Subjects
Dance
The Subject Way
Our subject has a ‘Subject Way’ at the heart of it. Our Subject Way is designed to help students become young subject specialists. The Subject Way has two main purposes:
Firstly, to teach students the vital skills they need to achieve their full potential and gain the very best grades they can. Secondly, to teach students how each subject relates to the wider world, incorporating the life skills they will learn.
It is our belief that knowing how what you learn links to the wider world brings a subject to life and therefore improves overall understanding and engagement.
Curriculum Plan
Year 7
In Year 7, students will complete a seven week block of Dance within their PE lessons. All students will learn about achieving a good performance, how to have an effective dance rehearsal, dance actions, unison, canon, different styles of dance, levels, characterisation and use of props. The girls will do this through the use of the themes ‘Cowgirls’, ‘Annie’ and ‘Bollywood’ and the boys themes are ‘The Hakka’, ‘Capoeira’ and ‘Fortnite’. Students will get the opportunity to learn choreography, choreograph their own motifs, perform in front of an audience and they will start to develop their analytical skills and use of feedback.
Year 8
In Year 8, female students will study Dance through a seven week block completed in PE lessons. Through the themes of ‘Rock n Roll’, ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Matilda’, students will look at different dance styles, use of contact, motif development, stimuli, dynamics, facial expressions and effective choreography. Students will get the opportunity to learn choreography, choreograph their own motifs, perform in front of an audience and they will continue to develop their analytical skills and use of feedback.
Year 9
In Year 9, female students will study a seven week block of Dance within their PE lessons. Through the themes of ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Mamma Mia’ this block will cover isolations, focus, motif development through space and actions, use of props, musicality, lifts and transitions. Students will get the opportunity to learn choreography, choreograph their own motifs, perform in front of an audience and they will continue to develop their analytical skills and use of feedback.
In addition to this, students have the opportunity to experience more Dance lessons in the Creative Studies and PE option suites. Within this additional weekly Dance lesson, the students will study the topics listed below.
| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 | Half Term 3 |
Evolution of Dance Unit – students will receive teacher input and choreography opportunities in lindy hop, disco, MC Hammer and TikTok dance styles. Assessment of Evolution of Dance. | Choreography Skills – processes, devices and structure. Students will learn about what these are and apply them to their own choreography. Use of props in choreography – chairs, objects and clothing. Students will get the opportunity to experiment with a range of different props and use their creativity to make use of these props within choreography. They will also learn about the significance of props to choreographic intent. | Musicals – Aladdin, Grease, Singing in the Rain. Students will learn repertoire from these musicals and will choreograph their own motifs inspired by what they learn. Musical Theatre assessment Contact work – push and pull, over, under and around. |
| Half Term 4 | Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
Contact work – lifts and use of contact within choreography. Nutcracker! – students will study the costumes, set, lighting, accompaniment and movement material within this professional work. They will develop their analytical skills and apply what they learn to their own work. | Nutcracker! – student choreography inspired by the work and assessment. Site sensitive project – students will learn about different performance environments and will get the chance to choreograph in their own site sensitive location. | Dance Styles – ballet, contemporary, folk, hip hop, samba and capoeira. Students will learn about key features of each style and will choreograph their own motifs in each style. Dance Styles assessment. |
Year 10
Practical
| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 | Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 | Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
Choreography – devices, structure and motif development. Solo choreography mock exam A Linha Curva motifs – students learn repertoire from the professional work that they also study in a theory context. | Breathe – students learn one of the set phrases for their practical exam. Breathe mock exam Shift – students start to learn the second set phrase for their practical exam. | Shift – students continue to learn the second set phrase for their practical exam. Shift mock exam Shadows motifs – students learn repertoire from the professional work that they also study in a theory context. Introduction to group performance and contact. | Contact – push and pull, lifts. Group performance – students devise their group performance exam piece for their Year 11 exam alongside their member staff Group performance mock exam | Group performance – students continue to devise and rehearse their group performance exam piece for their Year 11 exam alongside their member staff Group performance mock exam | Application of practical work to Section B of the theory exam. Within Her Eyes motifs – students learn repertoire from the professional work that they also study in a theory context. Emancipation of Expressionism motifs – students learn repertoire from the professional work that they also study in a theory context. Recap of exam pieces – Breathe, Shift and group performance |
Theory
| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 | Half Term 3 |
Section A – recap performance skills, choreography skills and practice exam questions Section A Unit Test Introduction to the analysis of professional works | Analysis of A Linha Curva looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes, costume, set, lighting, movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. | Analysis of Shadows looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes, costume, set, lighting, movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. Theory exam on work completed so far |
| Half Term 4 | Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
Students will look at Section B questions on the two set phrases. Start the analysis of Within Her Eyes looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes, costume, set and lighting. | Continue with the analysis of Within Her Eyes by interpreting the movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. | Analysis of Emancipation of Expressionism looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes, costume, set, lighting, movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. Mock exam |
Year 11
Practical
| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 | Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 | Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
Rehearsal of Breathe and Shift set phrases. Practical exam for Breathe and Shift | Rehearsal of Duet/Trio Performance inspired by Shadows. Practical exam for Duet/Trio Performance | Workshops of Choreography Questions – students will receive input and guidance of the questions set by AQA. Students make a decision of which choreography question they will answer. Complete research and start planning. | Creation and rehearsal of solo or group choreography based on the questions set by AQA. Choreography exam. | Practical lessons become a theory revision lesson now all practical assessments have been completed. Students will revise Section A topics such as health and safety, diet, skill and choreography. | Students sitting GCSE exams. |
Theory
| Half Term 1 | Half Term 2 | Half Term 3 | Half Term 4 | Half Term 5 | Half Term 6 |
Revision of Section A and professional works studied in Year 10. Recap of Emancipation of Expressionism and finish analysis not completed in Year 10. Analysis of Within Her Eye looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes, costume, set, lighting, movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. | Finish Within Her Eyes analysis. Mock exam Start analysis of Infra looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes and physical setting. | Analysis of Infra looking at movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. Start analysis of Artificial Things looking at structure, key facts, choreographic processes and physical setting. | Theory test in assessment week. Finish analysis of Artificial Things looking at movement material and accompaniment. Application of this understanding to exam questions. | Revision of Section B and C by going over the application of practical work to the theory exam, set work exam questions and 6 and 12 mark answers. | Students sitting GCSE exams. |
Find out more
If you would like more information about our curriculum, please contact the school using the details on our contact page.
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