“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” ― Martha Graham
The skills that are learned by studying Dance can help develop work and learning skills that are transferrable to other areas of everyday life. Being given the opportunity to create, perform and evaluate dance will significantly increase confidence and build on self-esteem.
Dance encourages you to be more creative and to express yourself in many ways. By encouraging creativity and imagination, you learn to build trust, effective relationships, and how to think critically and creative problem solving will serve you well for life.
When studying dance, you learn how to work as part of a team, develop a greater sense of trust and cooperation, and make new friends. It also improves physical health, dancing is a great form of exercise, it helps increase your flexibility, range of motion, physical strength and stamina. As well as promoting overall health, enhanced development in these areas can help you with sports and other activities at school and beyond.
There are many different career opportunities available in the world of performing arts, not just being a performer but there are many routes available such as choreographer, dance coordinator, dance development officer, movement therapist, dance and disability, events planning, teacher of dance, dance school owner and many more.
Key information:
GCSE Specification
A Level Specification
Curriculum Progression
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, each student will do 3 units of dance each year.
Students will develop the basic skills that are required to study dance or performing arts in Key Stage 4. The content of the dance curriculum is based on developing performance, choreography and appreciation skills. At KS3 students will:
- Learn the 5 key dance actions and how they can be used to create movement and expand their dance vocabulary
- Learn the elements of dance body, action, space, time and energy and understand how to analyse dance.
- Study motif and development to create movement with purpose
- Use a stimulus to create ideas for choreography
- Perform as a class and in small groups to develop performance skills
- Use a variety of choreographic devices to help structure the choreography
- Use a variety of choreographic methods to create a dance piece
- Learn professional set dances to experience dance styles and techniques
- Develop critical and creative thinking skills
- Learn about safe working practices and the importance of warming up and cooling down
- Experience live and recorded dance
- Begin to develop an appreciation of different dance styles, genres and vocabulary
- Evaluate their own and others’ work.
Key Stage 4 (Level 2)
Eduqas Level 1/2 in Performing Arts
At Key Stage 4, students studying Eduqas Level 1/2 in Performing Arts take an externally assessed core unit (Performing Arts in Practice), which requires them to work to a brief, with a choice of disciplines- acting, hair and make-up design, costume design, set design or choreography. In addition, they take two internal units that will develop their performing/production skills and related contextual, historical or theoretical understanding.
Learners apply a range of skills knowledge and understanding that will be of value to further studies. For example, units provide learners with basic understanding of concepts such as the nature of events, planning, repertoire, rehearsal schedules, health and safety, equipment and reviewing performances, and a solid grounding of practical/technical skills that can then be developed further in qualifications at Level 3, which may require them to take greater responsibility, lead others, evaluate and analyse concepts relating to their studies.
Internal Units include- Unit 1: Performing and Unit 2: Creating
GCSE Dance
GCSE Dance helps students to develop technical and expressive skills as well as knowledge and understanding of dance through performance, choreography and critical appreciation. Dance is a powerful and expressive subject which encourages students to develop their creative, physical, emotional and intellectual capacity, whatever their previous experience in the subject.
This specification recognises the role of dance in young people’s lives and students will study a range of dance styles and style fusions. There are 3 components which students will study; performance, choreography and appreciation. Apart from the solo performance, they can choose any style in which to perform and choreograph, providing it meets the assessment criteria.
The study of the anthology of professional works will develop their ability to critically appraise professional dance works and provide a springboard for engaging in practical tasks.
There will also be opportunities to participate in workshops and visits to watch professional companies perform in a variety of settings.
Component 1- Performance and Choreography– Total component 60% of GCSE
What’s assessed:
Performance
- Set phrases through a solo performance (approximately one minute in duration)
- Duet/trio performance (three minutes in a dance which is a maximum of five minutes in duration)
Choreography
- Solo or group choreography – a solo (two to two and a half minutes) or a group dance for two to five dancers (three to three and a half minutes)
Internally marked and externally moderated.
Performance– 30% of GCSE
Choreography– 30% of GCSE
Component 2- Dance Appreciation– 40% of GCSE
What’s assessed:
- Knowledge and understanding of choreographic processes and performing skills
- Critical appreciation of own work and professional works
- Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Based on students’ own practice in performance and choreography and the GCSE Dance anthology.
Key Stage 5 (Level 3)
At Key Stage 5, students on the Musical Theatre pathway undertake an externally assessed core unit (Performance Preparation), which requires learners to work to a brief, set with input from industry practitioners. In addition, they take an internally assessed core unit (Planning for a Career in the Creative and Performing Arts) together with 5 optional units that can develop their musical theatre skills.
Optional Internal Units:
- Approaches to Acting
- Musical Theatre Performance
- Vocal Techniques (Music)
- Solo Music Performance
- Audition Techniques
- Choreography
- Vocal Techniques (Acting)
Curriculum Plan
