Dance

Key Stage 3

Dance is offered as an optional sport within PE lessons for Year 8 students. The students will explore different dance styles including jazz, musical theatre, hip-hop, commercial, contemporary and ballet, building their ability to utilise multiple different techniques. They will have opportunities to perform their work for audiences and build their performing and technical skills.

Students will also build their skills as choreographers and start learning how to create their own dances. This is vital in terms of developing creative thinking skills and self-expression, as well as ensuring that those who want to study dance post-key stage three are ready to start taking choreography tasks.

Key Stage 4

Dance GCSE offers students an opportunity to gain a qualification using their creative talents and explore different styles and skills within dance.

As Dance is not studied as a subject within school at KS3, it is very highly recommended that students are very confident with dance or have previous dance experience including attending dance classes outside of school. This, though not always essential, will ensure that students have a strong foundation on which to build on in order to ensure success on this challenging course.

On the Dance GCSE course, group work is essential and, therefore, students must demonstrate during KS3 that they are capable of working with their classmates in a mature, proactive and supportive manner.

The Dance GCSE course is split into 2 components:

Performance & Choreography (60%)

You will learn 2 set dances provided by the exam board and will also perform a duet/trio to be examined on your performance ability and technique. These two performances along with the supporting written work will make up 30% of the GCSE.

Within this component you will also be required to create a piece of your own original choreography as a solo or group dance. This, along with the supporting written evidence, will make up a further 30% of the GCSE.

Dance Appreciation (40%)

Throughout the course you will study 6 different professional dance works which you will analyse and evaluate in terms of movement, choreography and theatricality. Along with this, you will develop knowledge and understanding of choreographic processes and performing skills. Using this knowledge, students will complete a written exam at the end of the course which is 40% of the GCSE.

Lessons are a combination of practical and theory lessons which are designed to consolidate learning. Students should be independent and proactive. These are not just technique classes you will have at a dance class outside of school, but encourage learning of the whole curriculum including your choreographic and evaluative skills.

Finally, to add to our diverse and rich curriculum, we offer a variety of extra-curricular opportunities, including the whole school production in which everyone is welcome to get involved on or off stage. An annual Dance Showcase which gives students an opportunity to share their exam pieces and dance work from across the year. We have also set up KS3 Drama and Dance clubs which are very highly attended. Our students also perform in the summer and Christmas concerts as well as many local dance festivals. We know how valuable these extra-curricular experiences can be for our students and I know that many of the FCC students feel that the dance and drama department is their place in school to feel welcomed, supported, safe and free to express themselves while making new friends and learning new skills.