Key Stage 4 - Years 10 to 11

Topic Title: Safe Practice, skill development & Street dance 

Pupils will develop an understanding of the key components that are required to develop a dancers technical ability and good working practice with a focus on preventing injury. Pupils will also explore the hip hop styles, learn repertoire from Emancipation of expressionism by Boy Blue Entertainment to begin developing their understanding of communicating meaning through movement, formations and use of canon, unison and counterpoint. 

Topic Title: A Linha Curva  

Pupils will develop their ability to analyse professional dance performances, learn repertoire from the work and develop their understanding of contemporary technique, ensemble performance, choreographic devices and relationships. 

Topic Title: Contemporary Ballet 

Pupils will develop and apply an understanding of classical ballet technique and develop their analytical abilities through studying ‘Infra’ by the Royal Ballet. Pupils will explore different methods of generating choreography, informed by the practice of Wayne McGregor in the creation of this work. 

Topic Title: Neo-Classical dance 

Pupils will develop and apply and understanding of style fusion by combining modern and classical technique in the style of Christopher Bruce through the study of his work with Phoenix dance theatre and the work he created with them ‘Shadows’. Pupils will develop their understanding of how design elements such as costume lighting and set can support the communication of a choreographic intention and how props can be integrated into their own choreography. 

Topic Title: Dance for Camera 

Pupils will further develop their ability to analyse professional dance works through ‘Within her Eyes’ by James Cousins. Pupils will explore how to create dance for camera including: framing and angle, working safely in a site specific environment and how to use features of that environment to develop movement content. 

Topic Title: Artificial Things 

Pupils will continue to develop and apply their analytical skills through the study of Artificial Things by Stop Gap Dance Company. Pupils will explore how to create movement for dancers with different limitations due to disabilities and combine this with choreography for able-bodied dancers. 

Topic Title: Component 1 - Choreography 

Students must learn how to respond creatively to an externally set stimulus, to choreograph their own complete dance. The dance created must be either: 

a solo dance of a minimum of two minutes and a maximum of two and a half minutes 

or 

a group dance of a minimum of three minutes and a maximum of three and a half minutes for two to five dancers. 

which: 

includes a chosen aural setting 

can be in any style or style fusion(s) (as long as it meets the assessment criteria) 

communicates their own chosen choreographic intention. 

The student is not required to perform in their choreographed dance but may do so if they wish. 

To create their own dance, students must know, understand and be able to apply the following, as appropriate to their choreography: Action, dynamic, spatial and relationship content, choreographic process, choreography devices, structuring devices and aural setting. 

Topic Title: Component 1 – Performance 

Students must develop and apply the following knowledge, understanding and skills to perform dance as a soloist for approximately one minute and in a duet/trio for a minimum of three minutes. 

The total duration of a student’s performance must be no less than three and a half minutes. 

This will include the performance of 2 set phrases (Shift and Breathe) set by the exam board and a duet choreographed by the teacher. 

Topic Title: Component 2 – Dance appreciation 

Final preparation for the written exam focusing on exam technique and the fine tuning of knowledge. 

filestore.aqa.org.uk 

AQA | GCSE | Dance | Specification at a glance