Introduction
Dance is well-established within the curriculum at Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College and is a vibrant, ever-changing subject, which enables our students to develop their communication, problem-solving and confidence, as well as maturing their memory, creativity and initiative.
Dance is taught at both Key Stage 3 and 4 at Abbs Cross Academy. It is within the Performing Arts faculty and increases students’ knowledge of physical, technical and expressive skills, through practical activity.
GENERAL OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES OF DANCE
- Promotion of fitness, healthy lifestyle, teamwork and creativity
- Develops independent learning
- Allows for critical and reflective thinking
- Matures students’ understanding of a range of dance styles through performance, creation and appreciation
- Advances physical, technical and expressive skills, which you are able to communicate choreographic intention and individuality as a performer
WE EXPECT
- All students to participate to the best of their ability, focusing on improvement in movement memory through rehearsal and performance tasks
- All students to comply with changing expectations, both male and female, getting changed into their dance kit, in less than 7 minutes
- All students to wear the Abbs Cross Academy green polo shirt, with Abbs Cross Academy black shorts
- All students to tie up their hair
- All students to rehearse and perform bare foot
- If a non-participant, students should bring in a note that is dated and signed by a parent/carer/ guardian.
- All non-participants are expected to bring in their kit and will complete a non-participant worksheet.
In KS3, students are enriched with multiple genres of dance, where they can increase their physical and mental skills, enhancing teamwork, communication skills and practical ability.
Students are able to observe professional works and peers, to aspire and encourage further improvements in performances.
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Year 7
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Year 8
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Year 9
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Autumn
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An Introduction to Dance:
5 Basic Body Actions
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Dance For Film:
Iconic Music
and Dance
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Dance Genres:
Evolution of Dance
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Dance For Musicals:
Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory
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Spring
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Sports Dance:
Physical Skills
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Dance For Musicals:
Matilda and Aladdin
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World Dance:
Samba
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Creating A Dance:
Action and Space
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Summer
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Dance For Musicals:
The Greatest
Showman
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World Dance:
Bollywood
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Dance Genre:
Hip Hop
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Dance Genre:
Street Jazz
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GCSE Dance helps students to develop technical and expressive skills as well as knowledge and understanding of dance through performance, choreography and critical appreciation.
The course combines practical and written skills with a focus on choreography and performance, as well as analysis and criticism of dance.
The subject content details the knowledge, understanding and skills that students are expected to learn during the course of study. This is set out below in three core areas of dance: performance, choreography and appreciation.
- Component 1A: Performance - Students must develop and apply the following knowledge, understanding and skills to perform dance as a soloist for approximately one minute and in a duet/trio for a minimum of three minutes.
- Component 1B: Choreography - Students must learn how to respond creatively to an externally set stimulus, to choreograph their own complete dance. The dance created must be either: • a solo dance of a minimum of two minutes and a maximum of two and a half minutes or • a group dance of a minimum of three minutes and a maximum of three and a half minutes for two to five dancers.
- Component 2: Dance Appreciation - Through written communication and use of appropriate terminology, students must be able to critically analyse, interpret and evaluate their own work in performance and choreography and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of professional practice in the six set works in the GCSE Dance Anthology. This is the end of year 11 written exam.
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Year 10
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Year 11
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Autumn
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Practical:
Physical, Technical and Expressive Skills
Set Phrases
Anthology 1: Shadows; Christopher Bruce
Anthology 2: EOE; Kendrick H2O Sandy
Theory:
Dance Appreciation – The Background Knowledge
Anthology 1: Shadows; Production Aspects
Anthology 2: EOE; Production Aspects
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Practical:
Group Choreography
Theory:
Anthology 5: Within Her Eyes; James Cousins
Anthology 6: Infra; Wayne McGregor
Exam style questions and revision
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Spring
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Practical:
Choreography From A Stimulus
Choreographic Process
Duo/ Trio Performance
Theory:
Anthology 3: ALC; Production Aspects
Anthology 4: Artificial Things; Production Aspects
Dance Appreciation topics and revision
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Practical:
Performance: Set Phrases
Performance: Duo/Trio Performance
Choreography
Theory:
Anthology revision
Exam style questions and revision
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Summer
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Practical:
Duo/ Trio Performance
Anthology 4: Artificial Things; Lucy Bennett
Working From A Stimulus
Theory:
Section B – Personal Experiences
Section A – Holistic Choreography
Section C – The Anthologies
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Practical:
None
Theory:
Anthology revision
Exam style questions and revision
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Future careers after GCSE Dance:
- Arts Administrator
- Community Arts Worker
- Dance Psychotherapist
- Events Manager
- Professional Dancer
- Teacher
Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 100% grades 9-4.
Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 85.7% grades 9-4.
The Dance Studio is open multiple times a week for clubs, studies, interventions and additional rehearsals. There is a termly timetable for morning and lunchtime spaces, which students can use to either rehearse for a piece of class work, school performances or an outside school event.
The Dance Department offer a variety of dance clubs and companies:
Yr7 Dance Club
This exciting club runs across the academic year. Students work on hip-hop and lyrical pieces, building on their movement memory and timing within an ensemble. Students work towards performances for the Winter and Summer Showcase and year group assemblies.
Yr8 Dance Club
This dance club looks at musicals and hip hop, focusing on performance skills such as facial expression and projection, as well as developing confidence in technique. The club starts in the Autumn term, allowing for 15 weeks of technique and performance skills. Students work towards performances for the Winter and Summer Showcase and year group assemblies.
Yr9 Dance Studies
This extracurricular focuses on skills needed for GCSE Dance, focusing on physical, technical and expressive skills across two genres of dance; contemporary and hip hop. Students continue to grow in mental skills, such as confidence, concentration and commitment and on occasions, branch off into solo performances. Students work towards performances for the Winter and Summer Showcase, Yr6 Induction showcase and year group assemblies.
AX Dance Company
The Dance Company was founded in 2003. Year 10 and 11 students audition for their place in the company and compete in multiple external competitions, performances and internal events throughout the academic year. The company rehearse once a week before/after school.
KS4 Intervention
The sessions run in the morning and at lunchtime to allow Year 10 and 11 GCSE Dance students to rehearse and refine performance and choreography units, ready for examinations and internal events including Winter and Summer showcases, the Evening of Dance and year group assemblies.
