Dance

Quotes

‘Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body’
Martha Graham

‘Great Dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.’
Martha Graham

‘Dance is music made visible.’
George Balanchine

Purpose

Dance serves as a vital component of a well-rounded curriculum, fostering students’ physical, creative, and social development. Through dance, students learn to express ideas, emotions, and cultural perspectives using movement, enhancing their confidence and communication skills. It promotes physical fitness, coordination, and body awareness while encouraging collaboration, discipline, and resilience. Dance also nurtures creativity and critical thinking by inviting students to explore choreographic processes, interpret themes, and respond to a variety of artistic stimuli. It also gives students the opportunity to develop a variety of transferable skills which support all subjects such as how to identify, describe, explain, evaluate, analyse and appreciate. Ultimately, the purpose of dance in the curriculum is to support holistic growth, celebrate diversity, and provide meaningful opportunities for students to connect with themselves, others, and the wider world.

Curriculum

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 Features and Summary

Dance is delivered in KS3 as a part of the PE curriculum. It is delivered via cross-curricula themes that can help students not only learn the key skills in Dance, but also support what they may be learning in other subject areas.

Key Dance skills

Choreography
Performance
Analysis
Evaluation
Group work

Topics of study are as follows:

Year 7 – The Sea, Tetris.
Year 8 – Capoeira, Contemporary.

Year 9 – Street Dance/ set repertoire.

KS3 Curriculum Map & Knowledge Organisers

Knowledge organisers for each year group covering all skills are saved in the SSA.

RMA Knowledge Organiser – Year 7 Dance
RMA Knowledge Organiser – Year 8 Capoeira
RMA Knowledge Organiser – Year 8 Contemporary
RMA Knowledge Organiser – Year 9 Street

Key Stage 4

Key Stage 4 Features and Summary

BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts Level 1/ Level 2, specialising in Dance, is designed to develop a broad range of skills, techniques, personal qualities and attitudes essential for a successful working life in the dance industry. Students will be required to learn professional dance repertoire, study three set professional works and create their own choreography.

There are three components within the course, where students will build up a portfolio of evidence:

Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts

This is externally assessed and worth 30% of the final grade. Component 1 is theory and writing based.

Throughout the Component learners will develop their understanding of the Performing Arts by examining and analysing practitioner’s’ work and the processes used to create performances. The set works will cover a variety of styles and genres and learners will be required to compare and contrast the constituent features.

Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts

This is also externally assessed and worth 30% of the final grade. This component is practically based, and learners will develop their performing arts skills and techniques through the accurate replication of professional set work. The set work is selected each year based upon a stimulus set by the exam board.

Component 3: Performing to a Brief

This is externally assessed and is worth 40% of the final grade.

This external component builds on knowledge, understanding and skills acquired and developed in Components 1 and 2. Learners will apply their skills and techniques creatively to a workshop performance for a selected audience. They will capture their ideas on planning, development and effectiveness of the performance process in a written log and an evaluation report.

A task worth 60 marks is completed under supervised conditions. The supervised assessment period is a maximum of three hours.

For assessment, learners are given a brief and stimulus to create performance material. In groups consisting of a minimum of three and a maximum of seven members, learners respond to the stimulus and create a workshop performance that communicates ideas and creative intentions to a target audience of their choice.