ADEN (Auckland Dance Educators Network)

By Melanie Turner

The Auckland Dance Educators Network (ADEN) sprang from a meeting initiated by Raewyn Thorburn in 1996. The meeting brought together dance educators from tertiary, secondary, primary, early childhood, community and professional sectors to discuss ideas for supporting teachers in schools to provide learning in dance. One of Raewyn’s personal goals was to make links between the dance industry and dance in education. 

Raewyn and others recognised that principals and teachers with responsibility for providing learning in dance were often not equipped to do so. ADEN’s focus was on supporting teachers with tools for learning in dance and empowering them to meet their responsibilities. 

ADEN was formed as a subject association in 1996 in anticipation of the Arts Curriculum. Dance was taught as part of Drama or PE and was available as an independent subject in a very limited number of secondary schools as part of the Sixth Form Certificate. The group Raewyn gathered together wasted no time and took a pragmatic, systematic approach. Within two months the first newsletter was produced appraising teachers of the developments in dance in education in New Zealand.

ADEN continues to provide support to teachers in schools through workshops with dance professionals, teachers from a wide range of genres and sectors, and links to other dance organisations, such as Northern Dance Network - now known as Bounce.

Read the full article (Iss. 30) ADEN: Plotting the Path of Auckland's Dance in Education Network