Principal, Regional South Australia

"They (the students) realised the links dance has with so many other aspects of learning - fitness and health, Maths, Music, memory and teamwork, to name a few....While I endeavoured to pass on my love of dance, music and drama to the students of this school, your ensemble did in one day what I had been trying to do for the last 7 years. Bravo!" Primary School Teacher, Regional Victoria