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St Wilfrid's Catholic School

Dance

Subject Leader: Miss Towson
Dance Teacher: Mrs Lintern-Goodall
Instagram:  stwilfsdance
Website: St Wilfrid's Catholic School:  Dance

 

Overview
The Dance Department strives to develop students’ creative, technical and performance skills through enjoyable, dynamic and fast-paced lessons. The subjects chosen are derived to engage and instantly interest students by using current performance artists as examples and set works that inspire students to develop their own material. We encourage students to push their physical capabilities and create original responses in order to develop as a performer and choreographer alongside learning an abundance of transferable skills that can be applied in any future career path.

 

KS3 Girls

  • Year 7 girls investigate The Car Man by Matthew Bourne and explore the chaos of a bustling car garage, working with car tyres as props.
  • Year 8 girls investigate different Dance styles. The styles the students explore include Jazz, Ballet and Contemporary as well as Hip-Hop, Latin and Jive.
  • Year 9 girls complete a technique unit and a choreography unit in order to prepare them for GCSE Dance if they wish to take this option. The students work on their performance skills, commitment, energy, balance, extension and focus throughout this unit of work. The students work on choreographic skills using choreographic devices such as repetition, canon and fragmentation.

 

KS3 Boys

  • Year 7 boys explore a day in the life of a Secret Agent. Students will focus on demonstrating characterisation, energy and extreme dynamic contrast, which will help to develop students expressive performance skills.
  • Year 8 boys will explore different aspects of a being in a Tribal community. Students will focus on demonstrating strength, stamina and mobility as this unit includes the investigation of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira.
  • Year 9 boys complete a unit of work based on Parkour as they delve into an Urban Playground. Students will focus on the power of control and coordination. The students incorporate various elements of dance including break dancing and free running to create a collaborative group choreography.

 

 

AQA GCSE Dance

Component 1: Performance and choreography (60%)

Performance (30%)

  • Solo Performance (2 x 30 secs)
  • Performance in duet/trio (3-5mins)

Choreography (30%)

  • Solo/Group (2.30-3.30mins)
    Choreography based on exam questions set by the AQA exam board. These are released in September of Year 11.

Component 2: Dance Appreciation (40%)

  • Written examination (1½ hrs) 3 sections:
  • Section A: Knowledge and understanding of choreographic processes. Questions will relate to a given stimulus or starting point.
  • Section B: Critical appreciation of own work. Questions will relate to your own experience of performance, or choreography or both within the course.
  • Section C: Critical appreciation of professional works. You will answer questions relating to the GCSE Dance anthology.

 

AQA A Level Dance

Component 1: Performance and choreography (50%)

Performance (30%)

  • Solo Performance (2-3 mins)
  • Quartet (3-4 mins)

Choreography (30%)

  • Group Choreography 3-5 dancers (3-4 mins)
    Choreography’s are based on exam questions set by the AQA exam board. These are released in September of Year 13.

Component 2: Critical Engagement (50%)

  • Written examination (2½ hrs) 4 sections:
  • Compulsory Area of Study: Rambert Dance Company (formerly Ballet Rambert) 1966-2002
  • Compulsory Set Work: Rooster choreographed by Christopher Bruce (1991)
  • Optional Area of Study: Independent Contemporary Dance Scene in Britain 2000-Present
  • Optional Set Work: Sutra choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (2008)

 

Dance Clubs and Opportunities

  • KS3 Dance Club every Tuesday
  • KS4 Dance Club every Thursday
  • Evening of Dance show in March
  • Be a production dancer - rehearsals every Monday and Wednesday
  • Be in a choreography for the Year 11 exam piece and perform in a formal exam
  • Workshops with professional dancers and choreographers in the industry
  • Dance trips including visits to LABAN, Rambert, Sadler’s Wells and Pineapple
  • Become a Dance Student Leader
  • Audition to become a part of Omnibus Youth Dancy Company

 

Supporting Gifted and Talented Students

  • Located close to London, opportunities to audition for Centre of Advanced training schemes within professional dance schools such as London Contemporary Dance School, LABAN and Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
  • Professional training is supplied through workshops with professional companies such as LABAN, Rambert, National Youth Dance Company and James Cousin’s Company which support both the A Level and GCSE Dance courses.
  • Extra technique classes are run weekly, incorporating contemporary techniques such as Cunningham, Release and Graham.