GCSE Dance
Year 9
Developing dance technique – alignment, core, safe practice, strength, elevation.
Basic components of dance – actions, space, dynamics, relationships
Compositions skills – motif and variation, styles, groups
Performance opportunities: Pre school event
Primary school workshop
Summer dance show at school – June 29th and 30th
SALT project – July?
Plough Arts Centre – July?
Dancer Leadership Award
Key works for study: Ghost Dances and Rooster chor. Christopher Bruce, Still-life at the Penguin Café
chor. David Bintley, Dance Tek Warrior chor Union Dance.
Year 10
Revision of the basic components
Study of set work 1 Nutcracker chor. Matthew Bourne – practical and theory
Study of set work 2 Swansong chor. Christopher Bruce
Developing composition skills, choreographic devices, dance forms
Group work – contact, lifts etc.
End of year 10 begin solo composition task
‘Mock’ group composition task
Learn phrases of set study
Year 11
Autumn term – complete solo composition task based on 3 given motifs and film
Learn set study
Begin performance in a group dance task
Spring term – Group composition task + refine solo, set study, perf in group
Easter – all practical work is completed and assessed
May – written paper
Prescribed Set works are currently:











And Who Shall Go To The Ball?, Rafael Bonachela, CandoCo.
Bird Song, Siobhan Davies
Dance Tek Warriors, Union Dance
Faultline, Shobana Jeyasingh
Ghost Dances or Swansong, Christopher Bruce
Nutcracker!, Matthew Bourne
Overdrive, Richard Alston
Perfect, Motionhouse
Romeo and Juliet, Kenneth MacMillan
Rosas Danst Rosas, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker
“Still Life” at the Penguin Café, David Bintley
NB we have to select a minimum of 2 for study
(2 are used within the written exam, 1 is used for solo comp. task and another for unit 3)
How is the course assessed?
At present 80% of the final assessments are practical units. (This is looking like it will change to 60%
practical, 40% theory. I am led to believe that this will be for first examination 2017.)
Just before or after Easter of Year 11 the students will have a day which is their ‘practical exam’. On
this day a visiting moderator will attend to moderate the centre marking to make sure that it is ‘in
line’ with the exam board. They will see a minimum of 10 candidates.
At present dances which are seen:
Unit 3 – Performance in a duo or group (20% of the final mark)
This dance must show 3 links to a chosen set dance. Students are marked on their
performance skills both technical and expressive.
Unit 4a – Solo composition (15%)
This solo is created by using 3 given motifs from a chosen set work. Students are marked on
their composition skills
Unit 4b – Solo or group composition (25%)
This dance must be based on a chosen stimuli which is set by the exam board. (Usually a
picture, poem current event etc). Students are marked on their composition skills.
Other units are assessed as follows:
Unit 2 – the set dance. (20%)
This is set by the exam board, filmed by us on the day of the practical exam and sent off to be
marked externally.
Unit 1- the written paper (20%)
This is a 1 hour paper sat in May/June of Year 11. It is based on 2 of the set works studied as well as
other topics studied during the course.
Please note – all of the above assessment process may change – at present the new specification is at
the consultation stage and has not been released.
How can you support your son or daughter?
Encourage them to take part in extra dance classes/clubs – this could be in school or outside in the
local community. XS NRG! at school runs on a Friday 3.30-4.30.
Encourage them to keep fit!
Make sure they bring appropriate kit to each lesson. This includes taking jewellery off, including
wrist/ankle bands and tying hair back.
Homework – will be posted on Planner Live. As it looks like the amount of written assessment is to
increase it is even more important that students keep folders up to date and written assignments
are completed in detail.
See as much dance as possible – could be live or on TV or on YouTube
Come and see the summer dance show – we try and encourage all of the exam students to perform
coursework pieces.
Encourage students to build up a ‘library’ of music which includes a variety of styles – for their
choreography tasks they have to find their own music.
Have a look in the library for any books about dance or dancers to dip into. It really helps to have an
idea about the different styles around and the history of dance.
In the dance studio are copies of The Dancing Times which students are welcome to browse – these
have lots of articles in about current companies as well as info about training.
When students begin rehearsing practical assessments they will need to access the dance studio
during lunchtimes or after school for rehearsals – they will be given opportunity to ‘sign up’ for
rehearsal times.
GCSE Dance is not an ‘easy’ option. It requires a lot of work both in and out of the studio. Students
need to work hard to achieve a good grade.