GCSE Dance

GCSE Dance
The course is designed to enable you to:

• Develop understanding and appreciation of a range of dance styles
• Develop visual and creative responses to dance works
• Develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to perform, choreograph and appreciate dance
• Develop life-skills and attributes including decision-making, critical and creative thinking, and the ability to co-operate with others.

Is it for me?
The course suits those with an interest in dance, who enjoy choreographing, creating dance and performing. Assessment is predominantly coursework based.
What's involved?
Performance, Choreography & Appreciation
This area of work introduces you to dance in its widest sense and helps you to understand the basic skills needed to appreciate, create and perform dance.
In order to perform dance, you will study good studio practice, basic technique, the rehearsal process and the expressive nature of dance.
Choreography will include the art and process of creating choreography, application of choreographic structure and understanding the constituent features of dance.
Appreciation gives you the opportunity of viewing professional works and develops your skills in understanding them from a historical and social context, as well as analysing and interpreting the meaning behind them.
Set Study
This unit requires you to learn and perform a dance, which is set by the exam board and focuses on Contemporary Dance technique. Many of the skills you will learn in the previous unit should be demonstrated in this piece to show understanding and skill in use of technique, interpretation and expressive qualities, as well as a sense of individuality and artistry within the constraints of the study.
Performance, Choreography and Programme Notes
This is a coursework component and allows you to apply the skills you have learned earlier in the course with your own creative ideas. Choreography gives you the opportunity to choreograph your own solo, duet or group dance piece. You will need to work from a stimulus, using a variety of methods to develop your ideas and applying choreographic structure. Programme Notes are also linked to this piece of work, in which you will describe, interpret and evaluate your choreography. The Performance part of the coursework requires you to perform a prepared dance piece in the context of a duo or group. The skills you will develop in this area are technique, sense of style, musicality and accuracy, communicating with confidence and demonstrating sensitivity to other dancers.
Progression
Successful completion of this course could lead to the BTEC National Award in Dance. You may be able to progress onto a wide range of A Level and BTEC National Diplomas and Award courses, depending on the other qualifications you have and your interests.