'Dance can speed up your heart rate, it can enliven your being, it can change your life'
Richard Alston CBE
Accommodation
Dance takes place in the specially designed Dance Studio with adjoining changing rooms and two single sex toilets. A room inside the studio acts as Dance Office and houses computer with Internet access and printer.The dance space has a wooden sprung floor, high ceiling, excellent ventilation and good light. There is a full wall mirror and excellent sound system incorporating MD, CD and Ipod facilities. A white board, wall mounted projector and TV/Video/DVD are also situated in one corner.At present, the walls enhance the students’ learning by incorporating visual literacy and student assessment grids. This allows pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and reaffirm their everyday use of technical vocabulary.
Clothing
Students must wear appropriate clothing to dance. (KS3)
Tracksuit bottoms, shorts
Plain T-shirt, sweater, sports shirt
Bare feet or appropriate shoes for the style being taught
(This also applies to GCSE and A-Level, however, all clothing must be black, white or grey to uphold the uniformity of the course and demonstrate professionalism within the classroom)
Clubs:
After school clubs run once a week, from January
JUNIOR CLUB
(Years 7 and 8)
Lunchtime : 45 mins
INTERMEDIATE CLUB
(Years 9 and 10)
Lunchtime: 45 mins
SENIOR CLUB
(Years 11,12 and 13)
After college : 60 mins
BOYS CLUB
(All years welcome)
Lunchtime : 45 mins
COMPANY CLASS
(By audition only)
After college: 90 mins
All club work is included in the Summer Dance show.
We also encourage an annual, local, theatre trip for anyone, staff and students, to experience a live performance.
Over the past 3 years we have set up Inter-Form Dance Competitions for Years 7,8 and 9 to great effect. The participants perform to a small audience of staff and all receive commendation cards for participation. There are bronze, silver and gold awards to each year group and further to that, the winners’ dances are included in the Summer Dance show.
REBOUND are the dance company founded in-house. In 2012 we expanded from one class a week, to a Junior and Senior company rehearsing over two evenings after college. Entry into REBOUND is by audition only and the company rehearse once a week in order to compete in local and national competitions. From September 2012 students will be working towards a December variety performance at 'Her Majesties Theatre' in London in association with 'Mardi Gras' productions.
Curriculum Overview
Opportunities for students to learn to:
Create and perform dances using a range of complex movement patterns and techniques
Use a range of dance styles and forms Use compositional principles when composing their dances. (E.g. Motif development, awareness of group relationships, spatial awareness)
Apply performance skills in their dances (e.g. Focus, projection, timing and musicality)
For all students to extend their dance experience through dance clubs, workshops and theatre visits
For students to develop dance skills at GCSE and Post-16 levels
KS3 Overview
UNIT 1
UNIT 2
UNIT 3
YEAR 7
PERFORMANCE
To introduce students to the basic skills and techniques which are the foundation for creative movement
COMPOSITION
To experiment with different methods of creating sequences of movement using CHANCE DANCE
EVALUATION
To experiment with different methods of creating sequences of movement using STIMULUS DANCE
YEAR 8
PERFORMANCE
To allow pupils the opportunity to explore working with and appreciating styles of dance including street and contemporary
COMPOSITION
To allow pupils the opportunity to explore working with the stimulus URBAN DANCE in a group exercise, focusing mainly, on the use of relationships.
EVALUATION
To experiment and develop upon communication of characters and emotions using the stimulus COPS AND ROBBERS
YEAR 9
PERFORMANCE
To allow pupils the opportunity to explore working with and appreciating styles of dance including hip-hop and physical theatre
COMPOSITION
To experiment with narrative dance and the expression of emotions using the poem ‘My Name is Cocaine’ as a stimulus
EVALUATION
To experiment and develop upon communication of DANCE FOR THE CAMERA Work
Each unit covers a half term period, with a single lesson per week. At half term the group switches to Drama.
Delivery of the lessons takes the format of lesson objective, discussion
warm-up, recap/input of relevant actions
a main activity
a development
a cool-down
a plenary.
Towards the end of a unit lessons adapt to provide more time to refine and then perform work in order to assess performance.
Key Stage 4
COURSE: GCSE Dance
EXAMINATION BOARD: AQA
All units are structured to meet the requirements of the GCSE Dance course set out by the AQA.
Assessment in dance in Key Stage 4 works towards the completion of compulsory coursework elements. The first 3 terms of practical work in Year 10 allow pupils to experiment with the 3 coursework elements which will need to be submitted for their final marks. During the final 3 terms, pupils will need to complete these elements in a controlled situation and their final marks will count towards their overall coursework grade.
The theory lessons will give pupils the opportunity to extend their learning through appreciation and evaluation of both professional dance works, and their own, and each term will finish with a mini-assessment which will monitor their learning and track their progress.
Over the duration of the two year course, each year group is assessed against specific criteria, giving an overall National Curriculum level ranging from A*-U. The aims of assessment in the department are to:
Understand and monitor the students’ strengths and achievements
Identify individual or group weaknesses and difficulties
Monitor and adapt learning situations to benefit individual and group attainment
Give feedback to parents/students and other staff on progress and ability
Teacher Assessment
Theory:
Each term will have a specific focus which pupils will study by means of visual appreciation and completion of tasks in their specially designed ‘task books’. At the end of each term, pupils will complete a mini-assessment to help record their attainment, and allow the teacher to identify gaps in their subject knowledge.
Practical:
As with the theory, each term will have a specific focus and pupils will have three opportunities to complete the required coursework elements at various points throughout the year. These elements (set out by the AQA) are recorded as evidence and marked during a controlled assessment by the teacher. These marks are then externally moderated to ensure that consistency is maintained.
Student Assessment
Students are encouraged to verbally feedback to their peers, whilst providing constructive comments and exploring peer assessment as much as possible. Individual targets grades and attainment grades are given to students at the start of each term and pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning by monitoring these attainment grades which are reviewed every term.
Dance takes place in the specially designed Dance Studio with adjoining changing rooms and two single sex toilets. A room inside the studio acts as Dance Office and houses computer with Internet access and printer.The dance space has a wooden sprung floor, high ceiling, excellent ventilation and good light. There is a full wall mirror and excellent sound system incorporating MD, CD and Ipod facilities. A white board, wall mounted projector and TV/Video/DVD are also situated in one corner.At present, the walls enhance the students’ learning by incorporating visual literacy and student assessment grids. This allows pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and reaffirm their everyday use of technical vocabulary.