National Occupational Standards in Dance Leadership Summary
This document gives you a bite‐size version of the National Occupational Standards in Dance Leadership. The diagram and related boxes show you how the standards are grouped together. The full National Occupational Standards (NOS) have a set way of being presented. They show you in plain language what you need to “know and understand”, and “what you must be able to do” as a dance leader. They are relevant to any dance style/genre that you lead and any setting you work in, whether you run your own dance school or have a freelance career in dance where you work in many different settings. You will still need to refer to the full NOS document too to increase your understanding but this is a good starting point. The full document can be downloaded at http://www.communitydance.org.uk/dtap
How to use the standards: As a person who leads dance sessions, you can identify standards you feel confident with and practice talking about how you know you are delivering them, as this will help you be clear with employers, participants and parents of your groups. It also can help identify functions that you feel less confident about that you may want to seek out some additional support, guidance or training in. When you read them, please bear in mind that as with any profession, lifelong learning is key. It is natural to have areas where you don’t feel so confident, but acknowledging this and seeking support with that function makes you a better practitioner for the dance sector and for the general public you aim to reach.
o As a practitioner, use these standards to show people what it is that you do, what they can expect of you and what you expect from them o As an employer use these standards to clarify roles and responsibilities and to support professional development of dance leaders you work with o As a training provider use these standards to look at how your training courses and their learning outcomes meet industry needs. Foundation for Community Dance 2011 – NOS in Dance Leadership Summary
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Diagram 1. Key Purposes for National Occupational Standards in Dance Leadership
Foundation for Community Dance 2011 – NOS in Dance Leadership Summary
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A. Know and communicate your experience of leading dance 1. Evaluate and communicate your skills in leading dance 2. Identify, research and understand your market 3. Identify and communicate to others, your personal skill and contextual knowledge of your dance style(s) 4. Communicate how you carry out creative and compositional skills appropriate to your target market 5. Communicate your competence and readiness to lead dance with specific groups of people and/or places 6. Use different media and methods to communicate with your target market
B. Develop working relationships with communities and supporting organisations 7. Design programmes of dance work that are appropriate to specific groups and individuals 8. Manage expectations of participating individuals, groups, funders and partners 9. Build relationships and trust with and within community groups to inspire take up to your session(s) 10. Build trust with host organisations and funders 11. Encourage involvement and collaboration with supporting teams
C. Deliver effective dance leadership and engagement 12. Deliver safe and effective dance leading 13. Engage and manage groups through your dance leadership in a creative context 14. Demonstrate technical skill and knowledge in leading your dance style(s) 15. Structure dance for engagement of participants and groups 16. Collaborate with other art forms 17. Work with volunteers, support workers and managers
D. Use effective frameworks for evaluation of your dance delivery with people 18. Evaluate the impact of your dance leading through engagement with your groups and stakeholders 19. Communicate the results of evaluating the impact of your dance leading 20. Develop awareness in your participants and group
E. Reflect on and develop your own practice and roles 21. Recognise your professional development needs 22. Research, identify and resource your continuing professional development (CPD) 23. Reflect on and resource your professional delivery
Foundation for Community Dance 2011 – NOS in Dance Leadership Summary
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