Dance Programme of Study

Students should:

• Be taught how to develop and use appropriate methods of composition, styles and techniques to communicate meanings and ideas
• Be guided to create and perform short dances showing sensitivity to the style of accompaniment.
• Be taught to perform short dances showing an understanding of style.
• Be taught to support their own dance compositions with written and /or oral descriptions of their intentions and outcomes.
• Be taught to describe, analyse and interpret dances recognising stylistic differences, aspects of production and cultural/historical contexts.

Year 7 Unit of Work:

• Students focus on dance styles from different eras and cultures. They explore a range of dances using step and gesture patterns, body shapes, levels and contrasts in dynamic and rhythmic patterning. The learn more about dance style.
• The students learn and discover new routines in whole class and smaller group practices through exploring and communicating ideas and issues.

Learning Objectives:

• To select, combine and perform a range of movement patterns and dance ideas, using dance style and music from different eras and cultures.
• To select and develop a range of compositional principles of their own.
• Have knowledge and understanding of how to prepare for dance.
• To evaluate their own and others strengths and weaknesses in a performance and suggest areas for improvement.

Year 8 Unit of Work:

• Students explore different types of dance and focus specifically on developing their knowledge and understanding of composition.
• They develop their understanding of communicating the choreographic intention as performers and choreographers.

Learning Objectives:

• To improve the quality, consistency and the use of their skills.
• To create, develop and structure solo, duo and group themes in different types of dance.
• Communicate artistic intentions and focus on clarity of movement and spatial awareness.
• To recognise that different types of movement activity requires different types of fitness.

Year 9 Unit of Work:

Module 1 – Movement from Images

• Students develop and widen their own movement vocabulary, in response to a range of visual stimuli, building and developing their existing knowledge of dance from different eras and styles.
• Students understand and apply a wide range of choreographic techniques when creating and evaluating solo and duet compositions.
• Understand, apply and evaluate performance principles that lead to effective performance and successful communication of artistic intention.

Module 2 – Hip Hop

• This unit of work explores the different relationships between a group of dancers.
• The students study extract of professional dance works, from the genre of hip hop to observe and analyse the different choreographic approaches to quartets.
• The students develop short motifs using hip hop movement vocabulary (mostly popping and locking). These are shared and learnt by other students. Using a number of these motifs, students will choreograph quartets, sharing the role of choreographer with their peers.
• There is a strong focus on choreographic conventions of unison, canon, use of directions, facings and levels.
• The end of the module will include a sharing of the creative work, with a strong emphasis placed on performance skills and the evaluation and analysis of other students work.

Learning Objectives:

• To be able to appropriately select movement vocabulary and composition devices, including use of space, dynamics and motif manipulation in creating their own work.
• To be able to interpret, analyse and evaluate their work, the work of others and the work of professional companies.
• To be able to perform using performance principles to aid the quality of performance, including awareness of audience and use of focus.