Throughout Key Stage 3 Dance is taught on a rotational system with Drama and is delivered by a Dance specialist or PE staff. All lessons are practical and include choreography, performance and appreciation based on a range of stimuli. Throughout their time in Dance they will work in pairs and small groups and develop skills and personal attributes such as creativity, problem solving, team work, communication, confidence, time management, independence, cooperation and leadership. Students are required to wear full PE kit, tie hair up, dance in bare feet and remove all jewellery.
In years 10 and 11 students will study BTEC Level 2 First Award in Dance, taught by a Dance specialist. This course is the equivalent of one GCSE.
BTEC Level 2 First Award: Dance
This course allows students to develop their dance ability in a variety of styles and techniques and places students in a vocational, true to life scenario to help prepare and equip them for a career in Dance. Students will learn, choreograph and perform to audiences throughout the course. They develop their technical and interpretive skills through various methods of self and peer assessment. The course encourages students to work together as a Dance Company preparing work for performance, collaborating with other dancers, teachers and professionals and refine their application, audition and interview skills.
Unit 1: Individual Showcase
Externally assessed
Students must prepare a choreography lasting between 1 – 1 and a half minutes and a letter of application in response to a scenario provided by the exam board.
Unit 2: Preparation, Performance and Production
Internally assessed
Students will work together as a Dance Company to research a particular style of theme in which to choreograph, perform and evaluate a 20 minute piece. This includes researching the dance style/theme, social/historical/cultural context, performance space, health and safety, costume, lighting and props.
Unit 4: Dance Skills
Internally assessed
Students will explore two different styles of dance in which they will develop their technical and interpretive skills through practical and theory lessons, culminating in students creating and evaluating dance in their chosen style.
In years 12 and 13 students will study BTEC Level 3 National Certificate/Subsidiary Diploma in Dance, taught by a Dance specialist. This course is the equivalent of one AS or one A Level.
BTEC Level 3 National Certificate/Subsidiary Diploma: Dance
The level 3 course is the natural progression from the Level 2 in which students will use and build upon their existing knowledge. Students will continue to study various styles of dance as well as focussing on choreographic and performance skills in greater depth.
BTEC Level 3 National Certificate: Dance (Year 12)
Unit 45: Developing Contemporary Dance Technique
Students will explore and perform different styles of Contemporary Dance and partake in workshops lead by staff and professional dance artists. They will work on their physical and interpretive skills, show a disciplined approach towards practical classes and evaluate their strengths and areas for improvement.
Unit 39: Choreographic Principles
Students will experiment choreographing dance based on a range of stimuli such as a piece of text, a piece of music, prop, visual image, theme or idea. This will culminate in students selecting a final stimulus to create a group dance upon, performed to a live audience.
Unit 38: Dance Performance
This unit underlies the previous two units studied and pays particular focus on student’s performance skills. Students will regularly develop and evaluate these skills through performance, peer and self assessment throughout the year.
BTEC Level 3 National Subsidiary Diploma (Year 13)
Unit 40: Choreographing Dance
This unit progresses naturally from Unit 39 in which students will apply their choreographic skills to create dance in the style of a chosen choreographer from a prescribed list. Students will be working together as a Dance Company to create their dance lasting between 3 – 3 and a half minutes.
Unit 47: Jazz Dance
Students will explore different styles of Jazz Dance from traditional, Fosse and Street. They will work with professional dance artists, learn set exercises and routines and develop their own Jazz Dance choreography.
Unit 7: Performing to an Audience
Students will work towards presenting a dance to a live audience. Working collaboratively as a Dance Company they will research a particular style/theme/choreographer and make decisions on music, costume, lighting, performance space, health and safety and props.
At St Ivo School we are proud of our past students achievements, some of whom have gone on to study Dance at Body Work Dance Studios and Stage Works. Some students have also auditioned for the Centre of Advanced Training, a nationwide scheme for talented young dancers. By studying BTEC Level 3 Dance you will gain UCAS points to help you gain entry into University. There are many Dance Degree courses around the country which can also be combined with our subjects.
The skills and experience gained from studying Dance can lead into careers such as a performer, teacher, choreographer, stage manager, dance critic/journalist, physiotherapist and dance for film creator/director, dance administration for a professional dance company or a community dance practitioner.