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Dance

 Welcome to the Dance Department

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."  - Martha Graham

Head of Department:

Mrs Molloy

e-mail: lleigh2.310@parkhighstanmore.org.uk

Key Stage 3

Dance is an exciting and creative subject which is taught to Park High Students on a bi-weekly basis in Year 7 (alternating with Drama), and a weekly basis in Year 8. In Year 9, students decide whether they would like to continue their Dance study and if they choose to do so, have a double lesson each week.

In Dance, Students are encouraged to develop their physical, expressive, technical and mental performance skills, as well as their evaluative and analytical abilities. Dance lessons allow students to mature as both independent and group learners, giving students the opportunity to be creative whilst also being active. Confidence is another key skill the students cultivate, empowering them as presenters and commanders of a stage.

At its core, our Dance education aims to:

  • Develop the physical and creative confidence of a wide range of learners;
  • Expose learners to a variety of Dance styles, works and vocabulary, aiming to instil a love of artistry; Hone appreciation and evaluative skills as a dancer, choreographer and critic;
  • Learn to choreograph, perform and appreciate dance as an art form;
  • Inform development as creative and artistic individuals to broaden their aesthetic, social and cultural experience through a holistic engagement with dance.
  • Learn and adopt safe working practices;
  • Learn to work collaboratively to generate, develop and communicate ideas.

The KS3 Dance curriculum is structured to enable students to develop their skills from beginner to highly competent, throughout the 3-year period. We begin in Year 7 with ‘Introduction to Dance’ which lays the foundation of key Dance skills. We then move onto ‘Nutcracker’ giving key opportunity to further develop performance skills alongside choreography and appreciation. We finish on the exciting ‘Musicals’ scheme, which allows each student to appreciate jazz and musical theatricality in performance. Year 8s continue their learning journey beginning the year with ‘Cultural Dance’, moving into ‘Urban’, learning about essential and global Dance history. Collaboration and trust are key skills explored in the ‘Contact’ scheme, which introduces Contemporary dance, before continuing into the emotive ‘Guernica’ scheme, which helps to develop each child’s artistry as an expressive performer. This scheme also offers cross-curricular links to both History and Art. We finish by cementing our students’ cultural capital through the edgy ‘Hofesh’ scheme, ending exploring ‘Parkour’. 

In Year 9, students are immersed in the study and practice of ‘The Art of Being a Dancer’. We explore dance technique, safe studio practice, choreographic skills and dance analysis, allowing students to develop the strong foundation they need to continue their studies at GCSE. We study a range of diverse schemes ‘Revelations’, ‘Choreography 101’ and Boy Blue ‘REBEL’ performance project, all of which allows students to develop sophistication in their performing, appreciation and choreographic skills. 

Year 7

In Dance pupils study skills based around collaborative choreography, learning set phrases and routines, performance, appreciation and evaluative skills. Each half-term is alternated with Drama in Year 7

Autumn Spring Summer

Introduction to Dance

Nutcracker

Musical Theatre

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KS3 Assessment:

Home learning is allocated on a half-termly basis within Dance and Drama. Year 7s are assessed throughout the year, within lessons, and with a final performance at the end of each scheme. These performances are expected to showcase the students’ best work and should be rehearsed outside of lesson time. Students are encouraged to take pride in their work and add costume, music and props/set where appropriate.

Year 8

In Year 8, pupils study skills based around collaborative choreography, learning set phrases and routines, different styles of dance, performance, appreciation and evaluative skills.

Autumn Spring Summer

Cultural Dance: African and Capoeira

Contact Work

Shechter

Street Dance

Contemporary Dance / Working with a Stimulus

Parkour

Knowledge Organisers:

You have not allowed cookies and this content may contain cookies.

If you would like to view this content please

KS3 Assessment:

Home learning is allocated on a half-termly basis within Dance and Drama. Year 8s are assessed throughout the year, within lessons, and with a final performance at the end of each scheme. These performances are expected to showcase the students’ best work and should be rehearsed outside of lesson time. Students are encouraged to take pride in their work and add costume, music and props/set where appropriate.

Year 9

Year 9 is an important preparatory year for those wishing to pursue their Dance study at GCSE and equips students with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to advance in their dance practice further. Throughout the year we aim to expose the students to a variety of performance, choreographic and appreciation experiences, developing their physical skills and overall knowledge of Dance.

Autumn Spring Summer

Health and Safety of the Dancer

Professional Work: Revelations by Alvin Ailey

Boy Blue Entertainment performance style; Hip hop, street dance

Jazz Dance

Choreography

Whole-class performance piece

KS3 Assessment 

Students are assessed each term through performances and end of topic written assessments/exams and tests. Students will also be assessed in performances at whole-school events which will take place out of school hours.

Useful Reading Material:

The Essential Guide to Jazz by Dolly Henry and Paul Jenkins

AQA GCSE Dance: Student's Book by M. Clunie, L. Dale and L. Paine

Alvin Ailey – A Life in Dance by Jennifer Dunning

The Intimate Act of Choreography by Lynne Anne Blom and L. Tarin Chaplin

Key Stage 4

At GCSE, we follow the AQA Dance syllabus which builds upon the foundations set throughout Key Stage Three and pushes students to realise their performance, choreographic and academic potential in Dance through the two components found within the specification. Further information can be found at www.aqa.org.uk/dance  

Dance can lead to an array of different careers, not just being a dancer! Students who have studied Dance at GCSE and A Level have gone on to study Business, Photography, Physiotherapy, Teaching, Forensic Science, Coaching, Medicine, English and Art. Dance also has key links to other subjects; namely PE, Art, Drama, English, Science, History, PSHCEE and Mathematics. Students who have taken Dance for further study after Park High have gone on to a variety of professional conservatoires including Arts Educational Schools, Bird College and Trinity Laban.

We believe that Dance can support a wide range of career and subject choices due to the subjectsʼ extensive and broad topic base. Students who study Dance are more creative, active and analytical learners; skills which can be transferred across many subjects and which contribute positively to our school community.

Year 10

Students are expected to study, in their entirety, 6 professional works over the two-year Dance course. Students must ensure that they are revising these works throughout their GCSE.

Artificial Things choreographed by Lucy Bennett

A Linha Curva choreographed by Itzik Galili

Infra choreographed by Wayne McGregor

Shadows choreographed by Christopher Bruce

Within Her Eyes choreographed by James Cousins

Emancipation of Expressionism choreographed by Kenrick H20 Sandy

Autumn Spring Summer
Emancipation of Expressionism and A Linha Curva

Artificial Things and Infra

Performance in a trio and Component 2 revision
Within Her Eyes and Shadows Set Phrases / Written Paper: Section B Performance in a duo/trio and Set Phrases revision

KS4 Assessment 

Students are assessed each term through performances and end of topic written assessments. 

In the Summer Term, each student will sit a formal, written, internal exam which will consist of all elements taught throughout the course.  Appropriate preparation in the form of revision should be taken seriously with sufficient planning and organisation to ensure each student fulfils their potential.

Examination Board:

AQA

Useful Reading Material:

AQA GCSE Dance: Student's Book by M. Clunie, L. Dale and L. Paine

The Intimate Act of Choreography by Lynne Anne Blom and L. Tarin Chaplin

Year 11

Autumn Spring Summer

Set Phrases and Performance in a Duo/Trio Exam (Component 1)

Written Paper revision (Component 2)

Choreography

(Component 1)

Written Paper revision

(Component 1)

Choreography

(Component 1)

Written Paper revision (Component 2)

Written Paper revision (Component 1)

 

KS4 Assessment 

All students who follow this course will be given home learning weekly.  Wider reading is always useful either from the websites offered, the text book or as directed by their classroom teacher.

Students will be assessed throughout Years at the end of each term in both a practical and written capacity.

Student practical coursework is assessed internally between March-May and then externally moderated by AQA.

In the Summer Term, each student will sit a formal, written, internal exam which will consist of all elements taught throughout the course.  Appropriate preparation in the form of revision should be taken seriously with sufficient planning and organisation to ensure each student fulfils their potential.

GCSE Dance consists of two components:

Dance component 1: Performance and choreography - is internally marked and externally moderated

Performance, 40 marks 30%

Chorography, 40 marks 30%

Dance component 2: Dance appreciation

Written examination 1 hour and 30 minutes, 80 marks 40%

Examination Board :

AQA

Course Specification:

AQA 8236  GCSE Dance

Qualification obtained:

GCSE Dance

Additional Information

Useful Reading Material

‘AQA GCSE Dance