Dance

We provide an enjoyable, inspiring and challenging curriculum, which we believe significantly contributes towards the emotional, spiritual and physical development of each student. We hope that our students will gain the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to appreciate dance as choreographers, performers and audiences.

Teaching and Learning

Dance is an area of activity within the Physical Education National Curriculum. Students undertake one lesson of Dance per two-weeks in Years 7, 8 and 9. GCSE Dance students are taught for 5 hours across the two-week timetable and A Level students are taught for 7 hours over the two-week timetable. All students fulfil the National Curriculum requirements as laid down in the Programme of Study.

Year 7

Terms 1 and 2: Choreography
Students learn the skills required to choreograph dance. Work is primarily undertaken in small groups, and students will be introduced to professional dance pieces in order to develop their dance vocabulary.
Terms 3 and 4: Performance
Students will learn the elements required to become a successful performer. Professional works will again be studied to aid understanding and students will learn a Set Dance that will be performed in assemblies and at the annual “Evening of Dance” in the Spring.
Terms 5 and 6: Choreography, Performance, Appreciation
Students will create a dance piece to be performed as a final assessment. Using the knowledge and skills developed throughout the year, they will select appropriate music and costume in order to present a high quality performance piece.

Year 8

Terms 1 and 2: Style
Students will experience a range of dance styles and study a range of professional Choreographers in order to develop their dance technique and the quality of their performance. The styles include Contemporary Dance, Street Dance, Break Dance, Ballet , Disco, Latin, Irish and Capoeira. The Choreographers include Richard Alston, Russell Maliphant, Christopher Bruce and Alvin Ailey.
Terms 3 and 4: Action and Reaction
Students will use the skills learnt from the Styles of Dance unit to create a whole class dance performance. All students will be encouraged to perform as a whole year group in assembly and will be given the opportunity to perform at the annual “Evening of Dance”. Gifted and Talented students will be selected to perform at the Dance Umbrella.
Terms 5 and 6: The Performer and the Audience
Students will select and structure movement material in relation to specific ideas, with particular consideration of the audience to whom they will perform.

Year 9

Terms 1 and 2: Various Stimuli
Students will use a range of pictures, text and props as a stimulus from which they can create dance.
Terms 3 and 4: World Dance
Students will learn dance styles from around the world, including African, Indian, The Haka and English. Students will have the opportunity to perform these in the annual “Evening of Dance”.
Terms 5 and 6: Style and Genre
This module looks at the style and genre of dance from an audience perspective. Focus will be on Narrative, Physical, Comic and Abstract and students will use video extracts of professional works to aid understanding, appraisal and appropriate execution of the chosen style.

GCSE Dance

• Component 1 Performance and Choreography 60%
Assessment of solo or group choreography and two performance pieces: a solo performance of two set phrases and a Performance in a Duo/Trio

• Component 2 Dance Appreciation 40%
Written paper assessing and evaluating the critical appreciation of students’ own work and that of 6 professional works that form the Dance Anthology. Knowledge and understanding gained practically throughout the course about the choreographic processes and performance skills will also be assessed within the paper.

Students undertake a range of modules and activities to aid the development of choreography, performance and appreciation. They are required to study 6 professional works that form a Dance Anthology- professional dance pieces on which they will be questioned in the Written Exam Paper. They will also learn 4 Set Phrases which will be used to assess the solo performance and as a stimulus for the Performance in a Duo/Trio.

AS and A Level Dance

AS Dance – 1 year course
Component 1 will cover practical elements of the assessment:
• The process of solo choreography
• Physical and interpretative skills in relation to performing the solo choreography
• Performance skills within a duo/trio.
Component 2 will cover theoretical aspects of the specification through a Written Examination Paper:
• Knowledge and understanding of two areas of study including “Rooster” by Christopher Bruce ad the study of a range of choreographers who currently contribute to the Modern and Contemporary Dance scene, including; Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jasmine Vardimon.

A Level Dance – 2 year course
Component 1 will cover practical elements of assessment:
• Solo performance linked to a specified practitioner within an area of study
• Performance in a quartet
• Group choreography.

Component 2 will cover:
Knowledge, understanding and critical appreciation of two set works.
• One compulsory set work within the compulsory area of study
• One optional set work within the corresponding area of study, from a choice of four.
Students achieve high results at both AS and A Level Dance with many exceeding their target grades. Many students continue their study of dance at Higher Education.

Extra-Curricular

Oldfield School hosts a wide range of extra-curricular dance activities:
• Signature Dance Group – Signature Dance Group is the school dance company. Students from all years can be involved and each year group rehearses during allocated lunchtimes throughout the year.
• Gifted and Talented – a weekly class for students who have been identified as being talented in either choreography, performance and/or the appreciation of dance. Students will be given the opportunity to work with a range of professional dancers and dance companies throughout the year and to also lead a range of workshops within the local community. The weekly workshop aims to help students further their skills in all areas of dance, challenging and motivating them further to reach their highest potential.
• Choreography Lab – an open studio session for any dancer wishing to use the studio space. This can be used to rehearse class work and assessment pieces, to rehearse examination work for GCSE and A Level Dance students or for the creation of pieces to be used for forthcoming performances such as the annual Evening of Dance or the House Dance Competition.
• Contemporary Technique Class – this is aimed at KS4 and KS5 students who wish to improve their dance technique, whether for GCSE or A Level Dance, or just simply as a means of enjoyment and exercise.

Performance Opportunities

Oldfield School holds a number of opportunities and events where students can perform their dance work.
• Evening of Dance – this huge event is held in the Spring and students from all years perform work created both in lessons and during extracurricular clubs. The event has seen over one hundred students get involved and show their love of dance at this enjoyable evening.
• House Dance Competition – a new and exciting event on the calendar to be held in November 2017. Watch students from each House battle it out to win the coveted trophy. Watch this space for further information.
• Performing Arts Celebration Evening- an opportunity to showcase the work of students created in lessons and in extra curricular clubs and celebrate the achievements of the most talented of our dancers, choreographers and performers.
• Assemblies – all students are given the opportunity to share work with their peers through performing in assemblies and House Meetings throughout the year.