Dance
Subject Leader: Miss A White
Subject Leader Email Address: alice.white@swale.at
When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.
WAYNE DYER
Subject overview
Dance at TSS is studied within the PE curriculum at Key Stage 3 and as an option at Key Stages 4 and 5. An extensive extracurricular programme is available to all students throughout their time at the school.
Miss White, Miss Newbury, and selected sixth-form students lead extracurricular activities both during the school dance and after school. Year 7 has its own club, and from Year 8, we have mixed year-group dance companies, which enable students to work with and learn from one another. Dance styles range from contemporary and lyrical to street and musical theatre, so there is something for everyone. The focus of the groups is for students to have fun and challenge themselves.
Through our dance shows, assemblies, and Swale Academies Trust events, students have opportunities to develop their performance skills and demonstrate the hard work they have put into lessons and extracurricular activities. Students are also given opportunities to attend professional workshops within the school and live performances at local and West End theatres.
Alongside dance-specific study, dance also develops a range of personal and life skills which will support students in further education and future employment, whether in the performing arts industry or something completely different. Students develop skills such as confidence, organisation, communication, creativity, teamwork and leadership while developing their sense of responsibility and empathy.
Year 7
Dance unit within PE
Year 7 students will explore the use of themes to create a unique performance based on the idea of spies. They will participate in guided tasks to learn how to communicate this theme using actions and dynamics. Students will work creatively in groups to understand and apply key dance skills such as accuracy and movement memory.
Enquiry Questions:
By the end of the unit, your child should be able to answer the following enquiry question(s):
How can you use dance to communicate a theme?
Year 8
Dance unit within PE
Students will be challenged to expand their creative skills as they explore different ways to utilise space to communicate ideas about friendships and add interest to their dances. They will also develop their analytical skills to give constructive feedback and improve their own work.
Enquiry Questions:
By the end of the unit, your child should be able to answer the following enquiry question(s):
How can I use space to enhance my performance?
Year 9
Dance unit within PE
In year 9, students will build on all previous learning to develop a street dance performance, focusing on the key features of the style. Students will explore and apply context, using key issues to inspire their performance.
Enquiry Questions:
By the end of the unit, your child should be able to answer the following enquiry question(s):
What makes a good street dance performance?
Year 10
During the first year of the BTEC Tech Award Performing Arts course, students will build on their learning from Key Stage 3 lessons to develop their technical dance skills through classes and workshops in various dance styles. Students will also gain knowledge and appreciation of the features of a dance and have the opportunity to develop their creativity and choreographic skills by producing their own work. Around two-thirds of the course is delivered practically, offering students a chance to be active, creative and move around, which many appreciate as a welcome balance with other subjects.
The BTEC course has three components, and Year 10 will focus on Component 1. Within this component, students will develop their understanding of the performing arts by studying various professional dance works, from hip-hop to musical theatre and contemporary. Students will gain insight into how and why different productions are created, the people involved, their specific skills and responsibilities, and the steps that those people take to arrive at a final performance. This will be studied in various ways, including theory lessons, practical technique classes and workshops where students will be able to experience what it would be like to be a dancer in various productions.
Term 1:
What skills do I need as a dancer? What are the main components of dance?
Terms 2 and 3:
How do professional choreographers create their dances?
Term 4:
How do professional choreographers create a dance in response to a theme?
Terms 5:
How do I improve my dance skills? How can I create movement?
Terms 6:
How can I respond to a brief to create my own dance?
Year 11
In Year 11, students will build on and apply their knowledge and experience gained in Year 10 to complete Components 2 and 3 of the BTEC course.
In Component 2, students will evaluate and analyse their abilities to improve their dance skills. They will participate in technique classes and the rehearsal and performance of a piece of professional dance, which is selected to challenge and develop the group's skills and interests. Students will develop analytical and reflective skills to identify their strengths and weaknesses, improve individually, and reach their full potential.
For the final component, students will draw on everything they have learnt, from the varied approaches to choreography and the ability to be self-critical to the technical and performance skills required to bring a dance to life. Working independently from their teacher, students will collaborate in small groups to respond to a task set by the exam board and create an extended dance piece. The two-year course culminates in a final performance of these dance works in a celebratory dance showcase with friends and family.
Following this course, many students choose to continue their dance studies at TSS sixth form or dance colleges. Students who do not continue their dance studies academically often pursue dance through extracurricular routes and frequently comment on how dance has helped them gain confidence and other life skills, which they take with them into their further education and employment.
Terms 1 and 2:
How do dancers improve their technical and performance skills in class?
How do dancers improve their technical and performance skills in rehearsal?
How do performers prepare for a performance?
Term 3:
How can you make a dance more complex and interesting to watch?
Terms 4 and 5:
How can you communicate a theme or idea to an audience?
Sixth Form
At TSS sixth form, students study the BTEC National Performing Arts course (with a dance approach). This course aims to provide students with a practical and theoretical understanding of professional performance and the working environment. Students can improve their skills and knowledge in various styles, including contemporary and jazz. They will study a range of choreographers and dance works across the course. This will develop their understanding of the context behind performances, key practitioners and the development of dance over time. Many of the projects undertaken will enable students to work together to apply their learning and create and develop performance material. To support students’ growth as performers, we provide opportunities to see live dance performances by renowned dance companies and master classes offered by visiting professionals.
The course allows students to gain an understanding of career progressions and the life of a dancer. It also allows them to focus on the essential techniques and disciplines needed to prepare them for work in a variety of roles in the performing arts industry, for example, on stage, in television, or as teachers. It will also help students develop a range of analytical, creative thinking, evaluative, and life skills to assist them in whichever path they choose in the future.
Year 12 and 13 students are taught together on a rolling timetable.
Year A - Unit 1 (Investigating Practitioners’ Work) and Unit 2 (Developing Skills and Techniques for Live Performance)
Term 1:
Unit 1 - How are features of performance and production used to communicate meaning and style in professional works?
Unit 2 - How can I develop my skills and techniques?
Term 2:
Unit 1 - What are the contextual factors that influenced practitioners' work?
Unit 2 - How can I develop my skills and techniques for live performance?
Term 3:
Unit 1 - How do I critically analyse the work of dance practitioners?
Unit 2 - How can I apply skills and techniques for live performance?
Term 4:
Unit 1 - How do I present effective conclusions and independent judgements?
Unit 2 - What are the roles and skills of a performer? How can I develop my skills and techniques?
Term 5:
Unit 1 - How do I present effective conclusions and independent judgements? (Exam preparation and exam).
Year B - Unit 12 (Contemporary Dance Techniques) and Unit 3 (Group Performance Workshop)
Term 1:
Unit 12 - What are my strengths and weaknesses, and how can I develop my weaknesses?
Term 2:
Unit 12 - How can I apply my skills in performance?
Term 3:
Unit 12 - How can I apply my skills in performance?
Unit 3 - How can I respond to a stimulus?
Term 4 and 5:
Unit 3 - How can I respond to a stimulus? How can I apply my skills to choreography and performance?