Dance

"Dance is vital, an activity both exhilarating and liberating to watch or do. The instinct to dance is fundamentally joyous and no matter how hard you try you can’t get away from that for long. It can also be a huge force for good, effectively drawing people together and levelling everyone through sheer hard work. It can speed up your heart rate, it can enliven your being, it can change your life”.  Richard Alston  

About the Dance Department

Miss Bugby- Head of Dance
Mrs Cory- Dance Teacher

The aim of the Dance Department is to provide opportunities for all students to express their thoughts and ideas through dance. Developing their knowledge, skills, technique and understanding is essential to enable them to perform, choreograph and appreciate dance including an awareness of its artistic and social contexts. The department endeavours to develop life-skills and attributes including decision making, critical and creative thinking, aesthetic sensitivity and the ability to cooperate with others.

Arthur Mellows has two dance studios, one including mirrors, and changing room facilities.

Key Stage 3 Dance

Key Stage 3 dance is delivered to students in Years 7-9 over two lessons a cycle. Each unit introduces/ builds on the skills of performance, choreography and appreciation. Students use professional dance works, styles of dance and ideas of professional choreographers to create their own compositions, rehearse and present their work. Students understand and become confident in using dance specific terminology throughout the course.  

Dance Assessment

Assessment will be in various forms:

• Self, peer and teacher assessment using given criteria and student assessment sheets.
• Assessment of performance quality and choreographic ability.
• Responses to composing, performing and appreciating tasks.
• Verbal and written assessment.

Students have a practical assessment every half term in which they are given a level for effort and attainment. Students are given a level for their theory work once a term. These levels are recorded in their logbook.  Also students work will be assessed throughout each lesson through observation and monitoring of students during set tasks and verbal responses

Lunchtime sessions:

The dance studio P6, is open EVERY lunchtime for students to rehearse their practical work or get support with homework/classwork.

List of topics covered:

Extra-curricular opportunities:

GCSE Dance

The course aims to:

• develop understanding and appreciation of a range of dance styles
• develop aesthetic and artistic sensibility to dance works
• develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to perform, choreograph and appreciate dance including an awareness of its artistic contexts
• develop life-skills and attributes including decision making, critical and creative thinking, aesthetic sensitivity and the ability to co-operate with others.

Assessment

Written paper- 1hour
Critical Appreciation of Dance – (20%)

Students answer questions on 2 professional works by means of a one hour written paper.

Set Dance – (20%)

Students perform one solo dance of 1 - 1.5 minutes.

Performance in a Duo/Group Dance – (20%)

This is choreographed by the teacher and lasts between 3 - 3.5 minutes.

Choreography – (40%) - This is split into two sections consisting of Solo Composition Task – (15%) and Choreography – (25%)

For each task, students will choreograph a dance, the solo will be based on one of the prescribed professional works and will last for 1 - 1.5 minutes.  Whereas, the choreography may be a solo (1 - 1.5 minutes) or a group piece (2.5 - 3 minutes) and should be choreographed relating to a variety of stimuli

BTEC Dance

BTEC Level 2 First Performing Arts (Dance)

Course Outline
Learners will follow the BTEC Level 2 First in Performing Arts course for 6 lessons per cycle. Over a one year course, learners will be required to complete Assignments in the following:
 

Assessment

Each Unit will consist of a number of tasks.  As well as written assignments including creating a careers booklet, creating a personal development plan and target setting. They will develop their skills and technique as dancers and have performance opportunities to showcase different styles of dance including Jazz, Contemporary, Urban, Capoeira and Cunningham technique. Each assignment will be graded as one of:
    Below Pass
    Pass
    Merit
    Distinction

A Level Dance

A Level dance aims to develop knowledge and understanding in the following areas:
Performance skills and knowledge

• Physical performance skills (A.S.D.R)
• Expressive and interpretative skills
• Understanding of ways to improve performance skills
• Safe practice as a performer

Choreographic skills

• Stimuli
• Improvisation
• Accompaniment
• Types of dance
• Structuring a dance

Appreciation and analysis skills

• Knowledge of the skills required of a dancer, both technical and expressive
• Knowledge of the skills required of a choreographer
• Detailed knowledge of two set professional works

Unit 1- AS Level

Understanding Dance  40% of AS, 20% of A Level (60marks) 1.5 hours
Two sections:
A – structured questions (20 marks)
B – two essay questions (40 marks)  

Unit 2- AS Level

Choreography and Performance 60% of AS, 30% of A Level (90 marks)
Two sections:
A – solo choreography and performance (60 marks)
B – performance in a duo/trio (30 marks)  

Unit 3 (A2)

Dance Appreciation: Content and Context 25% of A Level (80marks)  1.5 hours
Two sections:
A – one question on chosen area of study (40 marks)
B – one question on set work studied (40 marks)

Unit 4 (A2)

Group Choreography and Solo Performance 25% of A Level (75 marks)
Two sections:
A – group choreography (45 marks)
B – solo performance (30 marks)

Extra-Curricular

- Variety of dance clubs for Years 7-9
- GCSE/A Level technique and choreography classes
- Gifted and Talented Dance Company
- Boys dance company
- Variety of dance shows and an achievement evening
- Dance Competitions including ‘AMVC’s  So You Think You Can Dance’