Dance
Head of Dance
Mrs R Thomas
Head of Dance
rthomas@commonweal.co.uk
Overview
Dance gives you a chance to explore your creativity and artistic expression. It helps to develop confidence, communication skills, determination, organisation skills and physical fitness, all of which are essential skills both in life and the work place. The courses we offer also serve as an introduction to studying and training in dance
We focus on the aesthetic and artistic qualities of dance and the use of dance movement as a medium of expression and communication through Performance, Choreography and Appreciation
Tops Tips to do well in Dance
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Enjoy the subject.
People who enjoy Dance do not think of it as a chore, they prepare for the exam and work hard because they have a passion for it.
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Come to clubs and practice skills learned outside the classroom.
Make use of; the space at lunch times and performance opportunities we offer here.
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Watch live performances.
This will allow you to deepen your understanding performance skills and widen your understanding of Dance Appreciation.
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PEE through your work.
PEE stands for point, evidence, explain. When you are answering questions about a range of Dance works make sure you begin with a clear point, back up your point with evidence and explain what your point means.
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Go above and beyond.
The best students ask questions, complete all their work to a high standard and reach the extension tasks in class. They have made use of performance opportunities the school have provided and connected skills learned into their exam work.
The Curriculum
Year 10 & 11
The GCSE course is split into three sections:
Performance: Group and Solo performance
Choreography: Group Choreography
Appreciation: Analysis of six contrasting Dance works, Covering styles from Contemporary and Ballet to Hip Hop and Waacking.
See Options Booklet for more detail.
Independent learning
Students are expected and encouraged to become independent learners through Homework and creative tasks during lessons.
KS3 Homework: Students will be expected to organise rehearsal slots with their group in order to prepare for their final performance at the end of the unit.
KS4 Homework: Continued rehearsal of exam preparation, research tasks and project style homework’s are set during the two years.
During Lessons: Skills are taught and students must practice and continue to develop their own knowledge/ability of these skills through rehearsal, research, experimentation and improvisation.
Independent work is important in Dance as this is where the creativity happens, the best work isn’t created from books or copied from a set dance; it is from experimenting with the known and adapting it to become original and improvising with the familiar to create the unexpected.
Enrichment and trip possibilities
Clubs run during lunch times and after school. They will run at different points during the year, so keep an eye out for the following:
- Year 7 & 8 Dance Club
- Commonweal Dance Company
- KS4 & KS5 Rehearsal sessions
- Musical Rehearsals
We use the clubs listed above to prepare work for the following performances:
Evening of Entertainment, Evening of Broadway, Great Big Dance Off, Swindon Schools Platform and the school musical.
We also offer opportunities to watch a live Dance performance and run a trip to the London Dance Convention, Move It.
Teachers in the Faculty
- Mrs R Thomas
