The Dance department team at Woodlands consists of:

Mrs M Murray (Head of Department)
 

Key Stage 3 Course

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Map

GCSE Course Outline

GCSE Dance is weighted:

During Year 10 and Year 11, students have one double practical lesson a week and a single theory lesson. This will change as the year goes on and deadlines come closer.

Students will study a wide range of dances, including professional works by a number of different choreographers as well as various styles of dance. Also studied are the use of costume, lighting, set design and music in dance.

There are three main areas that are involved in GCSE dance, Performance, Choreography and Appreciation.

Performance (40%)

This area includes knowledge of the technical skills involved in performing, such as focus, control, timing and accuracy.

Choreography (30%)

Knowledge of compositional skills, including motif and development, theme and variation and form.

Appreciation (30%)

The skills of analysing dance in oral and written formats. Knowledge of dance terminology, choreographic and performance skills, and basic dance anatomy.

Extra Curricular Activities and Events

Every year Woodlands participates in the Global Rock Challenge competition and students from all year groups and ability are able to participate in this competition. The competition is always held at the beginning of March and rehearsals start in October. The piece entered for this competition is a dance piece which is eight minutes in duration and can involve up to 100 participants. In 2005 Woodlands came second in their heat and won best stage crew and set design with the piece ‘Mass Destruction’ a dance based on war and terrorism.

The dance department also puts on an annual dance show where students class and own work is show cased. All GCSE students are expected to perform and other students can audition for the chance to perform their own pieces in any style. This show usually takes place in the summer term.

The dance department also plays a vital role in the schools stage productions and choreographs the movement for these shows.

There are extra curricular activities on every day after school and students are encouraged to attend as many of these as they can. These include…

Some of the clubs are run by other students who are learning how to teach others and offering their skills and experiences to younger students.