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Dance

Our Commitment

At Looe Community Academy we are committed to providing a quality dance education for all. We believe that dance can offer a unique opportunity to combine physical exercise with creativity, and it has many benefits for our young people. We are committed to providing a varied dance curriculum that is accessible to all, regardless of gender or ability.

Our Expectations

We have high expectations of our students, which is reflected in their zest for learning. We expect everybody to take an active part in lessons, and we also encourage student voice and student leadership.

Home Learning

In dance lessons at key stage 3, we have developed a work book which is used for recording both classwork and homework. This is a useful resource to enhance learning, and can be a way that parents/carers can track pupil progress as the dance teacher writes individual feedback in the booklet at least twice every half term. The dance attainment levels are also clearly written at the back of the dance work book to help with understanding how to progress further. At key stage 4, homework is set once a week, and tasks are designed to support students understanding of the subject.

Enrichment

There are many enrichment opportunities for our young people. We have many regular extra-curricular clubs which run, including Contemporary Dance Technique, Street Dance Club, and the Boys Dance group. Many of our clubs are run by students and ex-students, and we keep in close contact with many students who continue to pursue dance in Further and Higher education, and are working in the Arts industry. This experience enriches our students and serves as a good example of where the Arts can take you. In September 2014, we are launching ‘The Arts Forum’ which will be a student-led group who will help to influence and shape the Performing Arts provision at Looe Community Academy. Additional opportunities include annually attending the Callington Dance Festival, the Bodmin Dance Platform, and working closely with and supporting the Dance Schools in Looe, which include Sheila’s School of Dancing, Future Kids, and Jodie’s Dance School.

Our Achievements

We offer both GCSE Dance and BTEC Dance at KS4, and students receive excellent results in both. We have participated in both local and national dance competitions, winning the Rock Challenge South West in Bournemouth in 2006, and getting into the final of the UDO National High School Street Dance Championships in 2010.

Career Opportunities

The career opportunities in Dance are many and varied. In addition to being a performer, there are opportunities to train to work in Dance Therapy, Community Dance, Dance Administration, and
Choreography, just to mention a few. We have ex-students who are currently at the Brit School, working on cruise ships, dancing abroad, teaching at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, and working as choreographers for their own companies.

Year 7

Dance Overview: In Year 7 students are given an introduction to the basic foundations of dance such as actions, dynamics, space and relationships. They are taught the skills needed to begin composing and evaluating their own dances.

Key topics: the use of technology, the artist Kandinsky, World War II

Key skills:
* Linking together actions, gestures and movement ideas
* Creating dances with a beginning, middle and end
* Copying simple sequences and performing them with control and co-ordination
* Talking about your own work and others
* Being able to suggest improvements and show improvement through rehearsal
* Exploring movement ideas in small groups and selecting actions appropriate to the focus of the dance
* Being able to dance to a specified rhythm and reflect dynamic changes
* Using peer, self and teacher feedback as a positive tool for improvement

Year 8

Dance Overview: In Year 8, students build on the basic skills already learnt and begin using their knowledge of actions, dynamics, space and relationships to compose and perform more in-depth dances.

Key topics: the dance style of Contact Improvisation, the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, the culture and customs of Aboriginal Australia, the Maori tradition of the Haka.

Key skills:
* Learning about different cultures through both practical and written work
* Being able to understand how to use space, repetition, shape and rhythm in compositions
* Performing with precision, control, accuracy and fluency
* Being able to communicate a particular intention through performance
* Using simple dance language when evaluating your own and others work

Year 9

Dance Overview: In Year 9, students work on improving their dance technique further, and in addition to group work, develop their ability to work on solo tasks.

Key topics: professional dance work ‘Swansong’ and related themes of bullying/oppression, working in a restricted space and exploring imprisonment, contemporary dance technique, physical theatre, and the issue of missing persons.

Key skills:
* Composing dances that show a clear intention
* Showing your understanding of movement phrases, structure and style
* Being consistent in showing a high level of control, accuracy and fluency
* Using focus effectively in performance
* Being able to express specific emotions and characteristics effectively
* Evaluating and improving performance through rehearsal
* Sustaining stylistic qualities

Years 10/11

Dance Overview: In Years 10/11, students can specialise in either GCSE Dance or BTEC Dance.

GCSE Dance: Students focus on refining and improving their dance technique. They are examined on their performing ability within two dances, which is worth 40% of the final grade. They also develop their composition skills further, choreographing two dances, which are worth 40% of the final grade. They study professional dances and learn other aspects of dance theory, including visiting the theatre, and participating in professional dance workshops . They are examined in a Written paper at the end of the course, which is worth 20%. 40% of the course is externally assessed, and 60% is assessed by the classroom teacher and a visiting external moderator.

Key topics: professional dance works, dance technique, choreography, dance theory

Key skills:
* Developing dance technique
* Improving both technical and expressive skills
* Being able to compose dances that show an understanding of motif and development, form and structure, and communicating artistic intention
* Analysing professional dance works
* Recording and reflecting the process of your own choreography

BTEC Dance: There are many performance opportunities and many opportunities for self-improvement, such as leadership of others (for example teaching primary school children). The course explores dance within the context of the performing arts industry, and units of study have vocational themes, such as forming a dance company, or organising an arts showcase. Two units are assessed by the classroom teacher and one unit is externally assessed.

Key topics: dance technique, dance styles, choreography, the performing arts industry, leadership

Key skills:
* Developing dance technique
* Improving both technical and expressive skills
* Being able to compose dances that show an understanding of motif and development, form and structure, and communicating artistic intention
* Working with others to complete practical and written tasks
* Evaluating your work in order to improve
* Organising events
* Developing communication skills, and ability to both lead others and to be led by others

Full Curriculum Statements can be downloaded below: